Dec 10, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) talks with former NFL quarterback and commentator Tony Romo and his sone Rivers prior to a game against the Buffalo Bills at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports Credit: Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports
CBSNFLBy Reice Shipley on

Sunday’s matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals on CBS was not only entertaining on the field, but also from a commentary perspective when it came to CBS color analyst Tony Romo, who for better or worse was in rare form on the call of the game.

At this point, Romo’s infatuation with Patrick Mahomes has been well-documented, commonly referencing his “wizardry” whenever the three-time Super Bowl champion has a highlight in a game that he is calling.

But on Sunday, Romo even got excited about a throw in the dirt from Mahomes, praising him for “instincts” and calling it a “winning play.”

“This is Mahomes throwing it in the dirt on purpose,” said Romo. “He sees it and he has such great instincts. He tries…The guy coming right there from the inside. You saw Wilson coming. He didn’t see that initially, but he sees everything. It’s a winning play.”

If you watch the play, there is nothing that Romo specifically said here that was wrong. It did appear as if Mahomes saw a defending closing in on Travis Kelce, which seemingly made him think better of throwing the ball and throwing it into the dirt.

But with that being said, is this really a play that needs to be recognized as much as Romo did here? A number of media members thought not, roasting Romo on social media for the call of the play which is more of a lowlight than a highlight.

Mahomes wasn’t the only Chiefs player who received some serious praise from Romo in the game. He also called star defensive tackle Chris Jones his “frontrunner” for the Defensive Player of the Year award, which is obviously a bit premature — considering it is only Week 2.

“He is a game wrecker,” said Romo of Jones. “Two-time First-Team All-Pro the last two years. I think he’s probably my front-runner right now for Defensive Player of the Year. He really has an outstanding game in Week 1. And they move him all around. He doesn’t normally play outside, he’s inside. But on third down, Jim, look at him here.”

On a more positive note, Romo did have some very funny quotes throughout the game. One in particular came when he and Jim Nantz shared a laugh about Romo’s 40-yard-dash time.

“They told me you ran a 4.21 at the Combine,” said Nantz.

“I did, but it was only 20 yards,” responded Romo.

Another came when Jim Nantz referenced the sun potentially playing a role in a drop from a Bengals player, only for Romo to say “The sun’s been here for a lot of years, Jim.”

When it comes to the light-hearted, comedic part of Romo’s commentary on Sunday, viewers were actually quite complimentary of the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback.

Whether you loved or hated Romo on the call of Sunday’s matchup, he certainly caught your attention. Which at the end of the day is truthfully all you can ask for from a color analyst.

[Awful Announcing on X]

About Reice Shipley

Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.

View all posts by Reice Shipley