While announcers’ comments don’t actually impact on-field action, it is always funny to see an announcer jinx where the broadcaster says something and the situation quickly goes the other way. From talking about kickers‘ consistency to players’ free-throw success to teams’ goal-to-go performance, there are lots of ways a jinx can play out. And Fox’s Kevin Burkhardt gave us a good one in the Panthers–Buccaneers game Sunday, praising ‘old reliable’ Bucs’ receiver Chris Godwin after a catch and then quickly calling Godwin’s fumble (seen above):
The peanut punch is back for the @Panthers
đź“ş: #CARvsTB on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/iBHCs5kpjA pic.twitter.com/sy48OtmgF7— NFL (@NFL) January 1, 2023
“It’s old reliable Chris Godwin, who loses the ball!” Seamless transition there. Granted, the “old reliable” may have been more about Godwin’s success as a receiving target (heading into Sunday, he had 89 receptions on 126 targets for 848 yards and three touchdowns this season) than about if he would hang onto the ball in this particular circumstance. But he also hadn’t fumbled this year, and only had seven career fumbles (with four of those coming back in 2018), so “reliable” would work on that front as well. In either case, the “reliable” situation changed pretty quickly, and many noticed:
"It's ole reliable Chris Godwin, who's loses the ball"
An all time Broadcast Booth Jinx https://t.co/Gvz9BpMS8I
— Destin Adams (@TheDestinAdams) January 1, 2023
"It's old reliable Chris Godwin"
*immediately fumbles*
(via @NFL)pic.twitter.com/rBePsS76J0
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 1, 2023
“It’s old reliable Chris Godwin . . . WHO LOSES THE BALL!”
— Chet (@ChetGresham) January 1, 2023
Early in the second quarter, Godwin had two catches for a team-high 45 yards, but he did also have that fumble. We’ll see if he’s able to regain his “old reliable” status going forward.
[Destin Adams on Twitter; photo from Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA Today Sports]
