NFL fans overwhelmingly approved of the national anthem before Saturday’s playoff opener in Houston.

Rather than a major celebrity such as Beyoncé, the hometown Texans booked another local talent in opera singer Nancy Curtis for the Wild Card game against the visiting Los Angeles Chargers.

What followed is has since been described as a ‘straight-forward’ national anthem, and that’s not an insult.

‘Wow an actual singer doing a national anthem,’ one fan remarked on X.

‘Phenomenal national anthem,’ another added.

One fan announced: ‘that’s how our National Anthem should be sung!’

The national anthem today performed by Nancy Curtis pic.twitter.com/QHgyUO5ays

— 𝑻𝒓𝒊𝒃𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒆𝒆𝒏 ⚡️ #𝓛4𝓑 (@Rlop1234Goat) January 11, 2025

Rather than a major celebrity such as Beyoncé, the Texans booked another local Houston talent in opera singer Nancy Curtis for the Wild Card game against the visiting LA Chargers

Los Angeles Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh joins players during a moment of silent reflection for the California wildfire victims before Saturday’s playoff opener in Houston 

NFL fans overwhelmingly approved of the anthem before Saturday’s playoff opener

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Fans were particularly impressed with Curtis’ range and stamina.

‘Nancy Curtis did a beautiful job singing our nation’s anthem,’ one fan wrote on X after the singer’s dramatic crescendo. ‘She hit the high notes beautifully.’

There were a few detractors, but they were in the extreme minority.

‘That National Anthem was truly awful,’ one critic remarked.

One person suggested the mic was somehow at fault.

‘Really thought that was the sound guys (sic) fault… the mic was all over the place,’ he wrote.

But overall, Curtis appeared to gain a new following with her performance. As one fan wrote: ‘Nancy Curtis rocked that anthem.’

Curtis is a veteran of the local opera scene, having performed with the Austin Symphony and Houston Choral Society, as well as the New York City Opera, according to her LinkedIn page. She teaches singing and piano in The Woodlands, Texas.

Also prior to the NFL’s playoff opener, the Chargers paid tribute to the LA Fire Department amid the ongoing Palisades blaze.

Players and staff wore warmup shirts and caps with LAFD printed in their team colors. The team announced the gear hours before the playoffs.

‘Puttin on for the city,’ they wrote on social media with a blue heart emoji.