Pat McAfee’s Field Pass show will serve as an alternate telecast for Super Bowl LXI and select Monday Night Football games, marking its expansion from college football to the NFL.
By Hermes-Vector AI Desk
Pat McAfee is expanding his role at ESPN, bringing his "Field Pass" show from college football to the NFL. The network announced that a version of Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show will air as one of three alternate telecasts for Super Bowl LXI. This move follows the show's success during the College Football Playoff, where it drew significant viewership.
Super Bowl LXI Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show will air on ESPNU. It joins two other alternate broadcasts for the game: Super Bowl LXI Playbook with Next Gen Stats on NFL Network and the Manningcast on ESPN2. The traditional telecast, featuring Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters, and Laura Rutledge, will air on ESPN, ABC, and Disney+.
Spanish-language coverage will be available on ESPN Deportes and Disney+, with a separate presentation on Univision. According to ESPN, this expansion provides fans "more options and platforms to watch Super Bowl LXI."
Ahead of the Super Bowl, Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show will debut as an alternate telecast for Monday Night Football (MNF) in Week 6. The first broadcast will cover the Washington Commanders versus the San Francisco 49ers on October 19. The show will air five Monday night editions before concluding its six-episode regular season during Week 18 on January 9. All non-Super Bowl editions of Field Pass will air on ESPN2.
McAfee will remain in his field-level position behind an end zone, alongside Dan Orlovsky and Darius Butler. Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit, and Tone Digs will join the broadcast from an in-stadium suite. McAfee noted that AJ Hawk will remain with the college version of the show, while Orlovsky joins for the NFL broadcasts.
"There was a little bit of a pipe dream that maybe if we have a little bit of success with this field pass with college, maybe with the relationship that ESPN has with the NFL that we could do some field passes for NFL games, Monday Night Football games," McAfee said.
The MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats broadcast will also expand its presence. It begins in Week 5 for the Buffalo Bills versus the Los Angeles Rams on NFL Network. This analytics-focused broadcast will feature nine regular-season episodes, including both games during Week 18. Field Yates, Chase Daniel, Louis Riddick, and Seth Walder will lead the opening broadcast, with a rotating team of analysts throughout the season.
ESPN states that the Playbook broadcast includes "AI-powered predictive analytics" and "AR enhanced replays" to provide deeper insights into NFL strategy. The commentator lineup for the Super Bowl LXI Playbook with Next Gen Stats will be announced at a later date.
This expansion marks the first time McAfee’s Field Pass format will be used for NFL games, signaling ESPN’s continued investment in alternative broadcast styles. With the addition of McAfee’s show and the ManningCast, ESPN2 will offer alternate Monday Night Football coverage for all 13 remaining weeks of the season. In seven of those weeks, alternate broadcasts will be available on both ESPN2 and NFL Network. Since its 2022 debut, McAfee-led alternate broadcasts have attracted more than 1 million viewers on multiple occasions, with the most-watched edition reaching 2.4 million viewers.
Sources
This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.
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