Week 12’s “Sunday Night Football” matchup between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams on NBC carried extra meaning for former NFL wide receiver and current color commentator Cris Collinsworth.
Working alongside play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico, Collinsworth officially reached his 500th game called for NBC — a milestone the network highlighted before kickoff on Sunday night.
To celebrate the achievement, NBC produced a tribute video featuring messages from several of Collinsworth’s peers, including Troy Aikman, Joe Buck, and his longtime broadcast partner Al Michaels, with whom he worked on 263 broadcasts.
“13 seasons, 263 games, four Super Bowls, a total blast,” Michaels said. “I want to congratulate you on 500 games. And here, my friend, to 500 more.”
Collinsworth played eight seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver for the Cincinnati Bengals. During that span, he made three Pro Bowls, earned three straight All-Pro selections, and posted four 1,000-yard receiving seasons in an era dominated by the running game.
After retiring, he transitioned into broadcasting and has since become one of the most recognizable voices in NFL coverage. In a recent Los Angeles Times piece, Michaels reflected on what made their partnership work so well.
“I spent 13 years with Cris and loved every moment,” Michaels said. “He has humor and understands the game on a level that’s almost unparalleled. There are others who understand it as well, but Cris has the ability to make it very accessible.”
Collinsworth has now worked 96 games in the booth with Tirico, and the pair is expected to cross the 100-game mark later this season. When that happens, Tirico will become the only other broadcaster to reach triple digits alongside Collinsworth. Meanwhile, Al Michaels continues to call “Thursday Night Football” games for Prime Video with Kirk Herbstreit.
