The opening weekend of the NFL season, paired with a marquee Texas-Ohio State college football matchup, generated as much talk off the field as on it, from a recurring pregame performer to a betting-company ad that drew criticism from a former Olympic swimmer.
Carrie Underwood returned to open NBC’s Sunday Night Football coverage for her 14th season in the role. Her comeback followed weeks of online criticism this summer from some viewers who argued she should be replaced, alongside separate complaints from other viewers about a slightly altered version of the show’s opening theme.
Sunday night’s broadcast featured the Dallas Cowboys facing the New York Giants, a matchup NBC has scheduled as a season-opener in past years as well. During the game, analyst Cris Collinsworth criticized Dallas’s performance on air, and separately remarked on the atmosphere inside the stadium, saying, “I felt like there was so much raw emotion in this building. 9/11. And I mean, it was just raw.”
Monday night’s schedule brought the first Monday Night Football game of the season, a matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos, featuring Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes playing his first season opener since his ACL injury and Broncos quarterback Bo Nix returning from a broken ankle.
Sydney Sweeney Ad Draws Criticism
Elsewhere, an advertisement featuring actress Sydney Sweeney for the sports betting company Novig drew public criticism over the weekend. Former Australian swimming champion Ariarne Titmus spoke out against the ad, saying, “I can’t describe how infuriated I feel when I watch this. Not only is it a kick in the face to every woman who has dedicated her life to perfecting her craft, but every woman who enjoys sports for what it really is — teamwork, friendship, dedication, excellence, unity. How do we live in a world where monetizing a woman’s body and sexualizing women’s sport is still a thing?”
Texas’s Upset Win and Sideline Interview Backlash
In college football, Texas pulled off a win Saturday night over the No. 1 team in the country, a result that generated significant attention across the sport. Following the game, a postgame sideline interview between ESPN’s Holly Rowe and Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian drew criticism online, with some viewers and commentators expressing frustration over the exchange.
The combination of storylines — a returning broadcast fixture, a widely discussed advertisement, and a marquee upset followed by interview backlash — made for an unusually eventful opening weekend across professional and college football.
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