SI

NFL Fans Unhappy With Al Michaels's Lackluster Call of First TD in Bills-Dolphins

The call from Al Michaels did not match the excitement of James Cook's touchdown.

Karl Rasmussen

Michaels during the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium.
Michaels during the game between the Los Angeles Rams and the New Orleans Saints at SoFi Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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The Buffalo Bills struck first during Thursday Night Football against the Miami Dolphins as Josh Allen dumped off a pass to James Cook who found the end zone for the first touchdown of the evening.

If you were listening to Al Michaels on the call on Amazon Prime Video, however, you might not have been sure that a touchdown even happened. The Bills went for it on fourth down from inside the red zone and devised a clever play to give Cook space to catch the ball and cruise over the goal line. The exciting moment barely generated a reaction from Michaels, whose voice hardly shifted tone while calling Cook's touchdown.

"Pass to the outside––wide open inside the 10, and James Cook takes it in," said Michaels as Cook punched in his first touchdown of the campaign.

Michaels' lack of excitement over the game's first scoring play didn't go unnoticed by NFL fans, who voiced their criticism of his lackluster call in the big moment on social media.

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Karl Rasmussen
KARL RASMUSSEN

Karl Rasmussen is a staff writer for the Breaking and Trending News team for Sports Illustrated. A University of Oregon alum who joined SI in February 2023, his work has appeared on 12up and ClutchPoints. Rasmussen is a loyal Tottenham, Jets, Yankees and Ducks fan.

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