Mike Tirico is the face of sports on NBC, but he will be noticeably absent from "Sunday Night Football" between the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Noah Eagle is calling the game for NBC on Sunday night with Cris Collinsworth as two NFC playoff contenders face off. Tirico, meanwhile, will be watching the game as a fan after unexpectedly having to miss the game.
Ever since Tirico took over as the voice of "Sunday Night Football" in 2022, the veteran announcer has been on the call for the vast majority of NFL games on NBC. Here's why Tirico is missing this game.
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Where is Mike Tirico?
Mike Tirico announced that he is not on the call for Bears vs. Buccaneers on Sunday night as he is dealing with a health issue.
"Unfortunately, I will have to miss tonight's game in Chicago due to a health issue," Tirico said in a statement. "I look forward to watching tonight and can't wait to be back with Cris, Melissa and the rest of our SNF team next Sunday night in Cincinnati."
https://t.co/eKyVRb8ZOn
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) November 8, 2026Instead of Tirico, Noah Eagle will fill in alongside Cris Collinsworth and Melissa Stark. Eagle is NBC's top college football announcer and just called Notre Dame's win over Miami last night. It wasn't a long trip for Eagle, who just had to get from South Bend to Chicago in time for the game.
Tirico is NBC's most frequent announcer, calling both football and basketball games, and he has rarely missed games for health reasons. Luckily for the network, it has a very capable announcer in Eagle ready to fill in on short notice.
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