The NFL season came and went like a thief in the night. The grand finale from Santa Clara was filled with all the pageantry and substance any network would desire from a Super Bowl. From the action on the field to the commercials and a halftime show that had the nation buzzing for months, Super Bowl LX will go down as a memorable moment in time, despite two teams that brought familiarity to the broadcast itself.
For NBC Sports, Super Bowl LX served as the crown jewel in a month filled with massive live sports appeal. The network’s ability to carry the Winter Olympics, the Super Bowl, and next week’s NBA All-Star Game is something no other network can claim.
Yesterday marked NBC Sports’ 21st Super Bowl broadcast. It was the debut of Mike Tirico as the lead play-by-play announcer of the game for the first time. While the official viewership results are not available yet, here is what stood out as the best and worst of what NBC Sports presented for Super Bowl LX.
The Good
It is a difficult task to plan five hours of pregame coverage for a single game. However, this is the biggest football game of the calendar year. There are storylines, player profiles, and interesting quirks that NBC threw into the pregame coverage, many of which stood out among the rest.
With the game in San Francisco, it was good to see members of the San Francisco 49ers involved in the pregame broadcast. Fred Warner and head coach Kyle Shanahan were stars in their own right. Warner looked and sounded like he has been on the mic for some time. He added perspective and insight you would expect from someone who plays Seattle twice a year. Where he fell short was in providing insight from the Patriots’ side of the coin, which was needed from the NBC pregame crew.
You could say the same about Shanahan. His on-camera comfort came through the screen, and his personality was a highlight as well. At one point, when asked about the Seahawks’ defense and how to attack it, Shanahan joked that he had not scored much against Seattle this season, acknowledging he was there for his “expert advice.”
Another highlight of NBC Sports’ pregame coverage was a discussion between Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison about Bill Belichick and Robert Kraft missing Hall of Fame election. Dungy respected the voting process and declined to reveal how he voted. Harrison, however, challenged the committee’s decision. He directed his criticism at Dungy, who is part of that voting group. The former Patriots player said the committee got the vote wrong. Overall, both handled the exchange professionally. The moment also captured the week’s biggest talking point.
Maria Taylor was on point as usual, guiding the coverage from start to finish. Noah Eagle was a nice addition to the broadcast, contributing a couple of solid on-field interview moments during the pregame. Additionally, Tom Brady’s presence in NBC Sports’ opening montage for the game broadcast raised an eyebrow or two.
Green Day opened the game broadcast with a non-political performance of three songs from one of their fourteen albums. Fans of Dookie or Nimrod were likely confused by the lack of callbacks to the band’s Bay Area roots, as no tracks from those albums were included. NBC’s altered scorebug was a nice addition. Although it was not drastically different from the one used throughout the season.
Then there was the game call itself. Mike Tirico is no stranger to calling NFL action on network television, so I had no concerns heading into his first Super Bowl broadcast. It did not sound like a first time. In a game filled with few moments of excitement, Tirico met the moment when it mattered most. There were no stumbles, no mentions of the wrong player, and he allowed the story to be told by the sold-out crowd when the atmosphere filled the air. We will get to Tirico’s broadcast partner shortly in the negatives.
Tirico rose to the occasion late in the game when the action demanded it. Back-to-back touchdowns by both teams, followed by a defensive touchdown for Seattle, sealed the deal for the Seahawks. Seattle and Tirico both reigned supreme on Sunday night.
NBC Sports has consistently excelled in presenting the game with elite camera angles, visuals, and music choices. The final shot of Charlie Puth singing the national anthem felt award-worthy. He looked skyward as the flyover approached. Additional shots featured the Golden Gate Bridge, fans, and soldiers overseas. An eclectic mix of grunge and classic rock rounded out the broadcast.
The Super Bowl LX halftime show with Bad Bunny looked visually stunning and delivered a bushelful of energy. I do not speak fluent Spanish, but the messaging of the moment was easy to read. Unity, love, and a passion for music drove the performance. It felt like a movie set in a small town where the community comes together to celebrate life. Was it political? Overall, no, but the closing message said all that needed to be said.
The commercials also provided entertainment during an underperforming game. Highlights included Xfinity Cable’s Jurassic Park remake, Dunkin’ leaning into 1990s sitcom nostalgia, and Lays telling a story about passing the torch. I was also pleasantly surprised by the number of sportsbook ads that aired, as they did not feel overly excessive given how many sportsbooks advertise with the league.
Viewership figures will be released Tuesday, but overall, NBC Sports has plenty to be proud of. The broadcast was well balanced and held the audience’s attention despite a lackluster game for much of the contest.
The Bad
Cris Collinsworth had a rough night at the office for NBC Sports. I’ve always believed that Collinsworth talks more than any analyst on network television. With that volume comes exposure to mistakes, blunders, and the habit of repeating the same phrases over and over again. At least once every quarter, Collinsworth’s repetitive use of “this game will come down to” became nauseating. At one point, he cautioned viewers to watch for a fake punt that never happened. Tony Romo gets buried for those types of predictions when they fail to materialize, and Collinsworth should be treated no differently.
Did anyone have the word “concession” on their bingo card? What was the over/under on its usage by Collinsworth via DraftKings? Every great play was labeled “amazing,” and the flip-flopping on key points was just as excessive. Collinsworth praised the Patriots at one moment for how the running game was helping their pass protection, only to credit the Seahawks’ creative defense on the very next series for generating heavy pressure on Drake Maye.
The low point came on Drake Maye’s first interception, followed by Collinsworth saying, “I got nothing for you.” That’s solid analysis from a seasoned veteran in the booth, especially considering the play before he said Maye was starting to find rhythm within the offense.
Overall, Collinsworth was carried by the brilliance of Tirico, not the other way around.
Super Bowl LX should also serve as a prime example of why a rules analyst is unnecessary. Terry McAulay spoke twice during the entire game, yet earns a salary for that role. Of all NFL broadcasts, the Super Bowl provides the booth with more angles and replay access than any other game of the year. There is simply no reason for the position, and this performance capped off a lackluster year for everyone occupying it.
Shifting to the pregame coverage, Kit Hoover was also unnecessary at the NFL tailgate to introduce Teddy Swims or other musical acts. Alcatraz was a great idea for NBC Sports, but nothing meaningful was done with it. Why not have discussions staged inside a cell with Jac Collinsworth, Tony Dungy, and Rodney Harrison? The opportunity was there, but the execution felt more like a pit stop at a gas station than a destination segment.
And why only Alcatraz? Pier 39, cable cars, Coit Tower, or Chinatown could have easily been incorporated. There was also nothing from Napa or Sonoma, which rank among the top reasons people visit the Bay Area in the first place. NBC’s plans for showcasing the region felt extremely limited.
While Kyle Shanahan and Fred Warner were strong additions, why were there no additional players featured who faced the Patriots this season? NFL Honors was held in town last week, and numerous players were already present for sponsored appearances. Yet not one representative from the AFC East appeared.
Coco Jones’ performance of Lift Every Voice and Sing was buried near the end of the pregame coverage, nearly an hour before kickoff. That placement felt wrong. The performance should be positioned closer to America the Beautiful and the National Anthem.
Melissa Stark’s pregame interview with Drake Maye was also puzzling. Stark could have asked the second-year quarterback about his shoulder injury during the interview but chose not to. The confusing part came immediately afterward, when Stark mentioned the information she had gathered about Maye’s shoulder only after she had already wrapped the interview.
Finally, the commercials lacked punch. This isn’t necessarily NBC’s fault, but there is a severe lack of creativity in the advertising space. Maybe they should use AI to spice up the presentation. Several major brands missed the mark given the price tag they paid. Advertisers should seriously reconsider airing spots early in pregame coverage or releasing them on social media days in advance. People go to the theater to see something they haven’t seen before. That sense of surprise is what once made Super Bowl commercials must-see television. Hopefully, that magic can return next year on ESPN.
Overall, Super Bowl LX will be a forgettable moment in NFL lore. Two teams entered with little star power, and the game didn’t meet the moment. The worry all week on radio row was a blowout win, and that’s exactly what happened. Seattle’s defense was just too much for a second year quarterback in New England.
For NBC Sports, the overall product wasn’t perfect—but it never is. What it did succeed in doing was reminding viewers why the Super Bowl still matters as a television event, even when the game itself falls flat. The production rarely lost its footing, the presentation felt big, and the broadcast mostly stayed out of its own way.
In an era where audiences are quicker than ever to tune out, that still counts for something. Super Bowl LX may fade quickly from NFL memory, but NBC Sports once again proved it understands how to frame the moment, even when the moment doesn’t fully cooperate.
Barrett Media produces daily content on the music, news, and sports media industries. Sign up for our newsletters to stay updated and get the latest information right in your inbox.
John Mamola is Barrett Media’s sports editor and daily sports columnist. He brings over two decades of experience (Chicago, Tampa/St Petersburg) in the broadcast industry with expertise in brand management, sales, promotions, producing, imaging, hosting, talent coaching, talent development, web development, social media strategy and design, video production, creative writing, partnership building, communication/networking with a long track record of growth and success. He is a five-time recognized top 20 program director in a major market via Barrett Medi’s Top 20 series and has been honored internally multiple times as station/brand of the year (Tampa, FL) and employee of the month (Tampa, FL) by iHeartMedia. Connect with John by email at John@BarrettMedia.com.
