Al Michaels wound up in the spotlight for the wrong reason again during Thursday night’s Seahawks-Broncos game, and this time it was his struggle with Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s name that set off the reaction.
The veteran broadcaster has been calling games for decades, but that experience didn’t keep him from stumbling over the Seattle receiver during Prime Video’s coverage of the late comeback attempt. Smith-Njigba was everywhere for Seattle, finishing with 12 catches for 134 yards in Denver’s 17-14 overtime win. Still, clips from the broadcast quickly made the rounds and drew criticism from viewers who couldn’t understand why Michaels kept tripping over one of the league’s biggest names.
“How does Al Michaels still not know how to pronounce Jaxon Smith-Njigba’s name? I mean he was literally the OPOY last year lmao,” one viewer wrote.
“You’re not prepared for how Al Michaels says JSN,” another posted.
“Al Michaels seems VERY uncomfortable saying JSN’s last name,” someone shared.
“Al Michaels didn’t even TRY to pronounce JSN’s name correctly haha,” one fan observed.
“Stop letting Al Michaels say JSN’s full name lol. Gonna get that man canceled 💀💀💀💀💀,” another viewer declared.
Michaels also had another name miscue during the broadcast, calling Denver returner Marvin Mims “Marvin Jones.”
On the field, Seattle came painfully close to pulling off a comeback. The Seahawks trailed 14-11 late in the fourth quarter when Smith-Njigba helped get the offense moving toward midfield. Seattle kept pushing after that, and Jason Myers tied it with a 34-yard field goal with three seconds left.
But the Seahawks couldn’t close it out in overtime. Sam Darnold was intercepted by Ja’Quan McMillian, and that gave Denver the opening for Wil Lutz’s 53-yard game-winner.
The loss dropped Seattle to 3-3, and the team’s Super Bowl momentum is now all but gone. Smith-Njigba still finished as Seattle’s most productive receiver, adding another big outing in a defeat that stung even without the broadcast drama.
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