The show must go on.
ESPN play-by-play man Joe Buck called Saturday night’s NFC West-deciding matchup between the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers while concealing a black eye, he revealed after the game.
Posting before-and-after pictures on social media following the Week 18 clash, Buck credited his trusted makeup artist, Kathleen Vybihal, for helping him disguise the shiner from the network’s high-definition cameras.
He said he sustained the injury while trying to break up a recent skirmish between the 7-year-old twins he shares with wife Michelle Beisner-Buck.
“Not all heroes wear capes, but some bring them to work. Our makeup artiste, the great Kathleen Vybihal hid this from high def cameras tonight,” Buck posted on X Saturday night.
“Nothing like a knee to the eye while breaking up a fight between 7 year old twins 48 hours before a big game!!! He got me!!”
The veteran broadcaster, 56, carried on business as usual with longtime partner and newly minted Dolphins consultant Troy Aikman, calling the action as Seattle stormed to a 13-3 victory at Levi’s Stadium and captured their first NFC West title since 2020.
In a low-scoring, yet lopsided affair, the Seahawks’ defense completely shut down San Francisco’s high-octane attack — holding star running back Christian McCaffrey to just 23 rushing yards on eight carries.
With the win, Seattle (14–3) also locked up the NFC’s No. 1 seed, a first-round bye and home-field advantage in the lead up to Super Bowl 2026, which fittingly kicks off in Santa Clara on Feb. 8.
The Niners (12-5) will either be a fifth or sixth seed, depending on whether the Los Angeles Rams beat the Arizona Cardinals Sunday, and will hit the road in the wild-card round.
Saturday’s primetime matchup marked the last regular-season game for Buck and Aikman, who spent 20 years together at Fox before joining ESPN in 2022.
