Maria Taylor’s TNF Outfit Gets Compared To Sully From ‘Monsters Inc’ As Strange Look Goes Viral

The NFL is back for the 2023-24 campaign with an opening night Thursday Night Football matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions.

Given that NBC is currently in possession of the broadcasting rights for Thursday Night Football, that means the team of Tony Gungy, Chris Simms, Cris Collinsworth, Jason Garrett, Mike Tirico, and Maria Taylor are the first crew to be back in action this year. That’s certainly an unfortunate hand for NFL fans, as the NBC broadcasting team is widely considered to be the weakest.

Taylor, in particular, went viral during opening night thanks to her frilly blue outfit that she wore during the pregame show, halftime show, and postgame show.

Prior to joining NBC Sports, the 36-year-old Taylor previously covered the NBA for ESPN. Since moving to NBC, Taylor has served as a host for both NFL and Olympics coverage. She has also covered the French Open in the sport of tennis.

Prior to landing at ESPN, Taylor went to the University of Georgia for three years.

Taylor’s exit from ESPN was quite a noteworthy one, as it stemmed from a controversy involving fellow ESPN personality and host Rachel Nichols. After Taylor was tapped to host the ESPN pre-and-post-game show NBA Countdown, Nicholas was recorded on a private call and was heard saying that Taylor only received the promotion due to her race.

The 2023 NFL season kicked off with a TNF matchup between the defending Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs and the upstart Detroit Lions. The first touchdown of the year was scored by Lions’ star pass catcher Amon Ra. St-Brown.

Heading into the 104th NFL season, the Kansas City Chiefs, who beat the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl last year, are the current betting favorites to win the title. In addition to the Chiefs and Eagles, the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, Cincinnati Bengals, Dallas Cowboys, and New York Jets are expected to be the major championship contenders.