Thursday Night Football viewers beg Al Michaels to 'show a little life' after Deebo Samuel TD call

‘Thursday Night Football’ viewers are all saying the same thing after Al Michaels made yet another half-hearted call on a big play.

With just under 14 minutes remaining in the second quarter of the NFC West matchup, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy faked a handoff and lofted a pass in the direction of wide receiver Deebo Samuel. As the 28-year-old jumped up to reel in the catch, Seattle Seahawks safety Julian Love came bearing down but whiffed on a routine tackle.

Samuel didn’t let the golden opportunity go to waste, promptly sprinting down the sideline and past a diving defender for a 76-yard score - his first receiving touchdown of the season. The thrilling play was partially overshadowed by Michaels’ commentary, however, which – according to many fans – left much to be desired.

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Michaels showed little emotion as the catch and score unfolded, nonchalantly stating: “Making the grab Samuel. The tackle is missed, Deebo off to the end zone. Touchdown 49ers.” The legendary sports broadcaster’s call did not sit well with critics, who asserted that his latest blunder in the booth was another sign he should retire.

“Al michaels needs to retire, no hype at all on a very nice play. this dude is sleeping in the booth,” one X user wrote, with another adding: “Al Michaels is a legend but he needs to hang it up. You can’t just talk viewers through big plays. You have to show a little life!”

A third said: “Was only listening to the audio and couldn’t tell it was a td with Al Michaels calling it.”

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Others questioned why Michaels expressed such little energy despite routinely making spirited calls earlier on in his career. “Al Michaels gonna give us any enthusiasm?” One person asked. Someone else admitted: “Al Michaels a legend but I miss the energy on big play calls.”

This isn't the first time that Michaels has been called out for his lack of enthusiasm. Last week, Amazon Prime Video subscribers expressed similar complaints after the 79-year-old turned in a lackluster broadcasting performance during the Atlanta Falcons' overtime win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers .

While making an appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" ahead of the Buccaneers-Falcons clash on Oct. 3, Michaels defended his style of commentary - asserting that his lack of energy is for good reason. "It’s a 60-minute game," he began.

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"If you scream your guts out in the first five minutes, where are you going to go? I don’t scream the game at you, I don’t holler the game at you. You look at Joe Buck and Jim Nantz and myself, we did like 17 of the last 18 Super Bowls, we don’t scream the game at you, we don’t holler the game at you.

"There's an appreciation of what you do as your career moves on," Michaels later added. "My mindset always is that you've gotta be as good tonight as you've ever been. I know that this isn't gonna last forever, and I'm trying to get as much enjoyment out of it as I can."

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