Cris Collinsworth has spent years praising Patrick Mahomes during NFL broadcasts. In September 2026, the long-running joke that the NBC analyst is unusually enthusiastic about the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback turned into another round of accusations that Collinsworth is biased toward Mahomes and the Chiefs.
The latest backlash followed NBC’s September 20 Sunday Night Football broadcast of Kansas City’s 33-30 overtime victory over the Indianapolis Colts. Fans criticized Collinsworth for what they considered excessive praise of Mahomes, including his explanation of a potential interception that Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner failed to catch. [Yahoo Sports]
The controversy grew because Collinsworth has openly acknowledged how much he admires Mahomes. Days after the Colts game, he joked on The Dan Patrick Show that he probably “loves” Mahomes even more than ESPN analyst Dan Orlovsky loves Matthew Stafford. [Yahoo Sports]
But there is an important distinction: fans have repeatedly accused Collinsworth of bias; there is no evidence that NBC has determined he is improperly favoring Kansas City in his broadcasts.
Why Are Fans Accusing Cris Collinsworth Of Chiefs Bias?
The latest complaints centered on the Chiefs-Colts game on September 20.
Collinsworth and Mike Tirico called the game for NBC, with Melissa Stark reporting from the sideline. [Chiefs]
As Kansas City and Indianapolis played a close game that eventually went to overtime, viewers on social media repeatedly complained that Collinsworth sounded more enthusiastic when discussing Mahomes and the Chiefs than when discussing Indianapolis.
Some Colts fans argued that Collinsworth talked about Indianapolis as though it was the inferior team even while the Colts were challenging Kansas City. Others complained about his reaction when the Chiefs defense allowed a successful Indianapolis play. [Yahoo Sports]
The criticism was not based on one single statement. It reflected a broader perception among some viewers that Collinsworth’s admiration for Mahomes repeatedly influences the tone of Chiefs broadcasts.
What Did Cris Collinsworth Say About The Sauce Gardner Play?
One play became a particularly prominent example.
Mahomes threw a pass that Colts cornerback Sauce Gardner had an opportunity to intercept but could not hold.
Collinsworth attributed the missed opportunity partly to the velocity of Mahomes’ throw, saying:
“Mahomes threw it so hard Sauce couldn’t catch it!”
That comment immediately generated two very different interpretations.
Critics viewed it as another example of Collinsworth finding a way to compliment Mahomes even when the quarterback had thrown a pass that nearly became an interception.
Others defended Collinsworth’s analysis, arguing that pass velocity genuinely can make an interception more difficult and that he was simply explaining why Gardner failed to secure the football. [Yahoo Sports]
The disagreement illustrates the larger Collinsworth-Mahomes controversy: the same analysis that some viewers hear as legitimate appreciation of an exceptional quarterback sounds to others like excessive praise.
What Happened In The Chiefs-Colts Game?
The context matters because the game itself was competitive.
Kansas City defeated Indianapolis 33-30 in overtime, improving to 2-0.
Because the Colts pushed the Chiefs into overtime, Indianapolis fans were particularly sensitive to commentary they believed portrayed Kansas City as clearly superior throughout the broadcast. [Yahoo Sports]
The combination of a close game, Mahomes’ comeback performance and Collinsworth’s enthusiastic commentary created ideal conditions for the long-running criticism to resurface.
What Did Nikki Glaser Say About Collinsworth And Mahomes?
Comedian Nikki Glaser helped turn Collinsworth’s Mahomes admiration into an explicit joke during NBC’s coverage.
Glaser mocked Collinsworth for his tendency to gush about Mahomes, effectively treating his enthusiasm for the quarterback as something viewers already recognized.
The joke received enough attention that Collinsworth later referenced it himself while appearing on The Dan Patrick Show. [AOL]
Rather than deny the premise, Collinsworth leaned into it.
Did Cris Collinsworth Admit He Loves Patrick Mahomes?
Yes — jokingly and openly.
Dan Patrick asked Collinsworth whether he loves Mahomes more than Dan Orlovsky loves Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Collinsworth responded:
“Ooh, God, that would be tough. But yeah, probably, I guess.”
Collinsworth then joked that he had considered warning Mahomes that he might deliberately criticize him during a broadcast simply to quiet the narrative.
He imagined telling Mahomes that during one game he would “rip” him for no apparent reason. [Yahoo Sports]
Those remarks were humorous rather than a literal admission that Collinsworth intentionally favors Kansas City. But they reinforced the public perception because Collinsworth did not dispute the underlying premise that he greatly admires Mahomes.
Has Collinsworth Admitted Liking Mahomes Before?
Yes.
In 2025, Collinsworth addressed the criticism directly during an appearance with Kay Adams.
He said he did not care if people thought he liked Mahomes because he genuinely did, describing the Chiefs quarterback as one of the most phenomenal players the NFL had seen in a long time. [Yahoo Sports]
Collinsworth’s position was essentially that admiration for an exceptional player should not be confused with improperly rooting for his team.
Why Does Collinsworth Praise Patrick Mahomes So Much?
The most obvious explanation is Mahomes’ résumé and style of play.
Mahomes has spent most of his career as one of the NFL’s highest-profile quarterbacks, combining conventional quarterback skills with unusual off-platform throws, improvisation and late-game performances.
Those characteristics give a television analyst considerable material to discuss.
Collinsworth has also covered many important Chiefs games during Kansas City’s championship era because NBC frequently receives marquee Chiefs matchups for Sunday Night Football.
The more often Collinsworth calls Kansas City games, the more frequently viewers hear him discussing Mahomes.
Is Cris Collinsworth Actually A Chiefs Fan?
There is no public evidence establishing that Collinsworth roots for Kansas City as a team.
His public comments have focused primarily on his admiration for Mahomes as a player.
Those are not necessarily the same thing.
A broadcaster can regard a particular athlete as historically great without supporting that athlete’s team.
Fans nevertheless often interpret Collinsworth’s enthusiastic Mahomes analysis as Chiefs favoritism because Mahomes is the central figure in Kansas City’s success.
Has NBC Said Collinsworth Is Biased?
No public finding from NBC has established that Collinsworth improperly favors Kansas City.
The “bias” label primarily comes from viewers, social-media posts and sports-media discussion.
That distinction matters.
It is factual to say that Collinsworth has repeatedly been accused of Chiefs or Mahomes bias.
It would be different to state as an established fact that his broadcasts are deliberately biased.
The latter has not been demonstrated.
Why Do National Announcers Get Accused Of Bias So Often?
Broadcast bias complaints are common in sports.
Fans naturally pay closer attention to how announcers describe their own team.
If an analyst praises an opponent’s star repeatedly, supporters of the other team can interpret the enthusiasm as favoritism.
The reverse happens as well.
Chiefs fans have accused ESPN analyst Troy Aikman of being biased against Mahomes, demonstrating how differently audiences can interpret national commentary depending on which team they support. [Yahoo Sports]
Why Is Collinsworth’s Mahomes Reputation Different?
The difference is that Collinsworth himself has embraced the joke.
He does not pretend that he is unimpressed by Mahomes.
Instead, he openly describes Mahomes as an extraordinary player and jokes about how much he enjoys watching him.
That gives critics a ready-made reference every time Collinsworth enthusiastically praises a Mahomes throw.
The cycle works like this:
- Collinsworth praises Mahomes.
- Fans accuse him of excessive praise.
- The criticism becomes a social-media meme.
- Collinsworth jokes about loving Mahomes.
- The next enthusiastic Mahomes comment receives even more scrutiny.
By 2026, the Collinsworth-Mahomes relationship had effectively become part of the entertainment surrounding Chiefs games on NBC.
Was The Sauce Gardner Comment Bad Analysis?
That depends on how the play is interpreted.
Critics argued that Mahomes should have been criticized for putting the ball in danger rather than praised for throwing it hard.
Collinsworth’s defenders argued that he was making a legitimate technical point about the difficulty of catching a high-velocity pass.
Both reactions appeared prominently after the game. [Pro Football Network]
The controversy therefore was not really about whether Gardner dropped the potential interception. He did.
It was about what Collinsworth chose to emphasize.
His critics heard a Mahomes mistake being transformed into another Mahomes compliment.
Does Collinsworth Only Praise Mahomes?
No.
Collinsworth regularly praises elite players throughout his broadcasts, particularly quarterbacks because they dominate the action and analysis of NFL games.
He has also been criticized by fans of numerous teams who believe he favors their opponents.
Collinsworth referenced that phenomenon during his Dan Patrick Show appearance, saying he hears complaints from fans in different cities who believe he dislikes their teams. [Yahoo Sports]
That broader pattern complicates attempts to use individual fan reactions as proof of actual broadcasting bias.
Why Is Patrick Mahomes Such A Big Part Of NFL Broadcasts?
Mahomes is not simply another starting quarterback.
His success with Kansas City has made him one of the defining NFL players of his generation.
That means networks naturally build major games around him, while broadcasters frequently compare unusual plays with what they have seen from him previously.
For viewers who dislike Kansas City or believe the Chiefs receive disproportionate attention, that saturation can become frustrating.
Collinsworth’s enthusiastic style makes him an especially visible target for that frustration.
Is There A Wider Chiefs Favoritism Controversy?
Yes, although it involves several separate issues that should not be treated as proof of one another.
During Kansas City’s recent run of success, some NFL fans have argued that:
- Officials favor the Chiefs on close calls.
- National broadcasters give Kansas City excessive attention.
- Networks show Taylor Swift too frequently during Chiefs games.
- Commentators praise Mahomes more than other quarterbacks.
For example, another round of complaints followed a roughing-the-passer call involving Mahomes during Kansas City’s September 27 victory over Miami. The Chiefs would have received a first down anyway because Miami was also flagged for defensive holding. [AOL]
Those controversies help create an environment in which Collinsworth’s Mahomes commentary receives additional scrutiny.
But fan complaints about officiating, television coverage and Collinsworth’s analysis are separate questions and do not by themselves establish coordinated favoritism toward Kansas City.
What Does Taylor Swift Have To Do With The Collinsworth Controversy?
The Chiefs-Colts broadcast also generated complaints about NBC repeatedly showing Taylor Swift, who was celebrating Kansas City’s plays from the stands.
Some viewers who already believed the broadcast focused too heavily on Kansas City combined those complaints with criticism of Collinsworth’s commentary. [Yahoo Sports]
That broadened the complaint from “Collinsworth likes Mahomes” into a larger criticism that the entire presentation felt too Kansas City-centric.
Again, that was a viewer perception rather than an official finding about NBC’s coverage.
How Long Has The Collinsworth-Mahomes Joke Existed?
It predates the 2026 season.
As Kansas City became a regular participant in primetime games and deep playoff runs, viewers increasingly noticed Collinsworth’s enthusiastic descriptions of Mahomes’ throws and improvisational plays.
By 2025, Collinsworth was publicly responding to the reputation and openly saying he liked Mahomes.
By September 2026, comedians, sports-media outlets and Collinsworth himself were joking about the supposed “love affair.”
That is why the Colts game generated such an immediate reaction. Viewers were not evaluating the broadcast in isolation; they were filtering it through years of similar complaints.
Who Is Cris Collinsworth?
Collinsworth is a former NFL wide receiver who has become one of American football’s most prominent television analysts.
He played eight seasons for the Cincinnati Bengals from 1981 through 1988, making three Pro Bowls and appearing in two Super Bowls.
After retiring, Collinsworth moved into broadcasting and eventually became the longtime lead analyst for NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
His role is different from Tirico’s.
Tirico primarily handles play-by-play, while Collinsworth is expected to explain formations, individual techniques, strategy and why plays succeed or fail.
That analytical role means his opinions about individual players are a major part of the broadcast.
Has Cris Collinsworth Been Disciplined Over His Mahomes Commentary?
There is no indication that NBC has disciplined Collinsworth for praising Mahomes or removed him from Chiefs broadcasts.
He remains NBC’s lead Sunday Night Football analyst.
NBC’s 2026 schedule continues to feature major Chiefs games, including Kansas City’s Thanksgiving matchup against Buffalo. [NBC]
His comments about Mahomes have therefore produced a recurring public controversy rather than a formal broadcasting scandal.
Cris Collinsworth-Mahomes Controversy At A Glance
- Broadcaster: Cris Collinsworth
- Network: NBC
- Broadcast: Sunday Night Football
- Player: Patrick Mahomes
- Team: Kansas City Chiefs
- Latest controversy: Chiefs vs. Colts, September 20, 2026
- Result: Chiefs won 33-30 in overtime
- Major flashpoint: Collinsworth credited Mahomes’ throwing velocity after Sauce Gardner failed to secure a potential interception
- Fan accusation: Excessive praise and perceived Chiefs/Mahomes bias
- Collinsworth’s position: He openly admires Mahomes and jokes about his reputation for doing so
- NBC finding of improper bias: None publicly announced
- Discipline: None reported
So Is Cris Collinsworth Really Biased Toward Patrick Mahomes And The Chiefs?
The documented facts support a narrower conclusion than some of the social-media criticism suggests.
Collinsworth unquestionably admires Mahomes. He has said so publicly, joked about loving him and spent years enthusiastically analyzing his play.
It is also factual that viewers have repeatedly accused Collinsworth of sounding like a Chiefs supporter during national broadcasts.
The September 20 Colts game gave those critics new material. In particular, Collinsworth’s decision to praise the velocity of a Mahomes pass that nearly became an interception struck some viewers as the perfect example of his tendency to find something complimentary to say about the quarterback even when a play goes wrong.
But that does not establish that Collinsworth intentionally favors Kansas City or adjusts his analysis to help the Chiefs.
No public NBC finding has established improper bias, and Collinsworth’s defenders can reasonably point out that a television analyst is supposed to explain what makes historically accomplished players unusual.
The controversy ultimately comes down to the difference between admiration and perceived favoritism.
Collinsworth makes no effort to hide the former.
Whether that admiration crosses into the latter remains a matter of viewer interpretation — and every time Mahomes appears on Sunday Night Football, that debate is likely to begin again.
