There are certain guarantees in life. Death, taxes, and Cris Collinsworth mentioning Patrick Mahomes during broadcasts where the Kansas City Chiefs aren’t even playing. Sunday Night Football’s Week 17 matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and the Chicago Bears gave us another classic moment like that. Except this time, the NBC broadcaster actually admitted it.

The setting was perfect for controversy. In the third quarter, with 4:52 remaining on the clock, Niners quarterback Brock Purdy faced first-and-goal from Chicago’s 6-yard line when magic happened. He scrambled left, backpedaled from one defender while another came close, weaved through both, then fired over two more outstretched hands. The pass hit Kyle Juszczyk, who was waiting in the end zone for a touchdown. The whole play lasted for 8.56 seconds of pure improvisation. Most analysts would dissect Purdy’s awareness, his footwork, and composure. But Collinsworth had other ideas.

“Brock Purdy was drafted when they were cleaning up the joint. But here he goes; he’s cleaning up the Bears so far tonight,” he started. And then came the confession. “I mean, if this were Patrick Mahomes, we’d be screaming, ‘Oh, Patrick Mahomes!’ I know I would be screaming.”

In acknowledging it outright rather than deflecting, Collinsworth effectively put an end to the long-running debate over whether his Mahomes praise is intentional.

This wasn’t new territory for Cris Collinsworth. Back in February 2025, on Kay Adams’ Up and Adams show, he doubled downward. “Honestly, I don’t care if anyone thinks I like Patrick Mahomes because I do. I do like the guy. He’s been one of the most phenomenal players we’ve seen in the league for a long, long time.”

That came after Super Bowl LIX, where he defended Mahomes despite three turnovers in KC’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. And this pattern runs deep. During a 2023 broadcast, Collinsworth referenced his reputation directly. “There’ll be people excited, I’m not gonna mention Patrick Mahomes. I’ve been reading my Twitter.” But this year it just feels out of place.

The Chiefs have been out of the playoff picture since Week 15, the same week in which Patrick Mahomes tore his ACL and ended his season. The dynasty that had been showing cracks all season finally crumbled without their franchise cornerstone as the Chiefs lost the next two weeks with their backups. Now, only one week remains for them to end the season on a good note. But Collinsworth’s hype train isn’t stopping.

Broadcasters bear the weight of bringing unbiased analysis to every game. Collinsworth’s been catching heat for years about abandoning that standard whenever Kansas City’s involved. And Sunday night just made it official.

A season’s worth of bias for Cris Collinsworth

It began right out of September 2025. During the Chiefs’ Week 3 clash with the New York Giants, Mahomes threw a terrible backwards pass that lost 15 yards, then recovered his own fumble. Most analysts would hammer the quarterback for the mistake. Collinsworth gushed over the recovery instead, and that didn’t sit right with the viewers.

Then came Week 6 against the Detroit Lions. Collinsworth wondered aloud what other quarterbacks could make the same throws as Mahomes. The NFL community quickly pointed out obvious answers: Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow. But Collinsworth seemed genuinely stumped that anyone else possessed elite arm talent.

By the time Week 14 against the Houston Texans rolled around in December, Collinsworth was still going strong. The Chiefs were 6-6, their playoff hopes barely hanging by a thread. But even before the Chiefs took the field, Collinsworth declared, “I can still see the Chiefs going to the Super Bowl!” KC promptly lost 20-10 in one of Mahomes’ worst performances of his career, and fans called Collinsworth “insufferable” across social media.

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This criticism extends beyond individual moments. Fellow co-host Mike Tirico even acknowledged the pattern during Sunday’s Bears-49ers broadcast. “What I love about you is you still have your speed,” Tirico joked. “Because you beat the internet to beating you up when you mentioned Mahomes.”

Cris Collinsworth finally admitted his bias in a lost season for the Chiefs. But that transparency doesn’t change the fundamental problem. Broadcasters shape narratives for millions of viewers. When every broadcast becomes about Mahomes, regardless of who’s playing, it diminishes actual performances happening on the field. Brock Purdy’s highlight reel got reduced to “imagine if Mahomes did this.” That’s the issue. No one knows how long this bias will stay, but it’s affecting how legacies get written this season.