ESPN’s first Monday Night Football broadcast of the new 2026 NFL season was plagued by technical issues.The audio issues occurred during the first half of the Kansas City Chiefs‘ clash with the Denver Broncos, won emphatically by the Chiefs, 31-10, on quarterback Patrick Mahomes long-awaited return from injury.Mahomes is back and looking as dangerous as ever after the Chiefs winGettyViewers were left without audio for a short period, though, forcing ESPN to briefly go to a commercial break.Fans were confused as to what was going on and took to social media to express their annoyance that a primetime game was being marred by technical glitches.Joe Buck and Troy Aikman respond to angry fans on MNF“Hey @espn fix your audio,” one fan wrote on X.“ESPN you’re a billion dollar company and can’t generate sound,” a second fan wrote.NFL Weekly Newsletter - SIGN UP!talkSPORT is your home for NFL in the UK as we launch our biggest year of coverage yet!2026 promises to be an epic year for NFL on talkSPORT – and we want you to join us for the ride.MORE INFO & SIGN-UP HERE!This season will be our biggest ever with live commentary of 90+ games, including behind-the-scenes access to international games and all three London fixtures, plus bumper coverage of Super Bowl 61 at SoFi Stadium.Exclusive interviews, hard-hitting opinion, latest front-office drama and top breaking news – all delivered straight to your inbox each week.“ESPN had me thinking I went deaf,” another viewer commented.“ESPN just had me search for the remote for no reason,” a fourth said.When the broadcast eventually returned, announcer Joe Buck gave a statement addressing the issue.“Welcome back to NFL Kickoff presented by YouTube TV. We start the second quarter. We lost audio at the end of the first quarter on this humid night in Kansas City. The reviews are in. Buck and Aikman have never sounded better,” Buck said.“There’s a lot of people nodding their heads right now,” Troy Aikman added.Buck (left) and Aikman (right) were forced to address the issues on MNFGettyView Tweet: https://t.co/KWvxLDVTpdThe backlash towards Buck and Aikman didn’t stop there.Aikman repeatedly mentioned the humidity inside Arrowhead Stadium in regards to the Broncos and quarterback Bo Nix struggling to hold onto the football.Nix fumbled three times during the game, lost one, recovered one himself, and had another go out of bounds, and fans didn’t want to hear Aikman making excuses for him.“Its so humid tonight,’ Troy Aikman. Stop making excuses for Bo Nix,” said one fan.“Hearing Troy Aikman complaining about the oppressive humidity (62%) in tonight’s game at KC is absolutely hilarious,” said another.Buck, meanwhile, received heat for getting a player’s name wrong.On a play in the second quarter, Broncos wide receiver Troy Franklin took a jet sweep from Nix, but Buck called Franklin by the wrong name.Nix had a careless game and some fans think Aikman was making excuses for himGettyBuck accidentally called him Tony, instead of Troy, a mistake he instantly corrected, but fans were on from the jump.“Troy Aikman and Joe Buck make my ears bleed,” said one fan.“Out here calling Franklin ‘Tony’,” said one fan.“Who’s Tony Franklin?” added one Broncos fan.In 2027, Buck and Aikman enter the final year of their five-year contracts with ESPN, which they signed in 2022. ESPN is airing its first ever Super Bowl this season, with another in 2030, and that gives Dallas Cowboys icon Aikman and Buck plenty of leverage ahead of upcoming contract negotiations.Aikman is closing out a five-year contract worth $90 million, while Buck earned $75 million over the same period.Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy calls ESPN’s star turns ‘the best NFL broadcast duo in the biz’ but has issued a warning on the pair’s future.‘The clock is ticking’ says McCarthy as the pair prepare for Super Bowl LXI, their seventh season finale — only John Madden and Pat Summerall managed more with eight.