‘Sunday Night Football’ Makes Cris Collinsworth Announcement

In 2025, Collinsworth remains a fixture for NBC’s "Sunday Night Football," entering his 17th season as the lead color analyst. This Sunday, he will reach a major career landmark: calling the 500th NFL game of his broadcasting career.

NBC made the announcement ahead of the fixture:

“Collinsworth will serve as an analyst for his 500th NFL game (regular + postseason) when he joins Mike Tirico in the booth for a matchup of NFC first-place teams as the 8-2 Los Angeles Rams host the 6-4 Tampa Bay Buccaneers on NBC’s Sunday Night Football.”

The milestone places Collinsworth in a remarkably exclusive club as only a handful of NFL broadcasters have eclipsed 500 games, including legendary play-by-play figures such as Al Michaels, Jim Nantz, Dick Stockton, Don Criqui, Kevin Harlan and the late Charlie Jones and Pat Summerall.

Collinsworth’s path to this moment stretches back 35 years, to Sept. 9, 1990, when he debuted as an NBC game analyst beside Jim Donovan as the Buffalo Bills beat the Indianapolis Colts in a matchup of first-round quarterbacks — Jim Kelly and Jeff George.

Between that first broadcast and Sunday’s milestone, Collinsworth has worked in 52 NFL stadiums, teamed with 13 different play-by-play voices, appeared on four television networks and two streaming services and even stepped in for one game as a sideline reporter.

His career also includes studio roles across five networks, plus contributions to four Olympic Games. He also served as a game analyst for Notre Dame football and multiple major bowl games in the early 1990s.

Sunday’s Rams-Buccaneers matchup — headlined by No. 1 overall picks Baker Mayfield and Matthew Stafford — will air on NBC and Peacock, with full studio coverage leading into kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET.