It’s the first game Tirico has missed since taking over SNF.
There will be an announcer change for Sunday Night Football with NBC Sports announcing on Sunday afternoon that longstanding play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico will miss the game due to an undisclosed health issue.
Noah Eagle will be calling the game in Tirico’s stead, sitting alongside Cris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark. It will be the first time Tirico has missed a broadcast since he took over the job from Al Michaels in 2022. Meanwhile it will be the NFL primetime debut for Eagle, who has been calling NFL games since 2023, and was the announcer for the NFL’s Chirstmas Day Special on Netflix.
The game on Sunday night between the Buccaneers and Bears allowed for the situation to work out geographically, with Eagle in Indiana for the Miami vs. Notre Dame game on Saturday night. This allowed him to jump over to Chicago from the neighboring state. Eagle, a tremendous announcer in his own right, is the son of legendary broadcaster Ian Eagle, who has been a staple of CBS Sports calling both football and basketball since 1998.
Our thoughts are with Mike Tirico, and hope he gets well soon.