The NFL’s opening weekend is also the beginning of a new broadcasting season, and several of the booths sound different.
CBS has J.J. Watt beside Jim Nantz for the first time after Tony Romo was placed on leave. The move pushed Ross Tucker into Ian Eagle’s booth and gave CBS a different look near the top of its NFL roster.
FOX begins its first full season with Drew Brees working alongside Adam Amin and Kristina Pink. Netflix has also introduced a new pairing worth watching after Noah Eagle and Luke Kuechly called the league’s first regular-season game in Australia.
The Sporting Page will follow these crews throughout the season, not simply to keep track of who is calling each game, but to evaluate the broadcasts themselves.
Already played
The opening two games gave NBC’s established team another showcase and Netflix’s new pairing its debut.
Patriots at Seahawks
Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark, Kaylee Hartung
Play-by-play, analyst, reporters
Seattle won 13–10 on Wednesday night.
NBC used Tirico and Collinsworth in the booth with Stark and Hartung reporting from the sidelines. It was a familiar presentation and the same core booth that remains at the top of the network’s NFL coverage.
49ers vs. Rams in Melbourne
Noah Eagle, Luke Kuechly, Tom Pelissero, MJ Acosta-Ruiz
Play-by-play, analyst, reporters
San Francisco won 27–7 on Thursday night at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.
It was Kuechly’s debut as a television game analyst, and our first impression was positive. Kuechly was good. For somebody working his first NFL television game in the booth, he sounded comfortable and belonged in the broadcast. There was enough there that we want to hear considerably more before forming a complete opinion. Netflix has Eagle and Kuechly slated to work its NFL package throughout the season, making them one of the new booths worth following in 2026.
CBS
Six crews, with the largest change at the top of any network’s NFL lineup.
Packers at Vikings, 4:25 p.m.
Jim Nantz, J.J. Watt, Tracy Wolfson
Play-by-play, analyst, sideline
This is the booth that interests us most. Watt moves into the chair beside Nantz after spending last season with Ian Eagle. CBS has been pushing Watt toward the center of its NFL presentation since bringing him to the network, and from The Sporting Page’s view, the promotion has moved faster than the performance. We did not think Watt was particularly good as a game analyst last season.
That does not mean he cannot become good at it. Broadcasting is a different job from playing football, and analysts can improve substantially as they learn when to speak, when to get out of the play-by-play announcer’s way, how much detail an audience needs and how to diagnose a play quickly without turning the broadcast into a coaching clinic.
But CBS has clearly wanted Watt in a marquee position, and now it has him exactly there. There is no bigger protection or better opportunity than working beside Jim Nantz. Watt will have the network’s premier play-by-play voice, major assignments and the full weight of CBS’s NFL presentation behind him. Now we get to judge the pairing.
Bills at Texans, 1:00 p.m.
Ian Eagle, Ross Tucker, Evan Washburn
Play-by-play, analyst, sideline
Tucker moves into the seat Watt vacated beside Eagle. The two have extensive experience together from Westwood One radio, so CBS is not asking strangers to manufacture chemistry in Week 1. CBS has said the arrangement will cover at least the opening two weeks. Eagle remains one of the best play-by-play broadcasters in football. The question is whether Tucker can translate their existing radio chemistry into a national television booth.
Ravens at Colts, 1:00 p.m.
Andrew Catalon, Logan Ryan, AJ Ross
Play-by-play, analyst, sideline
Ryan joins Catalon after another CBS booth changed during the offseason. Charles Davis moved into the network’s lead college football analyst role, while Jason McCourty signed an exclusive agreement with ESPN. Ryan worked NFL and college football assignments for CBS last season and now receives a larger Sunday role.
Cardinals at Chargers, 4:25 p.m.
Kevin Harlan, Trent Green, Melanie Collins
Play-by-play, analyst, sideline
There is considerably less upheaval here. Harlan and Green remain one of CBS’s established pairings, with Collins continuing on the sideline.
Browns at Jaguars, 1:00 p.m.
Tom McCarthy, Robert Turbin, Tiffany Blackmon
Play-by-play, analyst, sideline
Jets at Titans, 1:00 p.m.
Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta, Aditi Kinkhabwala
Play-by-play, analyst, sideline
FOX
FOX’s lead booth remains intact. Its most notable change is Drew Brees beginning a full season beside Adam Amin.
Commanders at Eagles, 4:25 p.m.
Kevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi
Play-by-play, analyst, reporters
Burkhardt and Brady begin their third season together with Andrews and Rinaldi working the sidelines for America’s Game of the Week. FOX says the window averaged 25.3 million viewers in 2025, its largest average since 2015. Brady is no longer the new broadcaster whose every sentence requires examination simply because he is Tom Brady. After two seasons, the standard should be the same one applied to every lead analyst: does the broadcast make the game better? We will continue evaluating him on that basis.
Falcons at Steelers, 1:00 p.m.
Joe Davis, Greg Olsen, Pam Oliver
Play-by-play, analyst, sideline
Davis enters his fifth full season handling NFL play-by-play for FOX and his third alongside Olsen. Olsen remains one of the most interesting analysts in the sport because he already proved he could handle FOX’s biggest assignments before Brady arrived. Oliver begins her 32nd season with the network.
Bears at Panthers, 1:00 p.m.
Adam Amin, Drew Brees, Kristina Pink
Play-by-play, analyst, sideline
This is another booth we will be watching closely. Brees joined Amin and Pink during the second half of the 2025 season after Mark Sanchez left FOX. The network liked enough of what it heard to retain the pairing for a full season. This is no longer a midseason replacement assignment. Brees now has his own booth from opening weekend forward, and FOX can evaluate the group with continuity.
Saints at Lions, 1:00 p.m.
Kenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, Megan Olivi
Play-by-play, analyst, sideline
Albert begins his 33rd season with FOX and his seventh consecutive year working with Vilma. Olivi returns for her third full NFL season alongside them.
Buccaneers at Bengals, 1:00 p.m.
Kevin Kugler, Daryl Johnston, Allison Williams
Play-by-play, analyst, sideline
Dolphins at Raiders, 4:25 p.m.
Chris Myers, Mark Schlereth, Jen Hale
Play-by-play, analyst, sideline
Sunday and Monday night
Cowboys at Giants
Mike Tirico, Cris Collinsworth, Melissa Stark
Play-by-play, analyst, sideline
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. ET · NBC and Peacock
Tirico and Collinsworth return to the booth after calling Wednesday’s opener in Seattle.
Broncos at Chiefs
Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters
Play-by-play, analyst, sideline
Monday, 8:15 p.m. ET · ESPN and ABC
ESPN’s Monday Night Football crew remains unchanged.
Will Tony Romo or Mark Sanchez be back?
Tony Romo: Possibly, but there is no timetable. CBS placed Romo on leave until further notice in July. He resolved his Wisconsin OWI case with a no-contest plea on September 1 and said afterward that he is focused on eventually returning to CBS. Network president David Berson has said CBS has no timetable for a decision about Romo’s future.
For the moment, Watt has the lead analyst chair.
Mark Sanchez: A return to FOX is a different matter. FOX confirmed last November that Sanchez no longer worked for the network and hired Brees to replace him. Brees is now part of FOX’s full-season 2026 lineup. Sanchez filed a motion this month indicating that he plans to plead guilty in his pending Indianapolis case, but the specific charge or charges were not disclosed in the filing and a judge must still accept the plea.
FOX has announced no plan for Sanchez to return.
Sunday afternoon schedule: September 13
Twelve games remain across the two Sunday afternoon windows. All times are Eastern.
Early window
| Time | Matchup and crew | TV |
|---|---|---|
| 1:00 p.m. | Ravens at ColtsAndrew Catalon, Logan Ryan, AJ Ross | CBS |
| 1:00 p.m. | Bills at TexansIan Eagle, Ross Tucker, Evan Washburn | CBS |
| 1:00 p.m. | Browns at JaguarsTom McCarthy, Robert Turbin, Tiffany Blackmon | CBS |
| 1:00 p.m. | Jets at TitansSpero Dedes, Adam Archuleta, Aditi Kinkhabwala | CBS |
| 1:00 p.m. | Falcons at SteelersJoe Davis, Greg Olsen, Pam Oliver | FOX |
| 1:00 p.m. | Bears at PanthersAdam Amin, Drew Brees, Kristina Pink | FOX |
| 1:00 p.m. | Saints at LionsKenny Albert, Jonathan Vilma, Megan Olivi | FOX |
| 1:00 p.m. | Buccaneers at BengalsKevin Kugler, Daryl Johnston, Allison Williams | FOX |
Late window
| Time | Matchup and crew | TV |
|---|---|---|
| 4:25 p.m. | Packers at VikingsJim Nantz, J.J. Watt, Tracy Wolfson | CBS |
| 4:25 p.m. | Cardinals at ChargersKevin Harlan, Trent Green, Melanie Collins | CBS |
| 4:25 p.m. | Commanders at EaglesKevin Burkhardt, Tom Brady, Erin Andrews, Tom Rinaldi | FOX |
| 4:25 p.m. | Dolphins at RaidersChris Myers, Mark Schlereth, Jen Hale | FOX |
The Sporting Page will keep tracking the booths as the season progresses. The assignments themselves are useful, but the more interesting question is what happens after the microphones turn on.
Watt gets his first chance Sunday to show that CBS’s faith in him is justified. Brees begins his first complete season in a FOX booth. Kuechly has already given Netflix an encouraging opening performance.
By the end of the season, we should have a much better idea which networks got these decisions right.
