Sunday night's matchup between the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers was going to be the legendary Mike Tirico's 300th broadcast as a play-by-play commentator. Unfortunately, the NBC announcer will instead have to miss the game at the last minute.
On Sunday afternoon, Tirico released a statement through NBC's PR team that he was dealing with an undisclosed health issue and would, as a result, miss Sunday night's game in Chicago. However, it is not expected to be an extended absence for the broadcaster. In the same statement, Tirico noted that he will be back in the booth for the Cincinnati Bengals' matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Cincinnati next Sunday evening.
That's very good news, even if it is a bummer we won't get to hear Tirico's
voice this Sunday night.
— NBC Sports PR (@NBCSportsPR) November 8, 2026
It's good to hear that Tirico is doing OK. Hopefully, he gets well from whatever is troubling his health very soon.
Who will fill in for Mike Tirico on NBC on Sunday night?
Noah Eagle will call Bears-Buccaneers alongside Cris Collinsworth. Eagle called Notre Dame vs. Miami in South Bend on Saturday night, which probably made him the easiest choice to fill in for Tirico on the fly, given his proximity to Chicago.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: Why is Mike Tirico missing Sunday night's Bears vs. Buccaneers game?
