Thursday night’s game between the Cardinals and Panthers was just the start of the NFL preseason, but the NBC booth of Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth showed they were already in midseason form.
Both teams traded touchdowns in the final two minutes of action, and while the outcome of the game might not really matter, you couldn’t tell by the electricity the two brought while calling the finish.
The Panthers trailed 30–27 with two seconds to play and just five yards from scoring a game-winning touchdown. A game-tying field goal was also an option, but with no overtime in the NFL preseason, why not play to win?
“Soft box, a quarterback draw would have a chance,” Collinsworth said just before the play.
“Game on the line,” Tirico said as rookie quarterback Haynes King took the shotgun snap. After looking for an open receiver, King pulled the ball in and decided to run for the goal line. “King! He’s going to step up! Pumps! Runs! Goal line! Is he in? Yes! Carolina wins! Haynes King! King of the night!”
Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth calling the NFL Hall of Fame Game finish like the Super Bowl! 🏈 🔥 🎙️ pic.twitter.com/GipGrLBBTG
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) August 7, 2026
It was a call fit for the playoffs, and we got it on the first Thursday of August. Who knows how many game-on-the-line plays someone like King, who went undrafted out of Georgia Tech this year, is going to get in the NFL? Maybe he’ll get his chance down the line, but if he doesn’t, his big play in the big leagues got an epic call to go with it. Compared to some of the mellow calls we’ve gotten during wild finishes to games that actually do count towards teams’ records in recent years, Tirico sounded like he was calling the Super Bowl.
It was a big night for the NBC broadcast team as a whole, with former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin making his debut as a studio analyst for Football Night in America, earning unsurprisingly positive reviews for his performance.
The NBC team won’t be back on our televisions until the start of the regular season, when they’ll broadcast the season opener between the Seahawks and Patriots in Seattle on Sept. 9. While the starters like Tirico and Collinsworth might be getting limited snaps in the preseason, Thursday showed the duo is already in primetime form.
About Tyler Lauletta
Tyler is a editorial contributor at Awful Announcing, with previous stops at Sports Illustrated and Business Insider during his career covering sports in digital media. He is, begrudgingly, a Truster of the Process and general Philly sports sicko.