Al Michaels has called some of the biggest moments in sports, but Thursday night gave NFL fans another reason to question whether the legendary broadcaster is still at his best. During the New England Patriots’ clash with the Chicago Bears, Michaels appeared to call a fumble that never happened. Viewers wasted little time calling him out.
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Chicago led 3-0 when it happened, thanks to a 43-yard field goal from kicker Cairo Santos. The Pats were on their final drive of the first quarter, facing a 2nd-and-seven in their own territory. After the snap, Drake Maye handed the ball to Corey Kiner, who was piled upon by Bears defenders.
“And, the ball comes out,” Michaels called. It was never fumbled to begin with.
New England kept possession, but had to punt on this drive. The Bears pushed the lead to 10-0 after a touchdown in the ensuing drive.
This isn’t Al Michaels’ first slip this season. Fans called for his retirement after the Lions-Bills opener, saying he overlooked a fumble and an uncalled penalty on a scramble by Bills quarterback Josh Allen.
In this season alone, Michaels has mistaken Atlanta’s Bijan Robinson for Brian Robinson Jr., claimed Michael Penix Jr. went to Oregon (when he went to Washington), and that Cleveland’s Mason Graham went to Michigan State (when he went to Michigan)
Michaels also faced criticism during the Seahawks-Broncos game in October after misidentifying Denver returner Marvin Mims Jr. as Marvin Jones and drawing complaints about his subdued calls.
Now, the latest clip has brought the retirement debate back into the conversation, and fans were not holding back.
One viewer thought Michaels had reached the point where it was time to step away.
“Lmfao man it’s time for Al Michaels to hang it up. ‘The ball is out’ It was never out lmao”
Another fan wanted someone to pass along the message:
“Someone please tell Al Michaels that it’s time.”
A fan was baffled by the call itself:
“why is Al Michaels saying ‘the ball comes out’ to describe who is rushing the ball that s–t terrifies me”
And another fan felt the mistake had become part of a familiar pattern.
“I guess we are at the ‘Al Michaels completely invents a fumble’ portion of the program. 🙁”
Michaels, 81, has been Prime Video’s lead Thursday Night Football voice since 2022. At a time, he was known to create magic behind the mic, having said iconic lines like “Do you believe in miracles?” But now, fans believe that spark is no longer alive in the veteran sportscaster.
Michaels’ contract has been on a year-to-year basis since 2025. It is unclear if Amazon Prime Video brings him on next year too. But if they don’t, he doesn’t have a problem.
“At a certain time, it’s time,” He said on the Dan Patrick Show. “And if they feel it’s time, great. And if I feel it’s time, I’ll know it. And I’ll say, ‘You know what? Thanks for the memories.’”
Given how many mistakes he’s made not even halfway through the season, this year might be it for Al Michaels.