Pat McAfee built his reputation in sports broadcasting by speaking candidly, but when Josh Allen approached him on live television before Monday Night Football, he took steps to prevent the Buffalo Bills QB from experiencing a hot-mic incident.

The ESPN personality repeatedly yelled "We're live!" as Allen came toward him on the field at U.S. Bank Stadium before Monday Night Football against the Minnesota Vikings. McAfee and his team were present to film his alternate ESPN Field Pass broadcast.

McAfee issued the warning seven times and said, "Good luck, bro," but the Bills QB turned away from the cameras, revealing only the back of his helmet. The ESPN broadcaster nearly began with the alert before Allen got near enough to embrace him.

McAfee appeared worried about what the quarterback might say into an active microphone, as though he were about to deliver a signature quip.

The unusual interaction split NFL viewers. Some interpreted the warning as a professional courtesy, while others criticized the broadcaster for centering attention on himself.

One fan protested that McAfee "ruins everything," while another labeled the moment "unwatchable." A third wondered why McAfee felt compelled to create such a production out of the greeting.

A minority of fans supported the action as a standard alert to Allen. Others joked he could have said something inappropriate for national TV, similar to his appearance on the YouTube segment of the Pat McAfee Show.

The incident added to mounting criticism of the "polarizing figure" who has already endured weeks of backlash regarding his conduct on ESPN's College GameDay during a visit to the University of Utah last month.

Utah students had made McAfee feel unwelcome after the school's social media account posted a video describing him as "corny" and "creepy."

McAfee expressed that the university's choice to publish those comments left him feeling uncomfortable, stating he hoped never to return.

While Utah deleted the video and issued an apology, his response sparked criticism that the broadcaster cannot handle the same type of ribbing he routinely delivers.

Beyond an uncomfortable on-air greeting, Allen also had difficulties against Minnesota. Buffalo held a narrow 10-6 advantage early in the third quarter. He threw an interception, was sacked three times, and completed 13-of-20 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.

Luckily for Allen, he was up against Carson Wentz, who was experiencing one of the poorest NFL outings of his career. The veteran QB completed just 7-of-19 passes for 75 yards, threw two interceptions, and recorded a 9.6 passer rating-his lowest in any game with a quarter remaining.