An unexpected mishap at home could result in the sideline reporter of the NFL Network, Sara Walsh, missing the Christmas Day game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders.

Sara Walsh took to Instagram to reveal that she met with an injury just moments before leaving her house for the Cowboys vs Commanders game.

“Off the field right now. Not on the bingo card for the rest of 2025. We had a slight mishap at the house before I left yesterday. And it’s gonna be fine. Right? Right, everybody?” Walsh posted to her Instagram story before kickoff.

The multi-slide update included a photograph of her swollen foot, accompanied by the caption: “How can you tell it’s broken? ‘I looked at it.'”

The injury timing tested Walsh’s professional commitment just hours before the biggest game of the week. The Cowboys and Commanders square off on Christmas Day at 1 p.m. ET on Netflix, with Walsh assigned as one of two sideline reporters for the primetime broadcast.

Ian Eagle will call the play-by-play action alongside former NFL stars Nate Burleson and Matt Ryan, while Walsh and Melanie Collins deliver sideline updates throughout the game.

Sara Walsh’s journey

Sara Walsh grew up as an athlete before becoming one of sports broadcasting’s most respected reporters. She played four seasons of college soccer as a forward at the University of North Florida, where she holds the school record for goals and points in a single game. She graduated in 1999 with a degree in Communications.

Knee injuries ended her soccer career, leading Walsh to pursue sports journalism instead. She started her broadcasting career in 2001 as a sports writer for Jacksonville Beach’s Beaches Leader newspaper. From 2001 to 2003, she worked as sports director at the WPGA radio station in Macon, Georgia.

Top Stories

Sean Payton Announces Retirement Plans as Broncos HC Demands Improvement From Bo Nix & Co. Before Playoffs

Dez Bryant Unloads on Jerry Jones & Cowboys Over ‘Blackmailing,’ Defends Micah Parsons in Negotiations

Philip Rivers Announces Retirement Decision After Colts Benched 44-YO QB

Sean McDermott Announces Bad News for Bills After Massive Update on Josh Allen’s Injury

Former Packers QB Makes Decision on Shark Tank’s Offer for His $850K Business

Walsh’s career gained momentum when she moved to Nashville. Between 2003 and 2006, she worked at WKRN-TV covering the Tennessee Titans and won four regional Emmy Awards in three years. She hosted a weekly show called “Monday Night Live” with Titans head coach Jeff Fisher.

In 2006, Walsh moved to Washington, D.C., where she worked at CBS affiliate WUSA-TV as a weekend sports anchor and Redskins beat reporter until 2010. Her commitment was no surprise, coming from a four-time regional Emmy winner who once hosted shows with Jeff Fisher and later became the first woman to host ESPN’s ‘Fantasy Football Now.’ She left ESPN in May 2017.

Since 2018, Walsh has worked as an NFL sideline reporter for Fox Sports and as a reporter for NFL Network programs including “NFL Now,” “NFL Total Access,” and “NFL GameDay Morning.”

She has covered NFL games across Europe, including in London and Germany. In her personal life, Walsh married former Arizona Diamondbacks pitcher Matt Buschmann in 2014 and had twins named Hutton and Brees in February 2017.

Walsh now closes out 2025 dealing with a broken toe, turning a home mishap into an unwanted late-year plot twist.