Old Al Michaels stumbles through awkward Lake America-Trump jab during Thursday Night Football broadcast

Throw in 81-year-old Al Michaels auditioning for late-night TV over an aerial shot of Cleveland, and watching him crash and burn in real time is pure banana land.

"That is Lake Erie. We think it is still called Lake Erie ... We're not quite sure at this point. But we'll be by Lake something like Ontario or whatever it's going to be called by the time we get to Buffalo. Anyway, you know what I'm talking about ... Read the news."

WATCH:

Oof. You could physically feel the oxygen get sucked out of the booth.

Herbie sat there like a hostage before mumbling under his breath: "Some of us know ..." Translation: Al, please. Do not drag me into your country club Resistance Twitter jokes.

Al Michaels is a broadcasting legend. Miracle on Ice, manning the booth for 11 Super Bowls, all of it.

But watching old Al try landing a smug Trump jab on live TV hits with the force of a wet paper towel. It's classic boomer-broadcaster energy, like your blue-haired cousin dropping political riffs at Thanksgiving.

Maybe Uncle Al wasn't feeling particularly patriotic with New England in town.

Or maybe he spent his pregame prep doom-scrolling political Twitter in his trailer.

Imagine the Cleveland Browns dropping 27 first-half points and the worst part of the entire night is still Al Michaels forcing his anti-Trump tight-five on the audience. Absolute fever dream on Amazon Prime.

"Read the news," Al smugly instructed at the end of his bit.

How about we stick to calling the game, Al?

Leave the monologues to the late-night guys, and let Herbie live to see Saturday.