NFL fans were baffled by the national anthem in the Pittsburgh Steelers-Baltimore Ravens Wild Card game.
The anthem performance had the whole crowd participating in a unified chant.
Samantha Pollino delivered an incredible rendition of the national anthem on Saturday[/caption]
Baltimore fans joined in on the performance with their signature ‘O!’ chant[/caption]
Broadway performer Samantha Pollino sang the national anthem ahead of the AFC North matchup.
Pollino delivered an incredible rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner but was completely drowned out by fans towards the end of the performance.
Baltimore fans have a tradition of shouting “O!” at a certain point in the anthem and didn’t disappoint.
Between the lines “that our flag was still there,” and “Oh say does that star-spangled banner yet wave,” fans let out a deafening “O!”
Pollino was unphased by this eruption from the fans though, and continued to expertly deliver her rendition of the anthem.
Fans were incredibly impressed by this and shared their compliments for her on social media.
“The decibels of that ‘O’ fed families last night. How @peanutpollino kept her concentration is beyond me,” one fan said.
“This was 1 of the best sung National Anthem’s I’ve heard in a long time,” another fan said.
“I got chills all over my body and I wasn’t even there,” a third fan said.
“By far the best national anthem singer I’ve heard in recent weeks. Make her the regular,” a fourth fan said.
“Absolute chills. That’s how the anthem should be sung,” a fifth fan said.
With such an outcry of support for Pollino, she took to social media to share that she prepared for Baltimore fans’ “O!” chants.
“Thankfully, I was raised hearing it and rehearsed with a pause so I would be ready!” she wrote on X.
After the beautiful rendition of the national anthem, the Ravens easily defeated the Steelers in their playoff game.
The Ravens won 28-14 thanks to a deadly rushing attack from Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry.
NFL division round schedule
Sat 18 Jan, 4.30 pm ET (ESPN/ABC) – Houston Texans at Kansas City Chiefs
Sat 18 Jan, 8 pm ET (Fox) – Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions
Sun 19 Jan, 3 pm ET (NBC) – TBC at Philadelphia Eagles
Sun 19 Jan, 6.30 pm ET (CBS) – Baltimore Ravens at Buffalo Bills
Henry rushed for 186 yards with two touchdowns, averaging 7.2 yards per carry on 26 rushes.
Jackson ran for 81 yards on 15 carries without a touchdown.
He did pass for two touchdowns though, connecting with Rashod Bateman and Justice Hill for two scores.
Jackson had 175 passing yards and no interceptions to complement his two touchdowns.
The Ravens will now face the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round of the playoffs.
