Cris Collinsworth’s strained voice during Sunday Night Football had NFL fans cracking jokes (and theories)

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September 11, 2022 9:02 pm ET

Someone get some hot water and honey to Cris Collinsworth in the NBC booth on the double!

After a wild and wacky day of football, NFL fans settled in for a rousing night of Sunday Night Football featuring the Dallas Cowboys and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With a new partnership of Mike Tirico and Collinsworth in the booth for NBC this season — long live the “Collinsworth slide”, by the way — NFL fans have had to get used to some new voices on the call.

Football fans, however, did not expect Collinsworth to sound under the weather as Sunday Night Football began. Instead of Collinsworth’s usual tenor, the long-time broadcaster’s voice had a raspy quality to it, not unlike someone battling off a cold.

Cris Collinsworth on his voice: “I feel great.”

Mike Tirico: “You feel fine, it’s just… two games, three days, red-eyes, a bunch of travel… my man’s playing hurt!” pic.twitter.com/rdCiPGzurC

— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) September 12, 2022

While Collinsworth stated he feels fine and its just his body revolting from long travel days, NFL fans could not help but poke fun — and theorize — at the change.

NFL fans noticed Cris Collinsworth’s raspy voice immediately and couldn’t help but make jokes.

Cris Collinsworth showing up to call Sunday Night Football pic.twitter.com/izp78SbCoa

— Pickswise (@Pickswise) September 12, 2022

Collinsworth showing up to work even though he’s losing his voice is admirable as hell. Heroic.

— Brandon Walker (@BFW) September 12, 2022

Collinsworth sounding like a 70 year old chain smoker. Tough scene.

— Barry (@BarryOnHere) September 12, 2022

Cris Collinsworth is that level of sick where you tell your buddies it’s just a cold, and you’ve tested negative for COVID twice already, and you actually feel way better than you sound, but no one is buying it.

— Stephen J. Nesbitt (@stephenjnesbitt) September 12, 2022