Cris Collinsworth effusively praising a quarterback all night long during Sunday Night Football isn’t new. It’s kinda his thing. But that schtick can get pretty tiresome for a lot of viewers, especially when what the NBC broadcaster is saying doesn’t seem to match what is happening on the field.
That was the experience for many NFL viewers Sunday night when it came to Collinsworth’s over-the-top praise of Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent in a 30-13 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.
Bagent was already a bit of a Collinsworth darling heading into Sunday night, having replaced Justin Fields due to an injury two weeks prior and then leading Chicago to a 30-12 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders last Sunday. Bagent’s performance, which included 162 passing yards, 24 rushing yards, and a touchdown, caught the attention of the NBC analyst, who seemingly couldn’t wait for a repeat performance this week.
Despite this Sunday’s game taking place near Los Angeles, Bagent did not get his Hollywood story. While he was 25-of-37 for 232 yards, the D-II product threw two picks in a 30-13 loss and probably could have easily ended up with five.
None of that stopped Collinsworth from singing Bagent’s praises throughout the evening, even as things were not going according to plan right in front of him.
Perhaps the pièce de résistance of the evening was Collinsworth praising Bagent for having the mindfulness to throw a ball away, something he thinks the Bears wish Fields would “figure out,” followed by Bagent immediately throwing a terrible interception.
Later, the NBC announcer said “We see the way he moves around out here tonight. We see the leadership skills. There is definitely something to this guy” right as Bagent threw into a mess of defenders, almost getting picked off again.
Later still, with the game in blowout territory and Bagent’s night not going particularly well, Collinsworth pointed out that Fields would do well to study Bagent’s game and learn from him.
Soon after that moment, Bagent almost threw another interception, and Collinsworth elected to stay quiet rather than try to do more of a sales job.
https://twitter.com/TWDTV1/status/1718821691252470129
There were plenty more moments that caught the attention of SNF viewers and they shared their annoyances and frustrations over social media.
Is it an overwhelming desire to see Bagent succeed because he has a compelling story (D-II to the NFL)? Does it have something to do with race as some have speculated? Did the Bears’ coaching staff whisper in NBC’s ears about messages they’d like to send to Fields? Or is it just a classic case of Cris Collinsworth heaping too much praise on a quarterback simply because that’s what he does? Everyone has their own beliefs about why we needed to hear so much about how great Bagent was on Sunday night, so we’ll leave it up to the beholder to decide.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.