“He’s been as impressive off the field with how he’s handled everything as he has been on the field.” – Cris Collinsworth on Patrick Mahomes
“These players are 100% behind Jacoby (Brissett). They believe he can lead them to the playoffs.” – Tony Dungy
“A good run game and a great defense makes the Packers the best team in their division.” – Rodney Harrison
“He should be in the MVP conversation.” – Harrison on Christian McCaffrey
STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 6, 2019 – Mike Tirico hosted the Week 5 edition of Football Night in America tonight from NBC Sports’ International Broadcast Center in Stamford, Conn., in advance of the Sunday Night Football matchup between the Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs. Tirico was joined on the set by analysts Tony Dungy, Rodney Harrison, and Chris Simms, as well as NFL Insider Mike Florio.
Liam McHugh co-hosted Football Night in America from an outdoor set outside Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. He was joined by SNF analyst Cris Collinsworth, with Al Michaels and Michele Tafoya also reporting from inside the stadium. McHugh interviewed Colts head coach Frank Reich, Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, and actor and diehard Chiefs fan Eric Stonestreet.
FNIA also included highlights, analysis, and news from around the league.
Following are highlights from Football Night in America on NBC:
ON CHIEFS
Collinsworth on being in KC: “It’s exciting to be here, it really is. There is a fever in this town. They know how close they were a season ago, and they think they’re going to take that next step.”
Collinsworth on QB Patrick Mahomes: “If anything, he’s been as impressive off the field with how he’s handled everything as he has been on the field, which is amazing because he’s unbelievable on the field.”
Collinsworth on a possible exorbitant contract for Mahomes in the future: “It’s so important right now for the Kansas City Chiefs, while he’s still in this rookie contract, to take advantage and win a championship now.”
Tirico on Mahomes: “He reminds me of Tiger (Woods). You watch because there could be any shot where there’s something you haven’t seen before. That’s Mahomes. That’s why you have to watch him every pass.”
Simms on picking the Chiefs tonight: “Injuries on the Colts defense. It’s Mahomes. It’s nighttime. Watch out.”
ON COLTS
Dungy on Jacoby Brissett: “I was at the Colts’ training camp when that whole thing broke with Andrew Luck, and these players are 100% behind Jacoby. They believe he can lead them to the playoffs.”
Reich to McHugh on QB Jacoby Brissett: “He’s a pro’s pro. He’s tough-minded. He’s tough physically. He has all the ability needed to be a No. 1 quarterback in this league, and he’s just taking it right in stride.”
Simms on Reich’s strategy: “I would be a little worried about Patrick Mahomes and how they can put up points. They’ve got a great offensive line in Indianapolis. Run the ball, control the clock that way, keep Patrick Mahomes on the sideline.”
ON PACKERS
Dungy: “To me, the story was the Green Bay offensive line. They were able to get these inside runs going because they dominated upfront.”
Harrison on QB Aaron Rodgers: “The level of comfort that he has understanding that he doesn’t have to make every single play. This run game is huge. The defense has been big for Aaron Rodgers.”
Harrison: “A good run game and a great defense makes the Packers the best team in their division.”
ON COWBOYS
Dungy on the loss: “What they’re used to is dominating up front, pounding the ball with Ezekiel Elliott. They couldn’t really get that going today, and their defensive line couldn’t handle the run game. That just opened the door for Green Bay.”
ON PANTHERS
Harrison on RB Christian McCaffrey: “He should be in the MVP conversation…Think about how much success he’s having with everyone loading the box, and him getting all the attention.”
Dungy on McCaffrey: “This is a guy who makes this offense go. If they get Cam Newton back and playing well, they can make some noise because McCaffrey is the real deal.”
ON SAINTS
Harrison on QB Teddy Bridgewater: “The first two weeks, Sean Payton really wanted to build his confidence. Today, he let it fly, and Teddy played great.”
Dungy: “You have to give Sean Payton and that front office a lot of credit. They made Teddy Bridgewater the highest-paid backup quarterback in the league.”
ON EAGLES
Simms: “They’re going to have to continue to be creative with what they do upfront because their secondary is decimated with injuries. The front four is going to have to help out through creative blitzes and mismatches with (DE) Brandon Graham.”
ON TEXANS
Simms on QB Deshaun Watson: “He is fabulous. This might be the most exciting quarterback to watch in football other than the guy we’re going to see here in a little while (Mahomes). It’s can’t-miss TV.”
ON FALCONS
Simms: “This Atlanta defense, it’s horrible.”
ON GIANTS
Harrison on QB Daniel Jones: “Still a rookie, but I love this kid. I think he’s going to be really good.”
ON STEELERS
Dungy: “The Steelers are that close (holds his fingers close together). That fumble (by JuJu Smith-Schuster) probably cost them a chance of maybe being in first place by the end of the weekend. They’re not that far away.”
ON AFC NORTH
Harrison on the best team in the AFC North: “I want to say Baltimore because historically they’ve always had a great defense. But their defense is probably the weakest part of their team. I’m not sure right now.”
Simms: “I think Cleveland might be playing the best ball overall. Their defense is getting overlooked, and they’ve got stars on offense.”
ON NFC NORTH
Tirico: “I told you guys at the start of the year, the 12 NFC North games head-to-head might be the best ball we see all year. Right now, we’re past the quarter pole and all teams are above .500 in that division.”