No NFL announcer in the 2023 season has done a better job of making it clear that he’s calling an ugly game than Al Michaels. At least no announcer on national broadcasts, anyway. But as Monday’s game between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings came to an end, Joe Buck and Troy Aikman made their opinions known.
While the Bears kicked a late field goal to take a 12-10 lead, they weren’t able to run the entire clock out. That left the Vikings with one play, hoping for a miracle. Minnesota was on its own 34-yard line, outside of quarterback Joshua Dobbs’ range. So, if a miracle was going to happen, it was going to be on a lateral play.
Dobbs found K.J. Osborn over the middle and while Osborn was quickly met by Chicago defenders, he got the ball out before going down, fumbling it backward. Running back Alexander Mattison picked up the loose ball and quickly flipped it back to Osborn, now back on his feet. Osborn lateraled it to Jordan Addison, who effectively played hot potato with the ball, lateraling to Dobbs.
Getting the ball into the hands of a quarterback is not a bad idea on a play like this, as they’re the ones best capable of throwing the ball across the field, away from the defenders. Dobbs did throw the ball across the field, but his throw was a forward lateral. For all intents and purposes, that ended the game as even a miracle touchdown would be called back.
Buck quickly realized that, saying, “This looks like a forward pass. And an illegal forward pass at that.”
Still, T. J. Hockenson made a good play on the ball, catching it and quickly flipped it back to Brandon Powell. Powell was quickly hit, but tossed the ball back, into the hands of lineman Brian O’Neill. O’Neill’s lateral was caught by another lineman, Dalton Risner.
Around that point, Aikman quipped, “This is entertaining. It’s not gonna count. But keep it rolling.”
Risner’s lateral hit the ground for a fumble, which was recovered by Chicago’s Josh Blackwell. Ending the game.
Buck then said, “And with the Benny Hill music playing in the background, this game is over.”
"And with the Benny Hill music playing in the background, this game is over."
"Thankfully."
— Joe Buck and Troy Aikman speaking for pretty much anyone who watched this game. pic.twitter.com/vIfmKb1SuB
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) November 28, 2023
And of course, someone, Twitter/X user @FrankieG1998, went ahead and added “Yakety Sax” the Benny Hill theme to the play. It certainly doesn’t feel out of place.
Joe Buck said the Bears Vikings ending should've had the Benny Hill music playing. So I added it. pic.twitter.com/ahRoqC3Wwo
— Frankie G (@FrankieG1998) November 28, 2023
We have to admire Buck and Aikman’s restraint in passing on the “The only thing missing was the Stanford Band” joke.
We also have to appreciate both Buck and Aikman for not pretending that this game was something much greater than it actually was. Indeed, this play brought a fitting end to an ugly game.
[Photo Credit: ESPN]
