Pressure is beginning to mount for a 40-year veteran to retire from NFL broadcasting following his performance in the AFC Championship Game.
The Kansas City Chiefs have officially moved on to the Super Bowl where they will he playing the Philadelphia Eagles for the second time in three years. Though Mahomes had a great game, there were a lot of controversial calls made — the talk of the town following the game.
That said, another topic has also been hot, which is Jim Nantz’s performance in the broadcast booth. This performance was so poor that it has even led fans to call for him to call it quits.
NFL Fans Call for Longtime Broadcaster Jim Nantz To Retire
Social media reactions were fast and furious toward the officiating in Josh Allen and Co.’s fourth loss to the Chiefs in the playoffs.
Nantz’s performance didn’t generate quite the angst the referees did, but the feedback was largely negative. The anger stemmed from Nantz incorrectly calling a flag on the Bills’ final drive, giving fans hope only to rip it away.
“horrible announcing by Jim Nantz… you can’t call ‘flag’ without being certain in that spot. put the drink down, jim. retire,” one fan said.
horrible announcing by jim nantz & @NFLonCBS you can’t call “flag” without being certain in that spot. put the drink down, jim. retire
— Joe Stoner (@JoeStonerCBD) January 27, 2025
“Jim Nantz should retire,” another added. “Biggest play of the game and says there is a flag and magically not a flag.”
@NFLonCBS Jim Nantz should retire. Biggest play of the game and says there is a flag and magically not a flag.
— John Marion (@logano22fortheW) January 27, 2025
Here is the video of the moment where Nantz incorrectly called a flag.
TOUGH Jim Nantz moment. Full trust in the spotter for the flag. There was no flag. pic.twitter.com/1jJBsajZeH
— Michael Hurley (@michaelFhurley) January 27, 2025
However, it’s worth noting that not everyone was critical of Nantz’s performance. There were plenty of people who praised the job he did throughout the AFC Championship Game.
“Jim Nantz is still a top-shelf play by play man. The game just feels bigger when you hear his voice,” one fan posted.
“The classy #HelloFriends Jim Nantz: the greatest of sportscasters in our generation,” another fan added. “The only sportscaster in our illustrious sports media profession who can hold a candle to Pat Summerall.”
NFL Gets Called Out for ‘Blatant Cheating’ in Chiefs’ Controversial Victory Over the Bills
As another week in the NFL playoffs has passed, more and more people are speaking out against the poor officiating. While fans hoped the refs in the AFC Championship Game would be better than what’s been displayed lately, this unfortunately wasn’t the case.
There were multiple questionable calls, but one of the worst misses was the refs calling a pass completed to Xavier Worthy in which the ball hit the ground.
NEW ANGLE: AWFUL CALL FROM THE REFS, THIS WAS SOMEHOW CALLED A CATCH FOR THE #CHIEFS.
THE BALL CLEARLY HIT THE GROUND AND THE WR DID NOT HAVE FULL POSSESSION OF THE BALL.
THIS IS INSANE 😳
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 27, 2025
A “rate the refs” account also provided more context for this play which truly highlights how poor of a call it was, adding, “Even though this ball hit the ground and neither player had complete possession the refs rule that this was a catch by Xavier Worthy.”
Even though this ball hit the ground and neither player had complete possession the refs rule that this was a catch by Xavier Worthy. pic.twitter.com/VuCbWzA6tH
— Rate the Refs (@Rate_the_Refs) January 27, 2025
Dave Portnoy, the founder of Barstool Sports, also chimed in: “I’m quitting watching football. There’s no other way to teach (Roger Goodell) a lesson. This is blatant cheating.”
I’m quitting watching football. There is no other way to teach @nflcommish a lesson. This is blatant cheating. #nflrigged pic.twitter.com/fGzya6LOQX
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) January 27, 2025
This was due to another poor call later in the game that cost the Bills a critical first down. This ended up leading to the Chiefs’ go-ahead touchdown. This is simply too costly of a call, and the NFL has to get better.