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NBC’s Mike Tirico to miss ‘Sunday Night Football’ and Sixers-Celtics due to health issue

Noah Eagle will fill in on both broadcasts, but Tirico is expected to be back next week.

Mike Tirico is in his fifth season as the voice of NBC's "Sunday Night Football."
Mike Tirico is in his fifth season as the voice of NBC's "Sunday Night Football." Read moreTerrance Williams / AP
    by Rob Tornoe
    Published 

NBC’s Sunday Night Football is calling an audible this week.

Longtime play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico won’t be on for Sunday night’s matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Chicago Bears due to an unspecified health issue, NBC announced Sunday afternoon.

Noah Eagle, NBC’s lead college football announcer, will replace Tirico on the Week 9 broadcast alongside longtime color analyst Cris Collinsworth. Eagle happens to be in the area after calling Notre Dame’s thrilling defeat of Miami Saturday night at Notre Dame Stadium near Chicago.

While it doesn’t appear to be a serious issue, Tirico will also miss Tuesday night’s NBA matchup between the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers, which happens to be Jalen Brown’s first game against his former team.

Eagle will also replace Tirico Tuesday night alongside Reggie Miller, with Zora Stephenson reporting from Xfinity Mobile Arena in South Philly.

NBC said it expects Tirico to be back to call Sunday Night Football’s Week 10 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals on Nov. 15. The network decline to comment further, and Tirico could not immediately be reached.

It’s not the first time Tirico has missed a broadcast due to a health issue. During the 2025 Kentucky Derby, Tirico had to bow out of his hosting duties due to an allergic reaction.

“I ate something that had a nut in it and had a nut allergy, causing your throat and your nose — all that stuff — to kind of clog up and swell,” Tirico explained after the Derby on NBC’s Today show. “It affects your breathing a little bit, so [I] wasn’t feeling well, couldn’t go on with the show, took an EpiPen shot, got treated by EMTs, felt better about 8, 9 o’clock came along, but it takes a long while to get out of your system.”

Tirico also tore his Achilles when he missed a step walking in his Michigan home during the 2024 season, though he didn’t miss any broadcasts due to the injury.

It’s Tirico’s fifth season as the voice of NBC’s Sunday Night Football and his second as NBC’s lead NBA play-by-play announcer. He also hosts NBC’s coverage of the Olympics, the Kentucky Derby, and golf’s U.S. Open and Open Championship.

Despite growing up in Michigan and attending Syracuse, Tirico has strong ties with a number of Philly media folks, including former NBC10 anchor Tracy Davidson and Fox 29 meteorologist Kathy Orr. Tirico’s roommate at Syracuse University was Todd Kalas, the radio voice for the Houston Astros and son of legendary Phillies announcer Harry Kalas.

There’s also former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski, Tirico’s colleague for years at ESPN.

“My first introduction to really understanding the X’s and O’s of football at the professional level was the time spent around Jaws,” Tirico told The Inquirer in a 2025 interview. “I am forever indebted to him for sharing so much of his knowledge.”