NBC has announced the broadcast crew for the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 16 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Saturday, Dec. 23. Noah Eagle and Todd Blackledge will be in the booth while Kathryn Tappen will be the sideline reporter for the 4:30 kickoff. NBC announced the broadcasters in a press release today.
The game will be on NBC that afternoon, while Saturday night’s Bills-Chargers game will be aired exclusively on Peacock. While Steelers fans have gotten used to hearing Ian Eagle call the team’s games, it’ll be their first taste of his son, Noah.
If you’re a fan of the Big Ten, you’ve likely heard the Eagle-Blackledge pairing. The two of them are part of NBC’s B1G Saturday Night broadcast, where Tappen also serves as the sideline reporter.
Noah Eagle is also the main radio play-by-play broadcaster for the Los Angeles Clippers and also has served as an NFL broadcaster for games on Nickelodeon, broadcasts that generally cater to a younger demographic. But Noah Eagle’s proven his chops throughout his career, earning a prominent gig with NBC and now he will call his first NFL game for the network.
Eagle has also called NFL games for FOX and NFL Network, filling in for Adam Amin and calling a Week Six matchup between the San Francisco 49ers and Atlanta Falcons in Week Six of last season on Fox. He also called the Minnesota Vikings-Indianapolis Colts game on NFL Network, which saw Minnesota overcome a 33-point halftime deficit to come back and beat Indianapolis.
Blackledge was at ESPN for 17 seasons before moving to NBC. He is a former Steeler, playing five games with the team between 1988-89 as Bubby Brister’s backup. He is in his first season at NBC and has a wealth of experience calling NFL and college football games.
Tappen has been with NBC since 2014. She also had stints at NHL Network and with NESN.
The matchup will be Pitsburgh’s second with the Cincinnati Bengals this season, with the two division rivals also set to meet in Week 12. It could end up being a pivotal AFC North contest for both teams.
