Netflix has revealed that play-by-play announcer Noah Eagle and analyst Luke Kuechly will broadcast its Week 1 NFL game between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams from Melbourne, Australia next month.
Eagle, who primarily broadcasts college football and NBA games for NBC Sports, has called an NFL game for Netflix on Christmas Day over the last two seasons, previously working with Greg Olsen and Drew Brees. Kuechly has been a radio analyst on Carolina Panthers broadcasts and college football games for CBS Sports over the last few seasons. Andrew Marchand of The Athletic reported last week that Kuechly would be the lead NFL game analyst for Netflix.
MJ Acosta-Ruiz will be joining Eagle and Kuechly in the booth for the Week 1 game. Acosta-Ruiz has worked as a sideline reporter for Spanish-language broadcasts of “Monday Night Football” on ESPN Deportes since the 2024 season. Outside of her responsibilities on game broadcasts, Acosta-Ruiz is also a host for NBA TV and has anchored programming on NFL Network.
As expected, Netflix sports host Elle Duncan is leading studio coverage and will be working alongside analysts Nick Foles, Clay Matthews III and Michael Irvin. Foles, a former Super Bowl champion QB for the Philadelphia Eagles, is making his broadcasting debut. Foles started co-hosting “The SZN” podcast with former NFL TE Evan Moore last year, which is airing weekly on NBC Sports Philadelphia starting this Friday. Matthews enters the role with no national NFL broadcasting experience.
Irvin has worked with Netflix on numerous occasions over the last year, including the creation of a video podcast titled “The White House” alongside Brandon Marshall. In addition, he worked as an analyst for the opening game of the streamer’s Christmas Day NFL doubleheader. In an interview on the “Sports Media Watch Podcast” last month, Duncan said that Netflix would have consistency “with the desk and the talent” this year for the expanded NFL schedule, although it will need a separate crew for one of its Christmas Day games.
Netflix is broadcasting five NFL games this season under a new rights deal that includes the league’s inaugural Thanksgiving Eve contest between the Packers and Rams. The company concludes the season with a Saturday Week 18 game to be determined and will also broadcast the NFL Honors. Netflix retained its Christmas Day doubleheader this year, but the company contractually has rights to only one game per year on the holiday after this season (though it does have a path to carrying a second).
