Football fans were disappointed with Cris Collinsworth’s failure to perform his signature “slide in” during Sunday night’s contest between the Detroit Lions and Los Angeles Rams.
Three days after calling the Thursday Kickoff Game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth got to call another highly-anticipated showdown between the Lions and Rams.
Collinsworth is one of the most polarizing figures in sports broadcasting. But fans weren’t complaining about Collinsworth’s performance on the mic during the Lions-Rams contest, but rather his curious decision to avoid the beloved “slide in” intro.
You better believe that social media noticed Cris Collinsworth’s snubbing of the sliding in, and that displeasure was voiced:
COLLINSWORTH SHOULDN’T JUST BE THERE..WE WANT THE SLIDE #NBC #SNF pic.twitter.com/xHoum2FNA7
— Ryan Erbe (@RyanErbe) September 9, 2024
BOOOOO we want the Collinsworth slide !
— Gary Plourde (@GJPlo_) September 9, 2024
So the Collinsworth slide is really gone, huh?
— Javon Edmonds (@javonedmonds45) September 9, 2024
And no collinsworth slide in tonight😡🤷🏼♂️
— Phil Coatney (@PCoatney) September 9, 2024
guys Cris Collinsworth doesn’t slide in anymore on Sunday night football and I hate it. #NFL
— 8.19.23 🩵🥁 (@cheeringyouon23) September 9, 2024
Biggest NFL Week 1 disappointments
– The Brazil game. Bad broadcast, worse field conditions.
– Every Tight End but Isaiah Likely
– Somehow worse than expected – Deshaun Watson and Bryce Young
– My DFS lineups
– The Cris Collinsworth slide is apparently gone
— Dean78904 (@DFS_Almanac) September 9, 2024
Biggest NFL Week 1 disappointments
– The Brazil game. Bad broadcast, worse field conditions.
– Every Tight End but Isaiah Likely
– Somehow worse than expected – Deshaun Watson and Bryce Young
– My DFS lineups
– The Cris Collinsworth slide is apparently gone
— Dean78904 (@DFS_Almanac) September 9, 2024
It’s worth noting that Collinsworth interestingly decided not to “slide in” for the Ravens-Chiefs Thursday night game, either:
Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth are back in the NBC booth to call the Ravens-Chiefs NFL season opener.
No Collinsworth slide. 🏈📺🎙️ pic.twitter.com/sfygr7F0WU
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 6, 2024
A former star wide receiver with the Cincinnati Bengals, Collinsworth took over as the analyst for “Sunday Night Football” following John Madden’s retirement in 2009.
Cris Collinsworth worked alongside Al Michaels for 13 seasons (2009 to 2021) before Tirico took over the play-by-play duties in 2022. Michaels signed with Amazon Prime Video to call their “Thursday Night Football” games with Kirk Herbstreit.
So far during his tenure at NBC, Collinsworth has been on the air for four Super Bowl games: Super Bowl 46, Super Bowl 49, Super Bowl 52, and Super Bowl 56. FOX will broadcast Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans this season, but NBC will air Super Bowl 60 on Feb. 8, 2026 at the San Francisco 49ers’ home venue of Levi’s Stadium.
Cris Collinsworth & Mike Tirico Will Be In Houston Next Week
There’s no shortage of compelling “Sunday Night Football” games for Collinsworth and Tirico this season. Up next, the two will travel to Houston to call the Texans’ Week 2 home game against Caleb Williams and the Chicago Bears.
A week later, the two will travel to Atlanta to call the Falcons’ home contest against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.