While most of the attention was on the thrilling “Sunday Night Football” matchup between two potential Super Bowl contenders—the Baltimore Ravens and Buffalo Bills—a second-half incident involving Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson briefly stole the spotlight.
After a touchdown pass to DeAndre Hopkins, Jackson and several teammates celebrated Hopkins’ first touchdown in a Ravens uniform. During the celebration, a Bills fan in the front row shoved Hopkins and Jackson’s helmet, prompting Jackson to shove the fan back into his seat.
Most viewers sided with Jackson, noting that the fan initiated the altercation. However, NBC Sports color commentator and former NFL star Cris Collinsworth partially blamed Jackson, a take that sparked fan backlash.
“Obviously both in the wrong there,” said Mike Tirico during the broadcast.
Collinsworth added, “I’m not excusing it; I know there’s no way you’re allowed to go after fans in the stands, almost no matter what happens. But sometimes that gets a little ridiculous too.”
"I'm not excusing; I know there's no way you're allowed to go after fans in the stands, almost no matter what happens. But sometimes that gets a little ridiculous too." - Cris Collinsworth #NFL #SNF pic.twitter.com/pqEp1NVHe3
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 8, 2025
"Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth are crazy," a fan said . "How is Lamar Jackson shoving a fan who shoved him first a "both are wrong" situation? Buying a ticket to a game doesn't give you the right to put your hands on the players, and players have a right to defend themselves."
Someone else added, "Cris Collinsworth really saying Lamar was in the wrong after that fan touched him first. Get this man off my tv bruh."
Another person wrote, "Lamar isn’t in the wrong at all. Fan shoved his head. It’s called consequences. He should be banned from the stadium. He clearly doesn’t know how to behave himself at a game."
"Collinsworth is so soft. Call it like it is. Jackson has a right to defend himself and the fan is totally in the wrong. There is nothing there if the fan doesn’t assault Jackson and Hopkins," one more fan commented.
It’s now very likely that Bills officials at Highmark Stadium—and potentially the NFL—will review the incident. The fan may be attending his last NFL game for quite some time, as fans who touch, shove, or hit players typically face strict punishments.
Despite the ongoing fallout from the incident, the Bills, trailing 40-25 with less than eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, mounted a stunning comeback to win 41-40 on a last-second field goal.
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