Al Michaels Explains His Low-Key Call During Jaguars' Game-Winning Field Goal vs. Chargers

If you were wondering where the energy was on the broadcast of the Jacksonville Jaguars' thrilling 31-30 last-second win over the Los Angeles Chargers during this weekend's Wild Card round, you aren't alone.

In fact, there were so many wondering where the life on the broadcast was that NFL broadcast legend Al Michaels, who called the game with former NFL head coach Tony Dungy for NBC, saw the criticism directly.

THE @JAGUARS WIN. SIMPLY UNBELIEVABLE.#SuperWildCard #LACvsJAX pic.twitter.com/OQGu34T6QI
— NFL (@NFL) January 15, 2023

"Read some comments that we didn’t sound excited enough. Internet compost! You know me as well as anyone — no screaming, no yelling, no hollering. It’s TELEVISION! Ellipses and captions are [sufficient] when pictures tell the story," Michaels told the New York Post's Andrew Marchand.

To Marchand's credit, he pointed out to Michaels that the broadcast was especially low-energy in his eyes, especially considering the stakes and flow of the game. While the Jaguars did fall behind 27-0 during the first-half after four interceptions from Trevor Lawrence and a turnover on special teams, the Jaguars did have an electrifying comeback with 31 points scored in the final 2.5 quarters.

"I thought the energy was much better once Jax made it a game. 27-0 makes it difficult to make it sound like more than it is," Michaels said.

This doesn't exactly make sense when you consider the low-key and casual call on Riley Patterson's game-winning field goal in the final moments, which came after the Jaguars had scored nearly 28 unanswered points. But, it is Michaels's stance.

"One of the things that I think makes Tony good is that he doesn’t overtalk and load it up with unneeded blather. He’s measured, but almost everything he says has relevance and poignancy. A lot of folks who understand this industry are annoyed with the over-the-top yelling that makes a game sound like an offshoot of talk radio," Michaels said.

"I'm in that corner, but there are others who obviously think otherwise. Don’t you find it ironic that the most understated announcer of all-time was the iconic Pat Summerall. And before that — Ray Scott. And lots of folks still yearn for that style. One size doesn’t fit all."