NFL fans are not impressed with the new version of the Sunday Night Football theme after Carrie Underwood debuted the remix during NBC’s season opener.
Underwood returned for her 14th consecutive season as the voice of Sunday Night Football, but this time she brought a much harder rock sound to Waiting All Day for Sunday Night.
The new arrangement moves away from the familiar version fans have heard for years. It takes a more aggressive approach inspired by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts’ 1988 hit I Hate Myself for Loving You.
Underwood previously described the new opening as part of her “rock star fever dream,” saying she loved the new version and called it one of her favorite openings yet.
However, many NFL viewers quickly made it clear that they were not fans of the change.
“Is the worst version of the SNF theme. Seriously, why would you replace what you had the last? This version just seems like empty and shallow. Last year had energy and got you pumped up for the game. This is trash,” one viewer wrote on X.
Another fan compared Underwood’s vocals to “the shriek of a banshee,” while another criticized the sound quality, saying they could barely understand or hear the words.
“Carrie Underwood was fantastic for Sunday Night Football, but the theme song remix for the stadium overview isn’t that good!” another viewer posted.
Other fans simply called the new version “unlistenable” and questioned why NBC changed a theme that had already become so familiar.
The new opening aired before the New York Giants faced the Dallas Cowboys at MetLife Stadium. The Giants went on to win 28-20.
While the new SNF theme divided viewers, another musical moment before the game received a much warmer response.
The Giants held a tribute to the victims of 9/11, just two days after the 25th anniversary of the attacks. A five-member group made up of NYPD and FDNY members then performed the national anthem.
The group delivered an emotional a cappella version of The Star-Spangled Banner, earning strong praise from fans online.
“Goosebumps. Full body goosebumps. Absolutely gorgeous rendition of the National Anthem,” one viewer wrote.
