The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are slowly crawling out of the NFC South's cellar. And they'll have a big opportunity in Week 9 to re-establish themselves as a legitimate playoff contender on Sunday Night Football in front of a national audience against the Chicago Bears, one of the league's powers.
Regrettably, though, Sunday Night Football won't be quite the same, as NBC PR released a statement on Sunday morning from lead play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico, saying that he would miss the Week 9 bout between the Bucs and the Bears due to a health issue.
"Unfortunately, I will have to miss tonight's game in Chicago due to a health issue. I look forward to watching tonight and can't wait to be back with Cris, Melissa and the rest of our SNF team next Sunday night in Cincinnati," Tirico wrote.
This is incredibly unfortunate for Tirico, and we hope that he makes a full recovery from whatever he may be dealing with. It is also a sad night for Bucs and Bears supporters, as well as all NFL fans and observers, and for the game of football in general.
Why is Mike Tirico not commentating on Sunday Night Football?
Tirico will miss Week 9's Sunday Night Football game due to a health issue, so he will not be beside color commentator Cris Collinsworth. This is an incredible duo that has been together for four years now, after Tirico replaced Al Michaels in the booth. They first started working together in 2016.
While Collinsworth is more of the eccentric piece of the duo, Tirico is well-respected for his knowledge and experience not only in football but also in multiple realms of sports media. He was a key fixture in Winter Olympics coverage this past winter and has been around sports for decades.
Not having this legendary announcer on the call is a disappointment because Tampa Bay only has one Sunday Night Football game this year, unless they make the playoffs or have a late-season game flexed into the slot.
Fans look forward to seeing him on their TVs and hearing his voice before the new work week begins, but that will not be the case. Here's to hoping that Tirico makes a full and speedy recovery, and that Bucs fans will be treated to his commentary sometime in the near future.
Who is filling in for Mike Tirico on Sunday Night Football?
Replacing Tirico in Week 9 will be Noah Eagle, as he'll be alongside Collinsworth and sideline reporter Melissa Stark as the play-by-play man. Noah is fairly new to the scene but well-respected, and he grew up in the space as the son of Ian Eagle, a longtime and revered American sports announcer.
This will be his debut on Sunday Night Football.
Add us as a preferred source on Google