All the votes have been counted, and the readers of Awful Announcing have had their say about the best and worst NFL broadcast crews of the 2023 season.
The average score this year was 2.49 after more than 18,000 votes. Last year, the average score was 2.64 with nearly twice as many votes.
CBS broadcasters had an average score of 2.61, while Fox broadcasters had an average score of 2.33.
The most common score was a B (30.29% of votes) and the least common was an F (9.34% of votes).
Here are the rankings we did in 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2022.
For the full vote and percentage totals, click here.
17. Chris Myers & Robert Smith (Fox) – 1.42
Most common grade: C (31.23% of votes)
Previous scores: 1.93 (2022)
Previous rankings: 17 of 17 (2022)
Notes: Fox’s duo of Myers and Smith retains their spot at the bottom of the rankings, and their score also took a significant hit this season. Plenty of broadcast teams have surpassed them in Fox’s lineup, and reception has not been kind to this pairing over the last two years.
16. Rich Eisen & Kurt Warner (NFL Network) – 1.89
Most common grade: B/C (25.92% of votes for each)
Previous scores: N/A (Eisen, Warner, Michael Irvin, and Steve Mariucci scored 2.21 in 2022)
Previous rankings: N/A (Eisen, Warner, Michael Irvin, and Steve Mariucci were 14 of 17 in 2022)
Notes: Eisen and Warner didn’t call many games together this season (and Eisen called another two games with different partners), and that small sample wasn’t received all that well by fans. There are only so many reps they can get together due to NFL Network’s smaller package, unfortunately.
15. Spero Dedes & Adam Archuleta (CBS) – 1.94
Most common grade: C (40.64% of votes)
Previous scores: 1.94 (2018), 1.92 (2019), 2.07 (2020). Dedes and Jay Feely scored 2.09 in 2022. Archuleta and Greg Gumbel scored 2.22 in 2022.
Previous rankings: 14 of 15 (2018), 12 of 14 (2019), 14 of 15 (2020). Dedes and Jay Feely were 16 of 17 in 2022. Archuleta and Greg Gumbel were 13 of 17 in 2022.
Notes: After some time apart, Dedes and Archuleta are back together and in a familiar spot in the rankings with a similar score. There’s something to be said for consistency over several years together, I guess.
14. Tom McCarthy, James Lofton, & Jay Feely (CBS) – 1.98
Most common grade: C (40.64% of votes)
Previous scores: N/A (Lofton and Andrew Catalon scored 2.25 in 2022. Feely and Spero Dedes scored 2.09 in 2022)
Previous rankings: N/A (Lofton and Andrew Catalon were 12 of 17 in 2022. Feely and Spero Dedes were 16 of 17 in 2022)
Notes: This was the first year this trio worked together, and I guess the results were fine for a team lower down the CBS lineup. Three-man booths usually don’t get much love from our readers (as we’ll again see shortly), which probably dinged their score a bit.
13. Kenny Albert & Jonathan Vilma (Fox) – 2.00528
Most common grade: B (30.7% of votes)
Previous scores: 2.41 (2020), 2.50 (2022)
Previous rankings: 9 of 15 (2020), 9 of 17 (2022)
Notes: This is a pretty big drop for Albert and Vilma, whose score nosedived this season and rank fell by four spots. It’s not the direction Fox would like to see this pair going in. They lost out on the next spot on our list by the slimmest of margins, too – just one D vote being a C would have been enough to bump them up.
12. Adam Amin & Mark Schlereth (Fox) – 2.00531
Most common grade: B (29.91% of votes)
Previous scores: 2.30 (2020), 2.38 (2022)
Previous rankings: 11 of 15 (2020), 11 of 17 (2022)
Notes: Another team whose score backslid this year, Amin and Schlereth only fell back one spot in 2023. Fox has been quite high on Amin since hiring him away from ESPN, and wouldn’t surprise me if he got a partner change in the future.
11. Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky, & Louis Riddick (ESPN) – 2.11
Most common grade: B (29.17% of votes)
Previous scores: N/A (Steve Levy, Orlovsky, and Riddick had a 2.18 score in 2022)
Previous rankings: N/A (Steve Levy, Orlovsky, and Riddick were 15 of 17 in 2022)
Notes: Our second of three three-man teams also wasn’t received very well, with their score coming in only slightly lower than ESPN’s backup team from 2022. Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit reigned supreme in our college football rankings, but it was a different story for these NFL rankings.
10. Andrew Catalon, Tiki Barber, & Matt Ryan (CBS) – 2.28
Most common grade: C (41.23% of votes)
Previous scores: N/A (Catalon and James Lofton scored 2.25 in 2022)
Previous rankings: N/A (Catalon and James Lofton were 12 of 17 in 2022)
Notes: The final three-man team in our rankings represented some promise for CBS, with Barber’s return to a full-time schedule and Ryan’s debut season coming in just shy of the middle of the pack. It’ll be interesting to see if CBS sticks with this being a three-man team, or breaks it up in favor of a pair of traditional duos.
9. Al Michaels & Kirk Herbstreit (Prime Video) – 2.29
Most common grade: B (34.05% of votes)
Previous scores: 2.50 (2022)
Previous rankings: 8 of 17 (2022)
Notes: Michaels gets a lot of criticism on social media for his work on the Thursday Night Football package, and it showed in our rankings with a slight decline in both score and ranking for his team with Herbstreit. As for Herbstreit, like Fowler, his work is appreciated far more on the college football side.
8. Kevin Kugler & Mark Sanchez (Fox) – 2.52
Most common grade: C (31.50% of votes)
Previous scores: 2.39 (2022)
Previous rankings: 10 of 17 (2022)
Notes: Despite a modest increase in their score, Kugler and Sanchez’s ranking rose two places this season. They’re settling into a nice groove in the middle of Fox’s lineup.
7. Joe Davis & Daryl Johnston (Fox) – 2.74
Most common grade: B (43.01% of votes)
Previous scores: 2.85 (2022)
Previous rankings: 7 of 17 (2022)
Notes: There isn’t much to say about the consistent duo of Davis and Johnston, whose score slipped a bit from last season and whose ranking remained unchanged. They work quite well together
6. Jim Nantz & Tony Romo (CBS) – 2.82
Most common grade: B (40.81% of votes)
Previous scores: 3.29 (2018), 3.55 (2019), 3.60 (2020), 3.18 (2022)
Previous rankings: 1 of 15 (2018), 1 of 14 (2019), 1 of 15 (2020), 4 of 17 (2022)
Notes: The score and ranking dip that started last season continued this year with Nantz and Romo, formerly the apples of almost every NFL fan’s eye. There’s been backlash towards Romo and his broadcasting style and the novelty of his exuberance has worn off. Despite that, there’s nothing wrong with coming in sixth overall.
5. Mike Tirico & Cris Collinsworth (NBC) – 2.99
Most common grade: A (38.58% of votes)
Previous scores: 3.16 (2022)
Previous rankings: 5 of 17 (2022)
Notes: Tirico and Collinsworth retain their place on last year’s list despite a lower score. I don’t think, at least yet, they have the chemistry Collinsworth had with Al Michaels during their years together on Sunday Night Football. It’s not a bad broadcast by any means, but it just isn’t at the level of the top four.
4. Kevin Burkhardt & Greg Olsen (Fox) – 3.26
Most common grade: A (50.48% of votes)
Previous scores: 3.08 (2022)
Previous rankings: 6 of 17 (2022)
Notes: The margins with the top four were very close. Olsen’s performance alongside Burkhardt during the NFC Playoffs and Super Bowl last year spurred added appreciation for his work. It’s a shame this will likely be the last time they’re on this list due to Tom Brady’s imminent arrival to the Fox broadcast booth. The network will face some difficult questions on what exactly to do with Olsen, and if Brady isn’t the transcendent analyst Fox believes he will be, there’s a possibility Fox’s entire NFL lineup will suffer.
3. Kevin Harlan & Trent Green (CBS) – 3.28
Most common grade: A (52.11% of votes)
Previous scores: 3.29 (2020), 3.25 (2022)
Previous rankings: 3 of 15 (2020), 2 of 17 (2022)
Notes: Harlan and Green’s score split the difference from the last two seasons, and their ranking reverted to its 2020 level. Harlan is one of the best announcers in the country across multiple sports, and Green has turned into a pretty strong analyst working alongside him. They always have an entertaining, informative call, and most fans seem pretty happy when they’re calling the local game.
2. Ian Eagle & Charles Davis (CBS) – 3.30
Most common grade: A (53.73% of votes)
Previous scores: 3.28 (2020), 3.30 (2022)
Previous rankings: 4 of 15 (2020, 1 of 17 (2022)
Notes: The reigning champions are knocked off of their perch by a very tight margin, despite repeating their score from last year. Eagle is similar to Harlan in that he can call multiple sports quite well, and Davis has continued to grow into one of the best game analysts in the sport. They’re worthy of the top spot in these rankings, and coming in second this year isn’t a slight on their work together.
1. Joe Buck & Troy Aikman (ESPN) – 3.31
Most common grade: A (56.97% of votes)
Previous scores: 2.87 (2018), 2.91 (2019), 3.04 (2020), 3.22 (2022)
Previous rankings: 6 of 15 (2018), 5 of 14 (2019), 6 of 15 (2020), 3 of 17 (2022)
Notes: After two decades of working together, appreciation for Buck and Aikman only continues to grow. The move to ESPN has appeared to revitalize the duo, and the tired criticisms lobbed their way (especially towards Buck) don’t have much merit anymore. After two years, ESPN has absolutely got what it wanted from the pair, and the top ranking this year is well-deserved.
