Hammond was considered the leading play-by-play candidate when NBC won the bidding for Sunday night NFL coverage beginning with the 2006 season, but ended up losing out to former ABC announcer Al Michaels after the latter signed with NBC. Hammond teamed with Cris Collinsworth to call the secondary Saturday Wild Card playoff game for NBC each year, including in January 2007, in 2008, and in 2009, but teamed with Joe Gibbs and Joe Theismann for the Wild Card playoff game in January 2010, as Cris Collinsworth partnered with Al Michaels in the 2009 season due to the retirement of John Madden after the 2008 season. Hammond also filled in for Bryant Gumbel as play-by-play announcer on the NFL Network's December 13, 2007 game featuring the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans on "Thursday Night Football", once more teaming with Collinsworth.