Netflix’s Christmas Day double-header is officially a wrap with a couple of divisional matchups. The Dallas Cowboys took down the Washington Commanders 30–23, and the Minnesota Vikings followed that up by handing the Detroit Lions a reality check, 23-10. But oddly enough, one of those games sparked a different kind of reaction altogether. This time from the NFL legend, JJ Watt.

The CBS analyst couldn’t help but feel a bit of envy as his longtime broadcast partner, Ian Eagle, jumped over to the Netflix booth alongside Matt Ryan and Nate Burleson for the Cowboys-Commanders matchup, leaving Watt behind. And ahead of the Week 17 Sunday slate, Watt admitted it with refreshing honesty.

“Absolutely,” JJ said when asked whether he was jealous of watching Ian Eagle with Ryan and Burleson. “I was self-conscious girlfriend texting like, ‘Do you like them more? Did he say things to you that made you feel nicer than the things that I say?’ So yeah, I might have secretly been hoping for some flubs here and there.”

Watt’s humorous reaction was really a reflection of his relatively new role at CBS. After retiring from the NFL, he joined the network a few years back, initially working in the studio. But ahead of the 2025 season, CBS promoted him to the booth alongside Eagle to call games, following Charles Davis’ retirement before the season.

Fast forward to Christmas Day, though, and Watt found himself watching from the outside as Eagle took on a different assignment, calling the Cowboys-Commanders game with Ryan and Burleson on Netflix. Burleson, who continues to juggle multiple roles at CBS, including CBS Mornings and The NFL Today, joined Ryan (who has been with the network since retiring) as the analyst for the matchup.

That combination is what triggered JJ Watt’s lighthearted jealousy. But as he later made it clear, it was all in good fun.

“But no, Nate and Matt are obviously two of my former teammates in the studio and still teammates here, I get to see every week,” JJ added. “So, it was like seeing all of my friends out, and I didn’t get to be there.”

But it felt more like FOMO as he missed being in the booth with his current and former teammates. And as for Ian Eagle, the veteran broadcaster once again found himself on a Netflix Christmas Day stage, sharing the spotlight with his son, Noah Eagle.

Ian Eagle and Noah Eagle: Father-son duo announced the Christmas Day double-header

Just a year after making their streaming debut, Ian Eagle and his son, Noah Eagle, were back on duty for Christmas, but for two separate games. While Burleson and Ryan joined Ian for the Cowboys-Commanders matchup, Noah was nearly 1,000 miles away in Minneapolis. The 29-year-old called the Vikings-Lions game while sharing the booth with the Super Bowl-winning quarterback Drew Brees.

“The pride that you have as a dad that your child is interested in what you do and interested at a level that they want to pursue it, and they want to make it their life’s work—it’s been more than I could have ever expected,” Ian said, praising his son for his broadcasting gig. “The conversations we now have are nuanced, because it’s not just dad and kid, it’s someone that fully understands what I’ve done, and now I’m living vicariously through him as he goes through navigating those experiences.”

And you can tell the reason Ian speaks so highly of his relationship with his son. Both father and son have earned plenty of acclaim in the same field. And the accolades back it up. Noah, still early in his broadcasting journey compared to his father, picked up his first Sports Emmy last year. Ian, meanwhile, has won four over a legendary career spanning more than three decades. So when Ian talks about his pride in watching Noah follow a similar path, it’s safe to say it’s not an exaggeration. It’s just perspective earned over time.

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