NFC Championship Preview: FOX Sports Director Rich Russo Talks Technology, Storytelling Heading Into Season Finale

NFC Championship Preview: FOX Sports Director Rich Russo Talks Technology, Storytelling Heading Into Season FinaleThe team's approach is to boost tech gradually through the playoff roundsBy Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.

Friday, January 23, 2026 - 2:47 pm

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While the equipment arsenal grows and the stakes intensify with each round of the NFL Playoffs, FOX Sports Lead Director Rich Russo's core philosophy hasn't wavered since his first Super Bowl broadcast in 2011: let the game tell its own story.

At this weekend's Los Angeles Rams-Seattle Seahawks showdown at Seattle's notoriously electric Lumen Field, Russo's crew returns to the venue they worked just a week ago for the divisional round. Among the increased arsenal of production tools will be a high SkyCam, additional high-speed cameras, and expanded bench coverage- all designed to capture what promises to be a thriller between the NFC's top two teams.

SVG sat down with Russo to discuss his week-long preparation process, the technological evolution of NFL broadcasting, and why maintaining comfort with your equipment matters more than simply adding cameras for spectacle's sake.

FOX Sports' Rich Russo: Even though the game is bigger, the philosophy doesn't really change. Ultimately, it's about letting the game play out and documenting what's in front of us.

As you look ahead to Sunday, does your overall production philosophy change compared with a regular-season game? How do you go about lending that big-game feel to a broadcast like the NFC Championship?

Our philosophy and approach don't change much, to be honest. The [production] gets bigger and bigger as the season and playoffs go on, and, obviously, the NFC Championship game will be the biggest of them all. We're fortunate to do America's Game of the Week all season, so we have a huge show every single week. We want to document the game and tell the story for the viewer. We do that week in and week out and are going to continue to do for the NFC Championship game.

Obviously, we have some more equipment, so we'll have more tools to get the shots we need - both following on the ball and off the ball with reaction shots. The great audio that we get week in and week out will also be back. Even though the game is bigger, the philosophy doesn't really change. Ultimately, it's about letting the game play out and documenting what's in front of us.

When you're directing a game of this magnitude, what does preparation look like in the week (and hours) leading up to kickoff?

First of all, having just done last week's game in Seattle and then going back to Seattle this weekend helps the crew out because the trucks are already parked there. Overall, my routine is pretty much the same, though.

I watched the two Rams-Seahawks games during the regular season and went back and watched our game from last week, as I do every week. I stay up on news and notes on both teams during the week. Then, we will do our normal production meetings on Thursday and Friday onsite. I arrive onsite on Thursday night and spend Friday preparing.

On Saturday morning, we'll also have some special meetings with the league since we're covering the pregame anthem and postgame trophy presentation. Plus, we have the FOX Pregame Show onsite with us and need to integrate that into our [operation]. We'll work with the NFL on the logistics of all that, which is a big change for us.

Also on Saturday, we'll go to the trucks, and I'll lay out my monitor wall, check out the added equipment, and work through a few things. I think the biggest thing going into a game like this is to maintain the same comfort level with your show. You can't all of a sudden add a bunch of equipment; you have to add the equipment the right way and make sure you're comfortable with it.

What additional cameras and other equipment have you added specifically for Sunday's broadcast?

We'll have the high Skycam on Sunday, plus some more high-speed cameras, mini [cams] on the benches, and more down-the-line cameras for those close sideline plays. We start to build up beginning with the Wild Card game and add a little more for the Divisional game, and then this will be the biggest game we do all year. We will add things based on what we think is most important. A lot of times, that is strictly for replays, reactions, bench shots, and those types of things.

You have to stay up on the latest technology all year long, and we have a great team here that helps us do that. You may add some things during the year, and maybe they don't work so you move on and try something else. But you need to be in a good place by the time that big game comes around because you don't want to add something that you've never seen before for your biggest game of the year.

I think our high SkyCam is a great example of that. We had it a couple of times during the regular season and then for the Wild Card and Divisional games. It's a 4K SkyCam so you can blow up the picture and zoom in and out. We want to make sure to use it a little bit leading up to the Championship game, especially for the EVS and camera operators.

Overall, though, our philosophy is the same in the sense that you're reacting to the game in front of you and using your instincts. That's how you tell the best possible story, and that doesn't change from week to week even if our equipment [levels] do.

NFL on FOX Lead Director Rich Russo (right) with his longtime partner, producer Richie Zyontz, inside the truck

You directed your first NFC Championship in 2010, and your first Super Bowl was Super Bowl XLV in 2011. Any lessons or refinements you've made over the years when it comes to big games?

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LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/01/23/nfc-championship-preview-fox-sp...
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