CARRIE UNDERWOOD UNVEILED A BRAND-NEW ‘SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL’ ANTHEM — BUT WITHIN MINUTES, FANS WERE TEARING IT APART, DEMANDING THE OLD INTRO BACK AND TURNING ONE OF THE NFL’S BIGGEST TV TRADITIONS INTO AN UNEXPECTED BACKLASH The country superstar had become one of the most familiar voices of Sunday night football, so changing the formula was always going to get attention. But when “Game On” replaced the intro viewers already knew, the reaction was far harsher than anyone might have expected. Some fans mocked the new sound, others openly begged for the previous version to return — and one brutal review reduced the whole performance to a single disappointing grade.

Carrie Underwood debuted a new NBC Sunday Night Football opening song on Sunday, September 13 — and NFL fans were divided in their reactions.

On Sunday evening, the Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants game kicked off at 8:20 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. And ahead of the match-up, Underwood revealed a completely different rock track for Sunday Night Football.

For the past 14 years, the American Idol Season 1 winner and current judge has performed the opening song “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night” for the NBC program. Underwood switched things up for the 2026-27 NFL season, however, with a reworked version of Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ “I Hate Myself for Loving You.”

“This year’s show open welcomes Sunday Night Football into my ongoing rock star fever dream,” Underwood said in a statement, per Rolling Stone. “I love this new version of the track and, once again, Tripp and the incredible team behind the camera brought it to life in a whole new way that captures the spirit of this iconic song and the heart of rock & roll. It’s one of my most favorite opens yet.”

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by SNF on NBC (@snfonnbc)

Carrie Underwood Fans Go Wild as ‘American Idol’ Judge Shares Rare Childhood Photo

NFL fans took to social media to share mixed reactions to Underwood’s new NBC Sunday Night Football opening song, with one X user declaring, “I’ve often wondered what the shriek of a banshee would sound like if it were real, then I heard Carrie Underwood sing the Sunday Night Football song, and it was probably just like that.”

Another viewer shared, “I’m glad Carrie Underwood gets paid a ton of money to sing the Sunday Night Football theme song because you couldn’t understand or hear one note she sang.”

Someone else echoed, “Carrie Underwood was fantastic for Sunday Night Football, but the theme song remix for the stadium overview isn’t that good!”

On Instagram, viewers were a bit more supportive, with one exclaiming, “Loved it,” alongside heart and fire emojis.

A different X user proclaimed, “She killed it!!!”

Meanwhile, yet another fan commented, “Just saw it. It’s awesome! We’re going to have a great FB season.”

What do you think of the new opening song?

Related Posts