FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, November 7th, 2021
NOTES & QUOTES FROM WEEK 9 EDITION OF FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA ON NBC AND PEACOCK
“I think this is a defining few weeks for him. Being without Derrick Henry…How does he handle that in the pass game if he’s not getting the one-on-ones?” – Drew Brees on Titans QB Ryan Tannehill
“What I really love about him is he’s not afraid to get in there, stick his helmet in there and make the tackle, and that’s what I believe is the difference between him and everybody else which makes him the best.” – Rodney Harrison on Rams CB Jalen Ramsey
“There’s one bye in the NFC…you lose a game here or there in this time period, that could cost you at the end of the year…Aaron Rodgers, to me, did not do everything he could to stay off this (Covid) list.” – Tony Dungy
“I don’t care who you are, if you don’t practice for two weeks, you’re just not going to be sharp in the NFL.” – Chris Simms on QB Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense
STAMFORD, Conn. – November 7, 2021 – NBC Sports’ presentation of Week 9 of the 2021 NFL season began tonight from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with Football Night in America leading into coverage of Titans-Rams on Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock.
Mike Tirico hosted FNIA from NBC Sports Group’s Studio 1 in Stamford, Conn. He was joined at the desk by Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy and Super Bowl XLIV MVP Drew Brees. Co-host Maria Taylor was joined in Studio 1 by former NFL quarterback Chris Simms. Two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison joined co-host Jac Collinsworth at the site of the game. Kathryn Tappen spoke with U.S. Air Force veteran Nichole McCarthy from an Applebee’s in Chatsworth, Calif., where they are honoring veterans this week, and NFL Insider Mike Florio provided reports from his home studio.
Al Michaels (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), Michele Tafoya (sideline reporter) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) are calling tonight’s game.
For the first time ever, Football Night in America and Sunday Night Football are streaming on Peacock Premium every week this season. Viewers can sign up here. Peacock Premium is included at no additional cost for Comcast’s eligible Xfinity X1 and Flex customers and Cox Contour customers.
NBC Sports’ new post-game show Peacock Sunday Night Football Final streams tonight exclusively on Peacock following Sunday Night Football.
***
Following are highlights from tonight’s edition of Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock:
ON RAMS
Brees on Rams QB Matthew Stafford: “He has given this team so much confidence, not just the offense with his playmaking ability and that arm, but that defense feeds off it as well. They know that they’ve got a guy on the other side who can score points, and this has allowed Sean McVay to open up the full array of creativity on that offense.”
Simms on WR Cooper Kupp: “He’s phenomenal. Big, he’s got speed, he can beat one-on-one coverage, he’s a great route runner…Cooper Kupp certainly has been maybe the hottest receiver in football this season.”
Brees on Kupp: “He’s a true renaissance receiver doing a little bit of everything. He runs the short option routes, he runs the intermediate routes with great feel and awareness, and then, when you’re not paying attention, he’s going to hit you on the big one.”
Harrison on CB Jalen Ramsey: “You can put him anywhere on the football field, he’s going to make plays…What I really love about him is he’s not afraid to get in there, stick his helmet in there and make the tackle, and that’s what I believe is the difference between him and everybody else which makes him the best. He can do it all.”
ON TITANS
Dungy on QB Ryan Tannehill: “He has played great the last two years there, but it’s been a little bit easy for him because of Derrick Henry…Lot of pressure on Tannehill tonight. Not only that pressure of not having Henry, but realizing on the other side how well Stafford is playing.”
Brees on Tannehill: “I think this is a defining few weeks for him. Being without Derrick Henry and just seeing how defenses are going to play them different…How does he handle that in the pass game if he’s not getting the one-on-ones?”
Dungy on how the Titans will compensate for the loss of injured RB Derrick Henry: “I hope they do what they’ve always done, and that’s pound the football and use play-action off of it.”
Brees: “It’s going to have to be running back-by-committee, because I don’t think we can expect anyone to step in, even Adrian Peterson, to carry 25 to 30 times a game.”
Harrison: “I don’t think they’re going to change their identity and what they do. They run the football, they use play-action pass…I think it’s going to put a little bit more pressure on Ryan Tannehill to make some plays with his legs.”
Harrison on the Titans’ recent defensive performances: “It’s the pass rush that’s been the biggest difference. These guys are getting after the offense. You look at Jeffery Simmons, defensive tackle, he’s a really good football player, he doesn’t get enough credit. You look at Harold Landry III…he’s leading them, and he’s been their best player.”
ON COWBOYS
Simms on QB Dak Prescott and the Cowboys’ offensive struggles: “I don’t care who you are, if you don’t practice for two weeks, you’re just not going to be sharp in the NFL. It’s disrespectful to think you are going to just come out and light the league on fire…When the Cowboys play through their offense, that helps out their whole team and they just could never get their offense going today.”
ON BRONCOS
Tirico on the Broncos’ win vs. the Cowboys: “Full credit to Denver. Von Miller, face of the franchise, leaves. They go to Dallas and Dallas is feeling great – they’ve got Dak back, they won on Sunday night. Best performance in a couple of years for the Broncos.”
ON BILLS
Brees: “As hot as Buffalo started this season, they have really cooled off. This offense just has not been the same. They have not been able to protect Josh Allen, but in large part because they have not been able to run the football…They’ve just been dropping back and being teed off on.”
Simms on the Bills’ struggles: “It’s too Josh Allen-centric. They have no run game…It’s all about him making plays. There’s not a lot of separation in the pass game downfield. He can’t be one of the best quarterbacks and the leading rusher for your team, and the guy you expect to make play after play for your team week after week.”
ON PATRIOTS
Harrison on Patriots CB J.C. Jackson: “As a defensive back, we’re always talking about tips and overthrows, and this is a guy that’s always around the football…He becomes an unrestricted free agent (after this season), and now if the Patriots don’t pay him, somebody else will pay him a lot of money.”
Simms on Jackson: “He’s one of the best corners in football. You put the football near his hands, he’s going to get it.”
ON BROWNS
Dungy on the Browns’ offense: “Cleveland got back to their identity. We’re going to pound the football, we’re going to go after big plays in the passing game. Nick Chubb, he’s dynamic and he makes that offense go.”
Harrison on the Browns’ three takeaways vs. the Bengals: “This is what we expected from this defense. This defense is healthy, and this is what they’re capable of doing…We have to expect a lot more consistency.”
Dungy on CB Denzel Ward: “He was phenomenal all day. Most of the time matched up with (Bengals wide receiver) Ja’Marr Chase and pretty much handled him all day.”
Florio on recently-released WR Odell Beckham Jr.: “It’s strange. If this had happened last Monday, Odell Beckham Jr. would have instantly become a free agent…The Browns tinkered with his contract to save some of the money they owed him, but also to make it unattractive for a team to claim the contract. Roughly a third of the league has the salary cap space to do it. He prefers to not be claimed. He prefers to become a free agent. The teams to watch I’m told are the Seahawks, the 49ers, and the Saints, and I’m told he prefers the Seattle Seahawks.”
ON CHIEFS
Dungy: “You always throw around the term ‘winning ugly.’ Well this was the definition of an ugly win…No rhythm on offense, Patrick Mahomes’ off-target throws. It didn’t seem like he was reading the coverages, it just didn’t look like this offense was in sync. We are used to seeing Kansas City score, and they were having trouble making first downs.”
Brees: “You’re waiting for them to turn it on and you keep waiting, and they haven’t done it yet…It just seems like there are so many things missing in this offense.”
ON AARON RODGERS
Florio on QB Aaron Rodgers’ next steps: “The earliest he can return to the team is next Saturday, one day before the Packers host the Seattle Seahawks. Also, the NFL is investigating whether or not Aaron Rodgers violated the Covid protocols that apply to players who are not vaccinated. Whether it’s showing up in the press room in the facility without a mask on, attending the Halloween party recently not wearing a mask there. The league’s also investigating the team for not enforcing those Covid protocols as to Rodgers. For now, it’s only fines that would be imposed on the team or the player – no suspension for Rodgers, no draft pick in jeopardy for the Packers. However, when he comes back, and after he’s disciplined — if he is indeed disciplined — further violations of the Covid protocols could result in a suspension for Rodgers and could result in the Packers losing a draft pick.”
Dungy on Rodgers: “It’s very disappointing to me…Aaron Rodgers has every right not to be vaccinated – we have other quarterbacks who chose not to be vaccinated, but if you do as the leader, you have to make every precaution, you have to follow every rule, every protocol. Make sure you don’t hit that Covid list. You owe that to your team, you’re fighting for the playoffs, you can’t be unavailable.”
Brees: “Bottom line, there are sacrifices that you have to make. We went through this last year in the locker room and those sacrifices…because the most important thing is that you are available for your team on Sunday so that you can help them win…And then how does this affect the playoffs? Does this become something pretty detrimental as far as how this playoff picture shakes out now?”
Dungy: “There’s one bye in the NFC…you lose a game here or there in this time period, that could cost you at the end of the year. You may have to play one more playoff game than normal, and Aaron Rodgers, to me, did not do everything he could to stay off this (Covid) list.”
ON FALCONS
Brees on Falcons QB Matt Ryan: “He played fantastic today, and that was with no Calvin Ridley and really no rushing game…so this game was all on Matt Ryan and his ability to execute it and keep an up-tempo mentality.”
Tirico: “New coach, new cast, but the same steady Matt Ryan.”
Florio on his postgame conversation with Ryan: “It wasn’t quite 28-3, but 24-6 was bad enough to blow that lead, and Matt Ryan told me that before they started that last drive, coach Arthur Smith called that play and said, ‘If you see an opportunity, let it rip.’ Matt Ryan told me what he saw was Malcolm Jenkins, the Saints safety, creep up at the snap. That busted it open and let him throw the ball to Cordarrelle Patterson.”
ON CARDINALS
Dungy: “It was really impressive to see Arizona without some of their star, frontline players, these backup players really stepped up and made things happen.”
ON CHARGERS
Simms on the Chargers’ fourth down conversions late in the game: “We’re used to it. This is what (head coach) Brandon Staley’s done all year and it’s helped their team win a lot of football games.”
ON RAIDERS
Brees on the Raiders’ tumultuous season: “As a player, that just wears on your emotions and especially the roller coaster of what you’ve seen with their season…This is when the leadership on that team really needs to come together because they still have a chance in that AFC West right now.”
ON PANTHERS
Taylor on Panthers QB Sam Darnold’s interceptions: “Someone needs to call the Ghostbusters because it looks like Sam Darnold’s seeing ghosts again.”
–FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA–
