FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 26th, 2022

PETER KING SPEAKS WITH BRONCOS HEAD COACH NATHANIEL HACKETT AND SHARES HIS TAKEAWAYS FROM THE NFL THROUGH THREE WEEKS IN TODAY’S “FMIA” COLUMN

“The NFL’s story of September is Miami being 3-0, answering a ton of questions on offense, winning with a quirky and intelligent coach, and playing fun and intense football on both sides of the line.” – King on the Miami Dolphins

“For me, I felt empowered that I was able to make a decision. Hey, let’s fix it. I’m the leader of the team…I needed help to make the tough decision.” – Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett on his decision to hire Jerry Rosburg as a senior assistant

“In a league full of great young arms (and old ones), no one’s moving the ball downfield as well as Hurts is. At 24, it’s very likely Hurts is the Eagles’ quarterback of the future.” – King on Eagles QB Jalen Hurts

STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 26, 2022 – Peter King speaks with Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett and shares his takeaways from the NFL through the first three weeks of the season in today’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also discusses Jalen Hurts and DeVonta Smith’s roles in the Eagles undefeated 3-0 start, Miami’s victory against the Bills, and more.

For more NFL coverage, Peacock offers daily programming on the NBC Sports channel for free, including Pro Football Talk at 7 a.m. ET, The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry at Noon ET, Brother from Another at 3 p.m. ET, plus Chris Simms Unbuttoned on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, and the weekly The Peter King Podcast. To learn more about the NBC Sports on Peacock channel and how to sign up, click here.

The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King, Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

DENVER BRONCOS

Broncos head coach Nathaniel Hackett to King on his decision to hire Jerry Rosburg as a senior assistant: “For me, I felt empowered that I was able to make a decision. Hey, let’s fix it. I’m the leader of the team. Let’s do it. This was the first time, the past two games, that I felt I was hurting my team. Did I have enough info? I don’t know. But I knew the setup wasn’t right. I needed help to make the tough decision.”

Hackett to King on QB Russell Wilson’s game-winning drive against the 49ers: “Russell has come to a new state, a new organization, with 10 brand new guys in the huddle…On that winning drive, he said, ‘I’m comfortable. I’m gonna use my legs here. I’ve got to make this happen.’ He did. Hopefully that’s the start of it for him.”

STATE OF THE NFL THROUGH WEEK 3

King on the Dolphins: “The NFL’s story of September is Miami being 3-0, answering a ton of questions on offense, winning with a quirky and intelligent coach, and playing fun and intense football on both sides of the line.”

King on Eagles QB Jalen Hurts: “In a league full of great young arms (and old ones), no one’s moving the ball downfield as well as Hurts is. At 24, it’s very likely Hurts is the Eagles’ quarterback of the future.”

King on the Bengals: “Protection for (Joe) Burrow, who the Bengals hope is their franchise quarterback for the next 15 years, is most definitely still a work in progress.”

King on one potential factor in why scoring is down five points per game through three weeks: “Part of what we’re seeing is a reflection of how defenses are playing, with the consistent two-deep-safety look that’s a part of the game’s current trendy D, the scheme that forces offenses to win underneath with long drives.”

BRETT FAVRE

King on the reports surrounding Brett Favre’s involvement in the misuse of state welfare funds: “The more evidence we learn, the more possible it is that Favre could be in hot water…This case, with so much evidence that the country’s most poverty-stricken state diverted funds to friends and cronies of the powerful, proves that integrity has been in short supply in Mississippi.”

Reporter Anna Wolfe to King on the Mississippi government’s role in the scandal: “[State officials] were more than willing to help as a way to get close to him (Favre)…It’s kind of a good ol’ boys system on full display.”

KING’S WEEK 3 AWARDS

Offensive Players of the Week: DeVonta Smith, Philadelphia, Lamar Jackson, Baltimore, & Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville.

King on Jackson: “Jackson is playing at such a consistently high level in this vital personal season (the contract, you know) that it’s tempting to look for other guys to highlight because he does such outstanding things so consistently.”

King on Smith: “Smith’s become one of the best receivers in the NFL, and he’s only 20 games into his pro career.”

Defensive Players of the Week: Jevon Holland, Miami, Roquan Smith, Chicago, & Nick Bolton, Kansas City.

King on Chicago’s defense: “The Chicago Bears enter October with a winning record, and for those who’ve watched 12 quarters of September Bear football, it’s not because of the offense.”

King on Holland: “With 1.5 sacks and 10 tackles in the biggest game of his young pro life, Holland proved to the Bills and to the rest of the league the Miami defense can play.”

Coach of the Week: Joe Berry, Green Bay.

King on Berry’s gameplan against QB Tom Brady and the Buccaneers: “This was a top defensive plan and effort against a great quarterback playing at home.”

Special Teams Players of the Week: Corliss Waitman, Denver, Henry Anderson, Carolina, & Matt Haack, Indianapolis.

King on Anderson’s second quarter blocked field goal: “Anderson fought through the middle of the Saints’ protection, put one arm as high as it could go, and that arm blocked the kick. Great individual play at a huge time for Carolina, and the Panthers held New Orleans scoreless for the 47 minutes of the game.”

Goats of the Week: the Commanders.

King on the Commanders against the Eagles: “Just when you think it can’t get worse, the 13th top executive in the last year-and-a-half, COO Greg Resh, resigned last week…The Commanders followed that by playing like all 53 of them wanted to follow Resh out the door.”

NEWS & NOTES

Sean Payton to King on his FOX Sports NFL analyst role and future plans to return to coaching: “I do think at some point I’ll coach again. That being said, as you chase perfection in this other career, it’s one of those things where if you feel like you continue to get better and those people that are experts at it, if others feel like, hey, he can be really, really good, that’s the type thing that pulls at you.”

Dolphins S Jevon Holland to King on the defense’s philosophy against Buffalo: “The Bills offense is so electric and they can score at any point. And so, you have to be constantly, constantly on. That is draining, to constantly be operating at a very high level. But that’s what it takes to beat a team like that. You have to be perfect and that’s the standard you have to rise to.”

King on Rams DT Aaron Donald: “We won’t pay nearly enough attention to Aaron Donald’s 100th career regular-season sack in Arizona in his ninth season…That man is one of the biggest jewels in recent football history.”

Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:

  • PFT Live with NBC Sports’ Mike Florio (Mondays) and Florio and Chris Simms (Tuesday-Thursday) streams on Peacock from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET on weekdays & is available on-demand. The Dan Patrick Show streams at 9 a.m. ET, Fantasy Football Happy Hour with Matthew Berry at Noon ET, Brother From Another at 3 p.m. ET, PFT PM at 5 p.m. ET. At 6 p.m. ET, Chris Simms Unbuttoned streams Tuesday-Friday.
  • com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
  • NBC Sports EDGE’s Rotoworld Football Show continues the NFL discussion and Bet The Edge Podcast provides daily betting insights.
  • The NFL on NBC YouTube channel offers daily football content for free, with exclusive videos from Peter King – including his interviews with players and coaches at training camps – Mike Florio, Chris Simms, and more. To access all of these videos and more, click here to subscribe

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

–NBC SPORTS–