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5 Great NFL Announcing Moments From Week 3

There's nothing like the NFL. And there's especially nothing like the NFL when something exciting happens.

Kyle Koster, Liam McKeone

Saquon Barkley's late heroics saved the Eagles against the Saints.
Saquon Barkley's late heroics saved the Eagles against the Saints. / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

There's nothing like the NFL. And there's especially nothing like the NFL when something exciting happens. The best broadcasters in the world are tasked with bringing America's new favorite pastime to life. Usually they go viral for flubbing something. But more often than not they do great work as well.

For instance, here are a few awesome moments from Week 3.

Joe Davis finally calls a touchdown

It seems like great fun to call a touchdown as an NFL play-by-play broadcaster and Joe Davis had to wait over three quarters to do so during Sunday's low-scoring Eagles-Saints affair. But when the moment came, he was ready. The FOX announcer's pitch rose perfectly with the roar of the crowd as Saquon Barkley finally broke one open and scored on a 65-yard touchdown run.

Side note: Davis is starting to enter the realm of announcers who make things feel more important through their mere presence. Probably a lasting effect of his World Series broadcasts. But this call made the play feel more significant, even if it was a Week 3 touchdown in a tremendously ugly football game.

Adam Amin remembers the little things

The biggest play in the Rams' epic comeback over the 49ers on Sunday was a punt return by rookie Xavier Smith, who plopped LA's offense in field goal range with less than a minute remaining in a tie game with a 38-yard return. Adam Amin, on the call for FOX, dictated the development well for viewers. Most impressively, though, Amin did not get caught up in the adrenaline of the moment and remembered to note that the return was Smith's very first NFL touch.

A small detail that may seem like an obvious add-in to some viewers, but something many announcers could understandably get lost in the excitement of the moment. Not Amin.

Spero Dedes presides over Andy Dalton's huge day

Andy Dalton not only killed it in his first start of the 2024 season for the Carolina Panthers, he had the best day of any quarterback this season. The journeyman put up 319 yards and three touchdowns with no picks (the only QB to total over 300 yards and three touchdowns so far this year) against the Las Vegas Raiders despite the *waves hands* of it all with the Bryce Young situation. Consequentially, and against all odds, the Panthers-Raiders matchup developed into one of the biggest storylines in the NFL.

Spero Dedes did a great job on the mic as it unfolded before him and Adam Archuleta. His best call of the day came on Dalton's second touchdown pass, a true dime to the back corner of the end zone. Dedes hit the call with gusto and alliteration, a very appealing combination.

Mark Schlereth as happy as anyone watching David Montgomery float for 10 extra yards

After throwing the football way too many times in a Week 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson came to his senses and pounded the rock. David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs combined for 39 carries and 188 yards as the Lions took care of business against the Arizona Cardinals. And one of the best offensive lines in football got the opportunity to inflict pain early and often.

Including on an objectively hilarious 16-yard scamper by Montgomery, who was lifted into the air and pushed from behind for more than half the run. It's a play we rarely if ever see and it makes a person wonder if there's a way to do it more often.

Mark Schlereth, working alongside Chris Myers for FOX, wondered allowed if Montgomery had paid proper admission for such a ride.

This is the type of play Schlereth, an all-Everything offensive lineman in his own right, loves to see and celebrate. Pure Man 101 right there.

Tom Brady not even mad, just disappointed at state of Cowboys' offense

Tom Brady was even better in his third broadcast than his second, and miles improved from the first, suggesting everything is on the right track for FOX and its $375-million man. One of the things some critics have been clamoring to hear is some critical talk when there's obvious underperformance and Brady capitalized on the moment while watching the Dallas Cowboys once again embarrass themselves at home.

Trailing 28-6 and needing to do something that showed signs of life, the early desparation drive was derailed by yet another unforced error. Brady, already mid-sentence about what the Cowboys needed to do, could do little to hide his exasperation.

Can Brady be folksy? Perhaps not in the traditional sense, but the more he sounds like a regular person watching the game with real emotions, the better.

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Kyle Koster
KYLE KOSTER

Kyle Koster is an assistant managing editor at Sports Illustrated covering the intersection of sports and media. He was formerly the editor in chief of The Big Lead, where he worked from 2011 to '24. Koster also did turns at the Chicago Sun-Times, where he created the Sports Pros(e) blog, and at Woven Digital.

Liam McKeone
LIAM MCKEONE

Liam McKeone is a senior writer for the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He has been in the industry as a content creator since 2017, and prior to joining SI in May 2024, McKeone worked for NBC Sports Boston and The Big Lead. In addition to his work as a writer, he has hosted the Press Pass Podcast covering sports media and The Big Stream covering pop culture. A graduate of Fordham University, he is always up for a good debate and enjoys loudly arguing about sports, rap music, books and video games. McKeone has been a member of the National Sports Media Association since 2020.

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