Who are the Announcers and Referees for Bills-Chiefs?

Here's who will call the AFC championship—from the booth and on the field.
Josh Allen dives for a first down with Chris Jones pursuing.
Josh Allen dives for a first down with Chris Jones pursuing. / Jamie Germano/Rochester Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Genuine new rivalries in sports do not pop up often—that takes time and patience, which modern leagues generally do not have.

However, once in a blue moon two truly special teams elevate each other and hatred blossoms where it might not have existed before. That has been the case for the Buffalo Bills and Kansas City Chiefs, who will meet for the fourth time in the playoffs in the 2020s Sunday—with the Chiefs having won all three games.

The principal players of this weekend's drama—Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, and Bills quarterback Josh Allen—are well-known to fans. Here's a look at Sunday's supporting cast of announcers and referees.

Announcers for Bills-Chiefs

Role

Person

Play-by-play

Jim Nantz

Color Commentator

Tony Romo

Sideline Reporter

Tracy Wolfson

CBS will, predictably, send its top talents to Kansas City for Sunday's game. Nantz has served as the network's lead play-by-play voice since 2004; Romo, a former quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys, has been its lead color commentator since 2017. Wolfson has worked as the network's lead sideline reporter since 2013.

Broadcast Network and Production Team

Outside of a four-year hiatus from 1994 to '97, CBS has held NFL rights continuously since 1956. The network's production team is regarded among the best in sports, and has won five Sports Emmys for its NFL coverage. The NFL Today, CBS's flagship football program and itself a five-time Sports Emmy winner, will lead into the game—which kicks off Sunday at 6:30 p.m. EST.

Referees for Bills-Chiefs

Role

Person

Head Referee/Crew Chief

Clete Blakeman

Umpire

Terry Killens

Line Judge

Jeff Seeman

Side Judge

Don Willard

Field Judge

Anthony Flemming

Back Judge

Todd Prukrop

Clete Blakeman will have crew chief duties for Sunday's game in Kansas City. Blakeman, an Omaha-based personal injury attorney, is known among trivia-minded fans for his stint as Nebraska's quarterback from 1984 to '87. This is his 16th career postseason game.

Time & Channel for Bills-Chiefs

The AFC championship will air Sunday from Kansas City at 6:30 p.m. EST on CBS.


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Patrick Andres
PATRICK ANDRES

Patrick Andres is a staff writer on the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. He joined SI in December 2022, having worked for The Blade, Athlon Sports, Fear the Sword and Diamond Digest. Andres has covered everything from zero-attendance Big Ten basketball to a seven-overtime college football game. He is a graduate of Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism with a double major in history .