Tag: nfl

Aikman, Buck. Awkward Tension on ‘Monday Night Football’

SA N FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 10.20.2026

Here’s the tabloid headline in The California Post

Joe Buck, Troy Aikman in shock pre-game argument over $108 million ESPN contract drama

Watching the latest Monday Night Football game with the San Francisco 49ers and Washington Commanders the blogger had no idea Troy and Joe are arguing. About what I am unsure.

Perhaps their former FOX sideline sidekick Erin Andrews needs to come in and tell the guys to calm down.

Erin Jill Andrews[1] (born May 4, 1978)[2] is an American sportscaster and television personality. She rose to prominence as a correspondent on the American cable sports channel ESPN after joining the network in 2004. She later joined Fox Sports in 2012 and has since become the lead sideline reporter for the network’s NFL broadcasting team.Erin Andrews – Wikipedia

Or perhaps Joe and Troy need a soundtrack as they weather the incipient broadcasting booth crisis.

The Beatles ‘Helter Skelter’ is one way to digest this spat or the Steve Winwood classic ‘Can’t find my way home’ which could be relabeled in the moment ‘Can’t find my way to the broadcast booth’.

Excerpted from The Wall Street Journal – Jason Gay 10.20.2026

I tuned into the “Monday Night Football” contest between San Francisco and Washington, not to watch the 49ers or the Commanders, but because I was curious to see if Joe Buck and Troy Aikman would wrestle each other on the air.

By now you’ve likely heard at least a whiff about the reported friction running between these two. Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, an admired NFL TV duo who have worked together for 25 years, appear headed for an unexpected, unhappy split.

Buck, 57, recently reupped with ESPN for a new, nine-figure contract. Aikman, 59, has not. The reasons why Buck has secured an ESPN future and Aikman has not are unclear (the network hasn’t commented), but it’s reportedly caused, well, feelings.

Front Office Sports reported that the pair bickered after Buck “‘broke the ice’” on the “unspoken tension” prior to the Oct. 12 MNF game. A few days later, Aikman was asked on Dallas radio about this tension. After starting to demur, he lit a small, kerosene-soaked rag.

https://www.wsj.com/sports/football/troy-aikman-joe-buck-espn-monday-night-football-d7349ac9?st=mWTGTd&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink
Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. Tension in the broadcast booth??

Injury riddled 49ers let it all slip away. Face Wild Card elimination

SAN FRANCISCO

Lee Heidhues 1.5.2026

All the sports reporting are heaping praise on the Seattle Seahawks performance at Levi’s Stadium. The reality is that the San Francisco 49ers could have and should have prevailed on Saturday night.

It was painful to watch on Saturday night. Granted, the 49ers have suffered injuries this season. All of which would have sacked any chance the Niners had to reach the penultimate game with a surprising 12-4 record. And looking to have the top record in the National Football Conference.

The Thrill is Gone

It was not to be. A series of miscues and missed opportunities sent the locals limping off the field at game’s end. Most definitely not looking forward to a cross country trip. Meeting the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday afternoon.

Niners running back Christian McCaffrey is tackled in the first quarter of Saturday’s game against the Seahawks at Levi’s Stadium. McCaffrey was limited to 23 yards on eight carries. Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle

Excerpted from The Athletic 1.4.2026

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — It was a miracle the San Francisco 49ers trailed only 10-0, and not 20-0, midway through the second quarter Saturday night. But it turns out that it didn’t matter — 10 points was more than enough for the Seattle Seahawks.

In a game that determined home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs, the Seahawks came into Levi’s Stadium and put their feet on the couch. The final score, 13-3, did not indicate the game’s one-sidedness, but the Seahawks’ rushing output — which more than tripled that of the 49ers (180-53) — sure did.

Quarterback Brock Purdy lays on turf after taking a big hit on the 49ers’ final offensive play against the Seahawks on Saturday. He said he suffered a shoulder stinger, noting afterward: “I feel good right now. We’ll see how I feel tomorrow.” Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle

“The 49ers have been scoring at will,” Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV said. “We know our style of play. Let’s go out there and see what they have.”

San Francisco finished with 173 yards of offense, its fewest in a regular-season game in Shanahan’s nine years as coach (they had 164 in the 2022 NFC title game).

Top photo: San Francisco 49ers’ Yetur Gross-Matos fails to recover Seattle Seahawks’ fumble in 3rd quarter during Niners’ 13-3 loss in NFL game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Saturday, January 3, 2026.Scott Strazzante/S.F. Chronicle