NFL fans heard a somewhat familiar voice during Saturday’s Wild Card playoff game between the Houston Texans and Cleveland Browns.
Noah Eagle, son of Ian Eagle, was on the call for NBC alongside commentator Todd Blackledge. The duo, who normally call college football for NBC Sports, were back in an NFL booth after a successful broadcast back in December.
While there will always be detractors, it seems like audiences were pretty happy with their performance during Houston’s 45-14 drubbing of Cleveland, especially Eagle.
A 76-YARD ANSWER FOR HOUSTON. pic.twitter.com/Jo9v6nKNgk
— Sunday Night Football on NBC (@SNFonNBC) January 13, 2024
The 26-year-old shined brightest during the biggest plays of the game, two pick-six interceptions thrown by Browns quarterback Joe Flacco.
The Texans led 24-14 midway through the third quarter when Steven Nelson picked off Flacco and took it to the endzone. Eagle met the moment.
https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1746315324478382587
On the very next drive, Flacco floundered again and Christian Harris returned that pick for another score to put the game well out of reach. Eagle had just the right phrase for the moment.
https://twitter.com/awfulannouncing/status/1746319214364037162
“Houston, you have no problem…with this defense,” said Eagle.
Plenty of NFL fans and media members also had no problem with Eagle and Blackledge on the call, which is notable given that this likely would have been the game Al Michaels would have called had NBC brought him back. Instead, it was Eagle’s time to shine.
Noah Eagle sounds like a combination of Ian Eagle and Jim Nantz. In other words, he's pretty damn good.
— Ian O'Connor (@Ian_OConnor) January 13, 2024
With Todd Blackledge sounding like Dan Fouts, the NBC playoff crew with Blackledge and Noah Eagle has an old school CBS feel of The Bird & The Beard
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) January 13, 2024
https://twitter.com/bobano/status/1746319865047064679
Eagle and Blackledge are terrific….has an old school feel to the broadcast that I love.
Smart | Entertaining | Timing is perfect
— Chase Daniel (@ChaseDaniel) January 13, 2024
Quick thought: Broadcast team of Noah Eagle & Todd Blackledge is really good.
— Frank Frangie (@Frank_Frangie) January 13, 2024
For those who enjoyed Eagle’s call, they might want to tune in to Nickelodeon’s broadcast of the Super Bowl, which he’ll be doing play-by-play for.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.