At halftime of the A.F.C. championship game on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs led the Cincinnati Bengals, 21-10. For the Bengals to win, they would need to make some adjustments.
But those hoping to listen to some halftime analysis on the CBS broadcast were unlikely to hear any commentary. It was nearly inaudible.
As the “NFL on CBS” crew, made up of James Brown, Boomer Esiason, Phil Simms, Bill Cowher and Nate Burleson, were breaking down the plays of the first half, the country music singer Walker Hayes was performing the halftime show at Arrowhead Stadium.
Mr. Hayes’s music was so loud, it all but drowned out the halftime analysis.
When Mr. Burleson explained what changes the Bengals would need to make, the music was so loud that his colleague beside him, Mr. Esiason, couldn’t help but laugh.
“I have no idea what you just said,” Mr. Esiason said after Mr. Burleson finished his comments. “I can’t hear a thing that anybody said.”
The indiscernible commentary quickly drew attention online, with clips garnering tens of thousands of views on Twitter.
Sarah Spain, a commentator on ESPN, said on Twitter that she couldn’t hear a word of the halftime broadcast.
“Yikes, don’t think CBS realized how disruptive the Walker Hayes halftime show would be during *their* halftime show,” she wrote. “More importantly: Forcing sports fans to hear MORE of the Applebee’s song should be penalized with a loss & elimination, Chiefs.”
Craig Miller, a sports radio host in Dallas, said on Twitter that the “halftime show audio disaster” was “highly entertaining.”
CBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Sunday night.
In a dramatic overtime finish, the Bengals defeated the Chiefs, 27-24, with a game-winning field goal that will take them to the Super Bowl to face the Los Angeles Rams. Thankfully, for the “NFL on CBS” crew and those watching at home, there was no live musical performance to interrupt any postgame analysis.
