The Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Chargers meet in Week 8, with both teams needing a win. The Chargers are coming off a 14-point loss to the Kansas City Chiefs and are third in the AFC West. The Bears defeated the Las Vegas Raiders behind backup quarterback Tyson Bagent last week. The game will be on NBC, and kickoff for Sunday Night Football is at 8:20 p.m. ET.
When Does NBC’s Coverage Start?
Maria Taylor will be the host of Football Night in America, which kicks off NBC’s pregame coverage at 7 p.m. ET. Former head coaches Tony Dungy and Jason Garrett and former players Devin McCourty, Chris Simms, and Rodney Harrison will provide analysis. NFL insider Mike Florio, fantasy sports expert Matthew Berry, and Jac Collinsworth, Cris’ son, are also on the show.
Who Are the Game Announcers for Bears-Chargers?
Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth are in the booth, with Melissa Stark as the sideline reporter and Terry McAulay as the rules analyst.
Tirico is in his second season as the play-by-play announcer for Sunday Night Football. He joined NBC in 2012 and has hosted several events, including the Olympics, the Indianapolis 500, and golf’s U.S. Open and Open Championship. Tirico spent 25 years at ESPN and was the Monday Night Football play-by-play announcer for 10 seasons.
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Collinsworth is in his 15th season providing game analysis for Sunday Night Football. He has won 17 Emmy awards, including stops at HBO, FOX, and the NFL Network.
Collinsworth was a studio analyst with SNF before replacing John Madden in the booth. Collinsworth played wide receiver for eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, from 1981 to 1988, making three Pro Bowls and playing on two teams that made the Super Bowl.
Stark is in her second season as a sideline reporter for NBC. Along with NBC, she worked for ESPN and the NFL Network during her career. At ESPN, Stark was a sideline reporter for Monday Night Football from 2000 to 2002. After leaving ESPN, she was a Today Show correspondent and hosted multiple shows and events on the NFL Network.
McAulay joined NBC as a rules analyst in 2018 after 20 years as an on-field NFL official. He was a referee for 17 seasons and was assigned to the Super Bowl three times.
Rodney Harrison’s Career as a Charger
NBC studio analyst Rodney Harrison is known by many as a key defensive piece for the New England Patriots during the team’s Super Bowl run. Harrison started his career with the San Diego Chargers after being selected in the fifth round of the 1994 draft.
Harrison played nine of his 15 seasons with the Chargers before moving to the Patriots after the 2002 season. Harrison started every game he played with the Chargers from 1995 to 2002 and was selected to the Pro Bowl two times.
Harrison moved to New England in 2003 after the Chargers released him and earned first-team All-Pro honors for the second time in his career. He played in three Super Bowls for the Patriots, winning two titles. In the one Super Bowl loss, Harrison was covering New York Giants wide receiver David Tyree when Tyree made the “Helmet Catch” on the game-winning drive.
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