NBC's NFL Crew Weighs in on Patriots QB Battle, Ravens' Chances of Breakthrough

Oct 29, 2017; Detroit, MI, USA; NBC Sports broadcasters Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth speak before a game between the Detroit Lions and the Pittsburgh Steelers at Ford Field. / Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Glancing at this season’s Sunday Night Football schedule is as revealing for who is not there as for who is.

Completely absent from NBC’s slate are the once-unmissable New England Patriots, who are licking their wounds on the heels of a moribund 4-13 season. The Patriots have spent this past week in the headlines, but for precisely the wrong reason: a quarterback battle between veteran Jacoby Brissett and rookie Drake Maye that has continued all the way to end of August.

On Tuesday, during a conference call previewing the forthcoming NFL season, NBC play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico and color commentator Cris Collinsworth offered perspective on the controversy.

“Mike and I went back and forth a million times, even during the course of the broadcast (Sunday, when New England lost 20–10 to the Washington Commanders in an exhibition game),” Collinsworth said. “I probably don’t want (Maye) starting on opening day even though I think he gives them the best chance to win. I kinda wanna watch him watch Jacoby Brissett… let him watch somebody else do that for a month at least, and then if you feel like it’s time for a change, that’s probably what I would do.”

Regardless of who takes the reins for the Patriots, the team will have a tall season-opening task ahead of it in the Cincinnati Bengals.

The same goes for the Baltimore Ravens, another team discussed at length by the NBC crew, who open their season on the network against the defending champion Kansas City Chiefs.

“I thought Baltimore was the best team in the AFC and playing at home, and I fully expected them to win the (AFC championship) game,” Collinsworth said, with Tirico adding that “it should not be underappreciated how difficult (getting back there) is going to be, in my opinion, for them this year.”

Also present on the call was NBC college football color commentator Todd Blackledge, who will travel to Sao Paulo to call the Philadelphia Eagles’ landmark game against the Green Bay Packers on Sept. 6.

“It’s the first time that the NFL has played a game in South America, and their initiative, the league initiative, to really grow the game globally has really taken off,” Blackledge said. “This will be an excellent opportunity.”