The ABC/ESPN crew of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman didn’t get the call of the Divisional Round playoff matchup between the Chicago Bears and Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, January 18, but they did broadcast the contest prior between the New England Patriots and Houston Texans.
Bill Zimmerman of Windy City Gridiron took to social media to compare Aikman’s commentary on Texans quarterback CJ Stroud during his four-interception loss in New England to the criticism he levied against Bears QB Caleb Williams during a “Monday Night Football” matchup during the regular season.
Troy Aikman: You just can’t do that in this league.
CJ Stroud throws 4 interceptions and looks awful in a playoff game.
Troy Aikman: Well, he’s clearly hurt.
“Caleb Williams makes an incredible off script play on Monday Night Football. Troy Aikman: You just can’t do that in this league,” Zimmerman wrote. “CJ Stroud throws 4 interceptions and looks awful in a playoff game. Troy Aikman: Well, he’s clearly hurt.”
Conflict Between Troy Aikman, Caleb Williams Began Week 1
GettyESPN Broadcaster Troy Aikman.
The feud between Aikman and Williams stretches back to Week 1.
Buck explained the confrontation and its evolution during a podcast interview with SI’s Jimmy Traina of SI on December 18.
Williams was scheduled for an in-week production meeting with the broadcast team ahead of a game against the Washington Commanders on October 13, which he missed. He admitted his mistake in the aftermath, but Aikman was apparently fed up with what he saw as a pattern developing.
Williams skipped a similar meeting before the Bears squared off against the Minnesota Vikings on the regular-season opener for “Monday Night Football.”
“We had that same issue Week 1 with Caleb, and then we had it again,” Buck said. “I guess he brought it up saying, ‘Well, I didn’t talk to Troy before the game.’ But we sat on a Zoom waiting forever, and he just never came. I don’t know what else we can do.”
NFL Has Failed to Faze Caleb Williams Both On/Off Field
GettyChicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams.
Williams responded to Aikman’s criticism in the aftermath of a win over the Commanders, during which some fans and media members — including Zimmerman, clearly — felt the broadcaster was unfair to Williams out of a personal bias.
“Obviously [Aikman] had some stuff to say about us — or about me — and I mean, we came out victorious in the end,” Williams said, according to a report from Newsweek. “It’s kinda how I’ve said over multiple times here: fair, not — life isn’t fair. People are going to say what they have to say.”
Williams clearly wasn’t sweating Aikman’s criticism. As it turns out, sweating under high-pressure circumstances isn’t too big of a part of Williams’ personality.
He led the Bears to six victories in the regular season, during which they trailed with less than two minutes to play. After accomplishing that, Williams brought Chicago back from an 18-point halftime deficit against the Green Bay Packers to win the first playoff game of his NFL career during the Wild Card Round.
The Bears are hosting the Rams at Soldier Field on Sunday night for the right to play the Seahawks in Seattle next weekend with a trip to the Super Bowl on the line.
Aikman Called Out for Caleb Williams Hate Ahead of Bears-Rams Showdown