It feels hard to believe, but Super Bowl LX represented the first Super Bowl with Mike Tirico on the play-by-play call. While the game was a dud, with the Seattle Seahawks in full control throughout a 29-13 win over the New England Patriots, the always prepared Tirico still put together a strong performance as he routinely does.
Tirico mixed in sharp play-by-play with great storytelling and occasional humor alongside color commentator Cris Collinsworth to make the most of a boring championship game on the NBC broadcast.
Mike Tirico: “SEATTLE REIGNS ABOVE THEM ALL IN THE NFL! THE SEAHAWKS, SUPER BOWL CHAMPIONS FOR THE SECOND TIME!”🏈🏆🎙️ #SuperBowlLX #NFL #NBC pic.twitter.com/2tkTfpdfMh
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 9, 2026
Mike Tirico: “The security officer who tackled the rocket scientist, the idiot who ran on the field…” #SuperBowlLX #NBC pic.twitter.com/WMJYypT3tn
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 9, 2026
Mike Tirico: “HE’S GOING THE DISTANCE FOR A TOUCHDOWN!”
Cris Collinsworth: “Same blitz, Mike, is killing them all night long. They just cannot come up with answers, and it’s not that difficult… This is going to be just a learning experience tonight.”🏈🎙️ #SuperBowlLX pic.twitter.com/JWA2XYquOP
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 9, 2026
On the Awful Announcing X account, readers graded the performance of the Tirico-Collinsworth booth on Sunday night, with more than 75 percent of votes resulting in an ‘A’ or ‘B’ grade. And several readers noted that their positive grade (or would-be positive grade) was much more about Tirico.
Grade the performance of Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth on the NBC Super Bowl LX call. 🏈📺🎙️ #SuperBowlLX
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) February 9, 2026
The general reaction on social media was the same, with mixed reviews regarding Collinsworth (who has now called six Super Bowls, five of which featured the Patriots), and high praise for Tirico.
Here’s a sampling of the strong reviews for Tirico, who follows up calling the Super Bowl with hosting the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics for NBC.
.@MikeTirico just called the freaking Super Bowl, and then went down to the field to host the opening segment of tonight’s Olympics coverage!
As I’ve said countless times, he’s the best all-around sportscaster of all-time.
— Michael Eaves (@michaeleaves) February 9, 2026
Mike Tirico is great. He’s just flawless.
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) February 9, 2026
Mike Tirico is the blueprint
Calls the biggest game in America and then turns around and flawlessly transitions to hosting Olympic coverage 😮💨🐐
— Alyssa Lang (@AlyssaLang) February 9, 2026
Can we just appreciate what Mike Tirico is doing? My man just called a Super Bowl..and is now hosting NBC’s coverage of the Olympics from the field in Santa Clara. Absolute legend
— trey wingo (@wingoz) February 9, 2026
Mike Tirico looks incredibly comfortable calling his first Super Bowl. Another day at the office for one of the greats. https://t.co/PyDauH1xC6
— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) February 8, 2026
Mike Tirico should do every Super Bowl
— Brad Law (@AUBradLaw) February 8, 2026
Mike Tirico hosting the Olympics while standing on the field after calling a Super Bowl is perhaps the biggest flex in sports broadcasting history.
— Josh Rowntree (@JRown32) February 9, 2026
Man, Mike Tirico calls a Super Bowl, walks downstairs and hosts @NBCOlympics primetime from the field postgame…I gotta say, I’m impressed 🙌🫡
— Chris Vosters (@CJVosters) February 9, 2026
Tirico, who is also NBC’s lead voice for the network’s NBA coverage, is off to an excellent — and incredibly busy — start in 2026. And that comes after he was named Awful Announcing’s best overall play-by-play announcer in 2025.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.