It's time to kick off Halloween on TODAY!
The TODAY crew has been waitin’ all year for Halloween, and they dove into the holiday weekend on Friday with a football-themed celebration complete with iconic cheerleaders, halftime performers and a tribute to some of the NFL’s biggest stars ahead of Halloween on Sunday.
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“Football Night in America” host Mike Tirico got things started by asking the TODAY anchors to share some of their favorite football memories from over the years.
Hoda Kotb then kicked the festivities into gear with her best impression of music star Carrie Underwood and her signature Sunday Night Football theme song.
Carson Daly and Willie Geist then had some fun by dressing up for Halloween as two players who have been scary sights for opposing defenses on countless Sundays over the years.
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Willie came out as Tom Brady and Carson was dressed as Rob Gronkowski, both in the red jerseys currently worn by the two on the reigning Super Bowl champion team Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Those Bucs jerseys may not have been a welcome sight to the next costumed TODAY co-host, as Craig Melvin came out in a red Kansas City Chiefs uniform and headband dressed as superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs fell to Brady, Gronk and Co. in Super Bowl LV in February to come up just short of becoming the first NFL team to win back-to-back Super Bowls since Brady steered the Patriots to two in a row in the 2003-04 seasons.
The loss didn't dim the love from the legion of Mahomes fans, including one diehard under Craig's own roof - his 7-year-old son, Del.
"I love you Patrick Mahomes!" Del adorably said on TODAY while decked out in his Mahomes jersey.
"And to my No. 1 fan out there, this one's for you, kid!" Craig said while dressed as Mahomes as he displayed a football with superstar's real autograph on it that he will be bringing home to Del.
It wouldn’t be a football extravaganza without a halftime show, and Al Roker helped supply the entertainment on Friday. He came out in the signature red-and-black ensemble of this past season’s halftime headliner, The Weeknd, sporting the red jacket and black gloves while lip syncing to The Weeknd’s hit, “Blinding Lights” with the help of four back-up dancers. Luckily he didn’t find himself trapped in a hall of mirrors.
As if The Weeknd wasn't already enough star power for one Halloween party, Sheinelle Jones then came out as pop star Bruno Mars, who played the 2014 Super Bowl halftime show. Sheinelle and four backup dancers got down to “Runaway Baby” to keep the party going.
It’s not an NFL atmosphere without cheerleaders. Savannah Guthrie and Jenna Bush Hager dressed up as the iconic Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders to perform the “Go Dallas Cowboys.” Jenna, who is a native Texan, joined Savannah in the classic blue-and-white uniforms made by the same woman who has been making the real things for the Cowboys’ cheerleaders for the last 16 years.
Finally, a Super Bowl-sized Halloween celebration needs commercials that get everyone buzzing. The TODAY crew brought back a blast from the past by telling each other "Wazzuuuuuuup!" as they gathered together for a beer and some football. That saying was everywhere starting back in 1999 when the Budweiser commercial of friends greeting each other became a famous commercial that started on Monday Night Football.
Weekend TODAY anchors Peter Alexander and Kristen Welker inhabited the roles of Sam Elliott and Lil Nas X to re-create their Old West dance-off to Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” from a popular Doritos commercial during last year’s Super Bowl.
Hoda's performance as Carrie Underwood got the stamp of approval from a recently retired legend who quarterbacked her beloved New Orleans Saints for 15 record-setting seasons."Fantastic rendition of the Carrie Underwood 'Sunday Night Football' song," Drew Brees said on TODAY Friday. "Fantastic. We loved it. We love you. Thank you so much for supporting us and the Saints."
This Halloween will stick with us long after the game ends!
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
