The Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles meet in Week 7, with both teams needing a win. The game will be on NBC; kickoff for Sunday Night Football is 8:20 p.m. ET.
This is the first NFL meeting between quarterbacks Jalen Hurts and Tua Tagovailoa, who were teammates at Alabama for two seasons. They won the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship together against Georgia when Tagovailoa, who replaced Hurts at halftime, led Alabama back from a 13-0 deficit to win in overtime, 26-23.
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When Does NBC’s Coverage Start?
NBC’s pregame coverage begins at 7 p.m. ET with Football Night in America, hosted by Maria Taylor. Former head coaches Tony Dungy and Jason Garrett and former players Devin McCourty, Chris Simms, and Rodney Harrison will provide analysis. NFL insider Mike Florio, fantasy sports expert Matthew Berry, and Jac Collinsworth, Cris’ son, are also on the show.
Who Are the Game Announcers for Dolphins-Eagles?
Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth are in the booth, with Melissa Stark as the sideline reporter and Terry McAulay as the rules analyst.
Tirico is in his second season as the play-by-play announcer for Sunday Night Football. He joined NBC in 2012 and has hosted several events, including the Olympics, the Indianapolis 500, and golf’s U.S. Open Championship. Tirico spent 25 years at ESPN and was the Monday Night Football play-by-play announcer for 10 seasons.
Collinsworth is in his 15th season providing game analysis for Sunday Night Football. He has won 17 Emmy awards, including stops at HBO, FOX, and the NFL Network.
Collinsworth was a studio analyst with SNF before replacing John Madden in the booth. He was a wide receiver for eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, from 1981 to 1988. He made three Pro Bowls and played on two teams that made the Super Bowl.
Stark is in her second season as a sideline reporter for NBC. Along with NBC, she worked for ESPN and the NFL Network during her career. At ESPN, Stark was a sideline reporter for Monday Night Football from 2000 to 2002. After leaving ESPN, she was a Today Show correspondent and hosted multiple shows and events on the NFL Network.
McAulay joined NBC as a rules analyst in 2018 after 20 years as an on-field NFL official. He was a referee for 17 seasons and was assigned to the Super Bowl three times.
When Miami Played on NBC With No Announcers
NBC broadcast a regular season game between the Miami Dolphins and New York Jets on December 20, 1980. Both teams were out of playoff contention; the Dolphins were 8-7 while the Jets were 3-12 entering the final week.
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There was one significant difference between this game and the normal football broadcast. NBC intentionally did not have announcers and aired the game with the only audio being the sounds of the stadium. You can see the broadcast of the game here.
Bryant Gumbel introduced the game and concept to the viewers, then let the natural sounds of the Orange Bowl take over. He would appear during the game when the broadcast showed prerecorded interviews with coaches and players.
The idea came from executive producer of NBC Sports Don Ohlmeyer, who was the first Monday Night Football and member of the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Ohlmeyer told ESPN in 2010, “Here we had this dog of a game. Part of my thinking was: What could we possibly do to get fans to watch this? People could follow a game with pictures, and graphics, and hear the PA announcer in the background.”
The concept of a game broadcast with no announcers did not catch on and we’ve had commentators on all NFL broadcasts.
