Considering CBS’ around $30 million a year NFL booth of Jim Nantz and Tony Romo blew the biggest call of the Super Bowl two years ago and messed up the decisive play in the AFC Championship Game last year, CBS probably wakes up feeling pretty good about their duo’s performance in Sunday’s AFC Championship Game.

Nantz and Romo weren’t particularly entertaining or insightful, but they weren’t terrible. Being unremarkable is a victory at this point.

The bar Nantz and Romo have set isn’t high. On Sunday, they had more back-slaps for each other than real, in-depth analysis as to why the New England Patriots advanced to the Super Bowl with a win in Denver over the Broncos, but their tepid performance was an improvement.

With all of those niceties out of the way, on the most pivotal play of the game, the pair still had issues. It just happened to come in the first half, rather than the game’s final moments.

Near the end of the second quarter, when Broncos backup-turned-starting quarterback Jarrett Stidham lost the ball near his own goal line, the duo’s analysis — with an assist from rules analyst Gene Steratore — was confusing.

On the initial call, Nantz was unsure if Stidham fumbled. Nantz’s hesitancy was somewhat understandable since the referees were confused, as well. But, as he is prone to do, Nantz quickly made a reference to Romo.

Instead of dissecting if it was a fumble or focusing on Stidham’s poor decision-making, they were going over that Romo had just said turnovers are bad and Romo “called it.” Romo makes a thousand predictions a game and observing turnovers = bad is rudimentary.

When the officials initially called it intentional grounding, Steratore backed the call. The referees then changed their decision to a fumble. Steratore then seconded them on that. What is even the point of a rules expert if that is the analysis?

Romo incredibly asked Steratore, “Gene, I have a question for you, if someone were to tip the ball when you are throwing it forward and it ends up going backwards …”

(Tony, I have a question for you: Is this your first football game?)

For the record, as you’d expect, Steratore said that if a ball is thrown forward and deflected backward, it is an incompletion. Then they moved on and really didn’t revisit it in full. It basically only determined who was in the Super Bowl.

They did make sure to mention whenever they said something that happened moments later.

In the fourth quarter, after Nantz set up that Denver’s punter could put New England in poor field position with a good punt — and then it happened — Romo gave Nantz kudos like he was Vince Lombardi as opposed to Captain Obvious.

Still, CBS had to feel like it escaped with a win on Sunday. Nantz and Romo have not been good for a while, and it has shown in the biggest spots.

Two years ago, the duo verbally spray-painted over one of the great finishes in Super Bowl history. At the end of the Chiefs’ overtime victory over the 49ers, Nantz made the call on Patrick Mahomes’ short overtime championship-winning touchdown toss, and then Romo went on and on about Andy Reid’s play call instead of letting the pictures and natural sound tell the story.

On last season’s AFC Championship Game-deciding play — Bills tight end Dalton Kincaid’s drop — Nantz had all kinds of confusion, including a phantom flag call. Nantz later blamed the miscall on a spotter’s error.

For Nantz, this is the second analyst who has gone backward on his watch. First, it was Phil Simms, following 13 seasons together. Now, it is Romo after nine.

Meanwhile, after about nine minutes of Ian Eagle and J.J. Watt’s first game this season for CBS, the duo had instant chemistry. CBS Sports president David Berson moved the future Hall of Famer, Watt, from the studio into the booth this year, resulting in Eagle and Watt performing way better than Nantz and Romo. It is a looming backdrop for the Nantz and Romo team going forward.

Romo has four years and $72 million owed to him on his 10-year, $180 million deal, which is almost definitely way too much to even consider buying him out. If money and egos weren’t involved, CBS would have to strongly consider promoting Eagle and Watt to the No. 1 spot and demoting Nantz and Romo.

CBS declined to comment.

Nantz is an all-time great golf announcer and host, but, despite his pristine voice, has never really had the instincts on football to make his calls legendary. He is a script guy, which may work at the beginning of a telecast with his trademark, “Hello, Friends,” but doesn’t when spontaneity is needed.

In two weeks, NBC has the Super Bowl with Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth. Next year, it is ABC/ESPN with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call. With 120 million-plus watching, both networks have to feel confident.

In two years, Nantz and Romo are scheduled to call the Super Bowl again for CBS. Unless the performance changes between now and then, CBS will be much more nervous than NBC or ABC/ESPN.

Sunday wasn’t great for Nantz and Romo. It also wasn’t terrible. The dull ending gave the duo an easier landing, as opposed to the prior two years. These days, that’s a win for CBS.