Luke Kuechly didn’t need long to make his case in the booth.
In Netflix’s NFL broadcast from Melbourne, the former Panthers linebacker and newly minted Pro Football Hall of Famer drew rave reviews for his debut as a lead analyst in the 49ers-Rams game. With Noah Eagle handling play-by-play for a third straight year, the streaming service’s latest push into live sports found an unexpected standout in Kuechly, who looked comfortable almost immediately despite limited experience calling games.
Fans latched onto that right away. Reactions rolled in throughout the night, with viewers praising how natural Kuechly sounded and how sharp his analysis was on a stage he had never occupied before on national television. One fan wrote, “Luke Kuechly is already awesome at this.
And not just because he sounds exactly like @MoveTheSticks”
Another added, “Absolutely loving this broadcast team of Noah Eagle & Luke Kuechly.
Kuechly is excellent in the booth. Hard to believe this is his first (inter) national TV broadcast. Great hire by Netflix.
If only every Thursday night game had this pair. 🫠 pic.twitter.com/zfoi8UIkHD”
Others were even more direct. “Luke Kuechly is fantastic,” one post read, while another said, “Luke Kuechly is excellent in the booth”.
The praise kept coming. “very cool hearing luke kuechly on a primetime broadcast,” one viewer said, and another summed it up this way: “Confirmed. Luke Kuechly is good at everything. @LukeKuechly”
Kuechly’s performance stood out because broadcast success doesn’t always follow playing greatness. He was one of the most popular Panthers of his era and one of the best linebackers in the league, but this was a different kind of spotlight.
Still, the transition looked smooth. As one observer put it, “Luke Kuechly had been excellent tonight as the lead analyst for NETFLIX.
He is making a really hard job seem easy. Sounds extremely comfortable and has made several sharp points you don’t hear in other places.”
Kuechly does have some background behind a microphone. He has called games for the Panthers radio station and worked a few alternate broadcasts for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” last year. Even so, this was a clear step up, with Kuechly serving as Netflix’s No. 1 color commentator for the night.
The reaction from around the NFL media world matched what viewers were saying. “The boy Luke Kuechly crushed this first half of football in the booth,” one former player wrote. Another said, “Enjoying the pairing of Noah Eagle and Luke Kuechly so far through this one…”
And another review captured the surprise of the moment: “Couldn’t be more impressed w/ Luke Kuechly tonight. He’s done a handful of college games and Panthers games on the radio.
Sounds like a seasoned vet. Helps that he sounds a little like Daniel Jeremiah who’s pretty damn good at everything he does.”
Netflix’s Australian showcase appears to have landed well overall, but Kuechly was the clear story. The Hall of Famer is expected to call three more games for Netflix this year: Rams vs. Packers on Thanksgiving Eve, one of the streaming service’s doubleheader games on Christmas, and a TBD game in Week 18.
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