Mike Tirico is in his normal spot on NBC’s Sunday Night Football for the Baltimore Ravens against the Los Angeles Chargers, but where is Cris Collinsworth? Jason Garrett is filling in for Collinsworth for tonight’s game because the latter has a day off at the end of Thanksgiving weekend.
NBC has had two games on Thanksgiving weekend since the 2012 season, and Collinsworth has not announced both games of the weekend since 2017. The network has used a different combination of studio analysts to replace Collinsworth, who does announce both games in Week 1 when NBC has the NFL season opener on Thursday night.
Collinsworth will be back in the booth for next week’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Green Bay Packers.
Has Jason Garrett Done an NFL Game Before?
Yes, Garrett was with Tirico and Tony Dungy for last season’s Thanksgiving night game between the Minnesota Vikings and New England Patriots. Garrett joined NBC in 2022, and his first assignment was as a game analyst for the USFL. He is also in the booth for Notre Dame games on NBC.
Usually, on Sundays, Garrett is a studio analyst for NBC’s Football Night in America. He had a 14-year NFL career after being an undrafted free agent quarterback out of Princeton. He played most of his career with the Dallas Cowboys and was a member of three Super Bowl champions.
Garrett was the head coach for nine and a half seasons with the Cowboys between 2010 and 2019. He led the team to an 85-67 record and three NFC East titles during his time leading Dallas.
Who Has Filled in for Collinsworth?
NBC has moved studio analysts from Football Night in America to the booth over the last six seasons to work with Tirico during Thanksgiving weekend. Dungy, Garrett, Rodney Harrison, and Drew Brees have all taken turns as game analysts.
Collinsworth, who called both games from 2012 to 2017 on Thanksgiving weekend, has not called the holiday night game and has stayed as the analyst for Sunday night games.
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This was only the second time he was scheduled for the Thursday game when NBC used multiple booth analysts on Thanksgiving weekend. Collinsworth was scheduled to call the Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers matchup in 2020, but that game ended up being played the following Wednesday because of COVID.
Dungy has filled in for Collinsworth three times, including last season, with Garrett also in the booth. In 2018, Harrison joined Dungy in the booth for an Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints game on Thanksgiving night. Brees, who played on NBC’s Thanksgiving night game in 2018 and 2019, was in the booth with Tirico for the New Orleans Saints and Buffalo Bills meeting in 2021.
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