In what could have been an easy victory over the San Francisco 49ers for the Los Angeles Rams, backup quarterback Mac Jones put on a clinic on the road and led his team to a thrilling win in overtime.
Despite going down with an injury in the second half, Jones returned, and though it was clear he was injured, he did what he needed to do to help his team win. Jones actually played so well that fans were urging the 49ers to start him over Brock Purdy.
While this performance was certainly a standout, it wasn’t the biggest talking point of the game as it went into overtime. In fact, fans weren’t talking about the game at all, as the main focus shifted to the confusing comments by veteran commentator Al Michaels.
Fans Calling for Al Michaels’ Retirement After Poor Performance on 49ers-Rams Broadcast
With the clock winding down in the fourth quarter, Michaels asked a puzzling question about whether the Rams would be passing inside or outside.
As they had no timeouts and were approaching field goal range, it was clear they would only be passing if they could stop the clock.
“‘Do you go inside or outside here?’ Al… The Rams had 12 seconds. What do you think happens if they complete a pass inbounds?” asked fantasy analyst Jason Katz.
“Do you go inside or outside here?” Al…The Rams had 12 seconds. What do you think happens if they complete a pass in bounds?
— Katz (@jasonkatz13) October 3, 2025
Due to this puzzling comment, fans were calling for his retirement, with one saying, “Al Michaels, it’s time, buddy.”
Al Michaels it’s time buddy
— CTESPN Packers 🧀 (@ctespnpack) October 3, 2025
Other fans also agreed, with one adding, “Al Michaels really needs to hang it up,” and another simply saying, “Al Michaels needs to retire.” One fan also called him “beyond washed” as a commentator and demanded that he retire “tonight.”
Al Michaels is beyond washed as a commentator, he genuinely needs to retire tonight
— Tyler J (@faketylerj) October 3, 2025
It’s worth noting that that comment wasn’t the only mistake he made, as he also missed an additional kick-return opportunity for the 49ers shortly after the previous comment.
Is Al Michaels stupid?! There’s still a potential kickoff return. It’s NOT OVERTIME YET IDIOT!
— CinemaHooked (@CinemaHooked) October 3, 2025
Michaels also mispronounced player names during the Thursday Night Football broadcast, as fantasy expert JJ Zachariason pointed out.
“Bro is Al Michaels ok?” Zachariason posted. “He’s now called Jordan Whittington ‘Whittingham’ four times in two minutes.”
Toward the end of the game, Michaels also mentioned Mac Jones’ “good years” in New England with the Patriots, which is just as puzzling as he wasn’t known to be a great quarterback with them. The more mistakes he makes on these broadcasts, the more fans were calling for his retirement.
Additionally, fans have criticized Michaels and his broadcasting partner, Kirk Herbstreit, for not having great chemistry together. With Herbstreit committing a number of mistakes as well last week, it’s not a great look for the Thursday Night Football commentary crew.
Michaels, in particular, turns 81 next month, and his age appears to be showing. It could be time for the legendary broadcaster to call it a career if he continues to receive this level of backlash.
