NFL Thanksgiving announcers cover Jim Nantz, Mike Tirico, and Kevin Burkhardt for this season. Mike Nantz will call the Dallas Cowboys game.
There are a total of three holiday fixtures scheduled for this week. Nantz has been in the play-by-play role with CBS since 2004. His primary role at the network is to cover NFL games, NCAA football, and basketball.
He began his sportscasting career in the mainstream sports media in 1985 when he was associated with CBS Sports where he fulfilled his duty as the studio host for college football and basketball coverage.
The media personality brings experience from a number of tournaments he hosted with the network and has been calling the Turkey Day games since 2004 at CBS.
His love for the T-Day games is not new. Back in 2018, he served as the Grand Marshal for America’s 92nd Thanksgiving Parade where he and his family rode through the parade in Detroit.
Although the League has been playing Turkey Day games since its inception in 1920, the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys are often remembered as the pioneers in continuing the tradition. The Lions hosted its first game in 1934 while the Cowboys in 1966.
Who Are The Thanksgiving Day Announcers Today?
Announcers for Thanksgiving football today include Kevin Burkhardt for the Lions vs. Packers game. Greg Olsen will handle the color analyst role.
Erin Andrews will look after the sideline. Fox will broadcast the first Turkey Day matchup between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers. The match is scheduled to air at 10:30 a.m. MST, 12:30 p.m. EST.
Burkhardt is the lead play-by-play voice for calling NFL on Fox. He commenced his journey from WGHT Radio and went through SportsNet New York and Compass Radio Network calling different games until 2013.
The Sportscaster finally ended up joining Fox in 2013 and started becoming a voice for different games airing through the NFL on Fox. His lead role in the network began only when Joe Buck left the network to join ESPN in 2022.
That gave him the television play-by-play announcing role to call Super Bowl LVII. He has been with the network for 10 years now.
Detroit Lions vs. Green Bay Packers
- Kevin Burkhardt (play-by-play), Greg Olsen (Analyst), Erin Andrews (sideline reporter)
- Time: 10:30 a.m. MST, 12:30 p.m. EST.
- Channel: Fox
Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders
- Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Tony Romo (analyst), Tracy Wolfson (sideline reporter)
- Time: 2:30 p.m. MST, 4:30 p.m. EST.
- Channel: CBS
San Francisco 49ers vs. Seattle Seahawks
- Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Melissa Stark, Cris Collinsworth (TBD)
- Time: 6:20 p.m. MST, 8:20 p.m. EST
- Channel: NBC
It is still unclear whether Cris Collinswoth will hit the lead team list for calling the 49ers vs. Seahawks game as he was not on the team last season.
Two afternoon games will be called on Fox and CBS by Burkhardt and Nantz respectively alongside Olsen and Romo. Tirico is set to voice the holiday night matchup on NBC Sports accompanied by Melissa Stark.
NFL Thanksgiving Commentators
NFL Thanksgiving commentators consist of Tony Romo, Greg Olsen, and Cris Collinsworth. They will be backed by Stark and Andrews on sideline.
They are the primary job to giving their helpful insights and analysis of the game while the other three go for the play-by-play call of the holiday games.
Greg Olsen
Olsen is a current color commentator who comments and analyzes games airing on NFL on Fox. He is also a former American football tight End.
Having played 14 seasons in the NFL, the current sportscaster came to join the network professionally in 2021 after announcing his retirement on 24 January of the same year.
Prior to professionally starting his broadcasting career, he had some experience in color commentary during the weeks on the verge of the end of his professional football career.
Tony Romo
Romo came to associate with CBS Network following his retirement from a 14-season-long NFL career on 4 April 2017.
He was given the lead color analyst role where his primary duty was to analyze and provide insights on the networks’ coverage of the NFL telecast.
He did pretty well working alongside Jim Nantz in the calling booth. Although his recruitment in the lead role was criticized in the beginning he received an immense amount of critical praise for his work during his debut year in broadcasting.
Cris Collinsworth
Collinsworth association with NBC dates back to 1990 when he became a part of their NFL game coverage. His second stint with the network came in 1996.
He also became a part of NFL on Fox in 1998 and was a color commentator in the NFL Sunday Pregame show. Later in 2002, he teamed up with the lead broadcasters of the channel including Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
Cris again returned to NBC in 2008 to call the 2008 Summer Olympics. In 2009, the sportscaster took up the color commentator role in NBC’s coverage of Sunday Night Football.
Since the time he has been serving in the commentator role commenting on various games across the NFL that air on the NBC network channels.
Week 12 Broadcast Team
NFL Week 12 announcers are Al Michaels, Andrew Catalon, Ian Eagle, and Joe Buck. They will be on play-by-play calls throughout the week.
The 12th Week begins with three Thanksgiving games scheduled for 23 November. Fox, NBC, CBS, Amazon Prime Video, etc. will broadcast the games every game day.
Friday, 24 November
- Al Michaels (play-by-play), Kaylee Hartung (Sideline) – Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets on Amazon Prime Video
Sunday, 26 November
- Ian Eagle (play-by-play), Evan Washburn – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Cincinnati Bengals on CBS
- Andrew Catalon (play-by-play), AJ Ross – Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Houston Texans on CBS
- Spero Dedes (play-by-play), Amanda Renner – Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Indianapolis Colts on CBS
- Joe Davis (play-by-play), Pam Oliver – New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons on Fox
- Kenny Albert (play-by-play), Shannon Spake – New England Patriots vs. New York Giants on Fox
- Adam Amin (play-by-play), Kristina Pink (sideline) – Carolina Panthers vs.Tennessee Titans on Fox
- Chris Myres (play-by-play), Jen Hale (sideline) – Los Angeles Rams vs. Arizona Cardinals on Fox
- Kevin Kugler (play-by-play), Laura Okmi (sideline) – Cleveland Browns vs. Denver Broncos on Fox
- Kevin Harlan (play-by-play), Melanie Collins (sideline) – Kansas City Chiefs vs. Las Vegas Raiders on CBS
- Jim Nantz (play-by-play), Tracy Wolfson (sideline) – Buffalo Bills vs. Philadelphia Eagles on CBS
- Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Mellisa Stark (sideline) – Baltimore Ravens vs. Los Angeles Chargers on NBC
Monday, 27 November
Joe Buck (play-by-play), Lisa Salters (sideline) – Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings on ESPN/ABC
NFL Week 12 Commentators 2023
NFL Commentators for week 12 are:
- Kirk Herbstreit
- Charles Davis
- Tiki Barber
- Matt Ryan
- Adam Archuleta
- Daryl Johnston
- Jonathan Vilma
- Mark Schlereth
- Robert Smith
- Mark Sanchez
- Trent Green
- Tony Romo
- Jason Garrett
- Troy Aikman
Herbstreit came to align with ESPN in 1996 and was primarily assigned the role of calling college football games. He has also announced NFL Draft coverage and Monday Night Football Kickoff Week in 2020.
Later in March of 2022, the sportscaster was appointed as the new color commentator for Amazon Prime Video Thursday Night Football coverage. He has been in the role since last season.
Detroit Lions Thanksgiving Game History
Lions Turkey Day game tradition dates back to 1934. G.A. Richardson scheduled the first-holiday matchup after purchasing the franchise.
The tradition which has now become as essential as the Turkey Day dinner is something that the league owes to the Lions. It has been over eight decades since the franchise commenced the culture.
The Lions hold the 37-44-2 record for the annual holiday classic which actually began as a marketing campaign to draw more number of audience.
Their first fixture was against the Bears and was played on 29 November 1934 which was attended by 26,000 fans. The Chicago Bears who were back-to-back world champions defeated the Lions by 19-16 score.
Although there are a number of teams that have played the T-Day games only the Lions and the Cowboys have continued with the tradition ever since.
The only hindrance that prevented the Lions from playing was for six years during World War II from 1939 to 1944. The franchise’s holiday matchup is broadcasted by NBC as they have the broadcasting deal.
The team is to appear in their 84th Turkey Day game on 23 November. Although the culture was commenced as a marketing move it has now become an inseparable part of the national holiday in the United States.
Before 2006, only two fixtures were played on the holiday and one of them was played by the Dallas Cowboys but from that year a third game was added which doesn’t have a fixed team.