Prime Video has assembled an all-star lineup of on-air talent to guide you through all the Thursday Night Football(TNF) action. The team includes legendary announcers, nationally renowned reporters, analysts with fresh off-the-field perspectives, and top production personnel.
Keep reading to get to know the team covering TNF.
Al Michaels, play-by-play announcer
An eight-time Emmy award winner, Al Michaels is known as one of the most accomplished and revered broadcasters in television history. He brings all his charisma and legendary status to Thursday Night Football as the play-by-play announcer for Prime Video’s exclusive coverage. Michaels is the only commentator to helm the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA Finals, and the NHL’s Stanley Cup Finals on network television.
Kirk Herbstreit, game analyst
Former Ohio State University quarterback, Kirk Herbstreit, is widely regarded as one of the best football analysts in all of football, and he joined Prime Video as the game analyst for Thursday Night Football in 2022. He’s been a celebrated fixture on ESPN for more than 20 years, and has won 14 Emmy Awards for his work as both a studio analyst and a game analyst.
Kaylee Hartung, sideline reporter
Nationally renowned news and sports correspondent Kaylee Hartung joined Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football game crew prior to its inaugural season in 2022, where she works with Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit as the team’s sideline reporter. In addition to her role on TNF, Kaylee is a contributing correspondent for NBC’s TODAY Show. Throughout her distinguished career, Hartung has worked in a variety of high-profile reporting roles, including ABC’s Good Morning America, World News Tonight with David Muir, and Nightline, where she covered top headlines and interviewed notable figures spanning sports, entertainment, business, and technology.
Charissa Thompson, host
Charissa Thompson serves as the host for Thursday Night Football’s wraparound programming, working alongside analysts Tony Gonzalez, Richard Sherman, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Andrew Whitworth. As one of the top hosts in all of sports television, Thompson has hosted numerous shows, including the NFL on FOX and Extra.
Tony Gonzalez, pregame, halftime, and postgame analyst
Hall of Fame tight end Tony Gonzalez was named a pregame, halftime, and postgame analyst for Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football coverage prior to the inaugural season in 2022. Gonzalez most recently served as a FOX Sports studio analyst on FOX NFL Kickoff for three seasons. He was also a part of FOX Sports’ Thursday Night Football pregame show, where he earned a 2020 Sports Emmy Award nomination for "Outstanding Studio Show–Weekly.” Gonzalez has also extended his career beyond the NFL, appearing in productions for Spectrum, Nickelodeon, and Showtime.
Richard Sherman, pregame, halftime, and postgame analyst
Super Bowl champion and All-Pro cornerback, Richard Sherman, joined Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage as an analyst prior to its inaugural season in 2022. Sherman built a remarkable 11-year career as a player in the NFL. He spent seven seasons with the Seahawks before joining the San Francisco 49ers, then played alongside NFL titan Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in his final season.
Ryan Fitzpatrick, pregame, halftime, and postgame analyst
17-year NFL veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick joined Thursday Night Football in 2022 as an analyst. Fitzpatrick has been a starting quarterback for nine different teams—the most in league history. He became the first quarterback to throw for over 400 yards in three consecutive games while playing with the Tampa Buccaneers, and is also the only NFL player to have a passing and rushing touchdown with eight different teams.
Andrew Whitworth, pregame, halftime, and postgame analyst
Andrew Whitworth joined Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football coverage in 2022. Whitworth closed out his esteemed NFL career after 16 seasons as a player in the NFL with a Super Bowl championship in February 2022. Known for his impressive longevity, he retired as the oldest tackle in NFL history, and the oldest offensive lineman to ever win a Super Bowl. He also received the NFL’s prestigious, NFL Man of the Year award recognizing his outstanding community service activities off the field.
Taylor Rooks, feature reporter
Taylor Rooks, was named a feature reporter for Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football prior to the 2022 season. Rooks conducts in-depth interviews with players, coaches, and other NFL figures that are presented during the streamer’s comprehensive wraparound coverage throughout the season. She also works for Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, conducting interviews for Bleacher Report and contributing to special interview segments and appearances for NBA on TNT. She hosts Bleacher Report’s first-ever show built around a single talent, Taylor Rooks X. Rooks was Emmy-nominated in 2021 for “Outstanding Personality/Emerging On-Air Talent," and was recognized by Black Enterprise as part of its annual 40 Under 40 list in 2022.
Michael Smith, news analyst
One of sports media’s most respected, versatile, and accomplished storytellers, Michael Smith serves as news analyst for Thursday Night Football, contributing valuable insights and updates for fans during pregame, halftime, and postgame coverage on all things surrounding the league. Since 2020, Smith has been a host and commentator for NBC Sports, serving as co-host and executive producer of the sports, current events, and culture show Brother From Another on Peacock. He also contributed to NBC’s pregame coverage of Super Bowl LVI. In 2023, Smith partnered with iHeart to launch the Inflection Network, which develops and produces original audio content focusing on sports, society and culture.
Terry McAulay, rules analyst
Terry McAulay was named Thursday Night Football’s rules analyst last season, where he provides the primary game feed with clarity and analysis for key plays and calls. McAulay spent 20 years officiating NFL games, including three years as a side judge and a field judge, and 17 years as a referee. He led the officiating crew in three Super Bowls and worked 15 additional NFL Playoff games before diving into a career as a rules analyst. In addition to his work with TNF, he serves as the rules analyst for NBC Sports.
Mark Teitelman, lead game producer
Mark Teitelman, a 10-time Sports Emmy winner, was appointed lead game producer for Prime Video’s exclusive coverage of Thursday Night Football prior to the 2023 season. He works alongside lead game director Pierre Moossa. In addition to producing TNF’s game coverage, Teitelman is a lead producer at NFL Network, where he handles coverage of the NFL Draft, Scouting Combine and NFL Honors awards show. Previously, Teitelman spent 12 years at FOX Sports, where he produced a weekly NFL on FOX game package, produced two seasons of the USFL on FOX, and oversaw creative on four FIFA World Cup tournaments.
Pierre Moossa, lead game director
A 17-time Emmy-award winner and NBC veteran, Pierre Moossa joined Thursday Night Football in 2022 as lead director. This year, he will work alongside lead game producer Mark Teitelman. Moossa has served high-profile roles covering major events like Sunday Night Football, the Olympic Games, and the U.S. Open. He continues to work as producer for NBC Sports, where he recently served as director for Football Night in America andthe Super Bowl LVI pregame show.
Sam Schwartzstein, analytics expert
Sam Schwarzstein works closely on Prime Vision with Next Gen Stats, one ofThursday Night Football’s weekly alternate streams. He produces analytics storylines, schematic insights, and offers explainers of situational football using analytics. Before joining Prime Video, Schwartzstein was part of the founding team at the 2020 iteration of the XFL, where he oversaw the creation of the XFL rulebook. Prior to his career working in football, Schwartzstein was a captain of the Stanford Football team, starting 27 games throughout his career, including a second team All-Pac-12 nomination in 2012.
Miguel Gurwitz, play-by-play announcer
Emmy-award winner, Miguel Gurwitz, joined Thursday Night Football in 2022as a play-by-play announcer to help enrich the experience for fans watching TNF en Español. Gurwitz is a renowned sports journalist who has been the play-by-play announcer for major sporting events like The Olympics, the FIFA World Cup, and the Super Bowl. In addition, he works as a sports anchor for TELEMUNDO, and is the host of his podcast Mother Soccer.
Rolando Cantu, analyst en Español
Former Arizona Cardinals player, Rolando Cantu, joined TNF en Español in 2022as an analyst helping fans break down all the on-field action. He was the first active NFL player to come from the Mexican collegiate system. He continues to work with the Cardinals as manager of international business ventures, where he also helped build the Arizona Cardinals Spanish Radio Network.
Now that you’ve met the team reporting on all the TNF action this year, stay up to date on all the latest news and updates for the 2023 season.
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