FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, December 18th, 2022
NOTES & QUOTES FROM WEEK 15 EDITION OF FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA ON NBC AND PEACOCK
“I grew up in Michigan and I’m going to say something I didn’t know if I was going to be able to say in my lifetime: the Lions are playoff contenders.” – Tony Dungy
“Talk about a plane ride that you don’t want to be on.” – Jason Garrett on Patriots’ plane ride home following loss to Raiders
“Here’s the hottest combination in football. Jalen Hurts deep balls to A.J. Brown every week for big plays.” – Chris Simms
“My understanding is it’s unlikely he’s going to get medical clearance to play against the Jaguars on Thursday.” – Mike Florio on Jets QB Mike White
Peacock Sunday Night Football Final Streams EXCLUSIVELY on Peacock Following Every Sunday Night Football Game During 2022 Season
STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 18, 2022 – NBC Sports’ presentation of Week 15 of the 2022 NFL season continued tonight from FedEx Field in Landover, Md., with Football Night in America leading into coverage of the crucial NFC East contest between the New York Giants and Washington Commanders on Sunday Night Football on NBC, Peacock and Universo.
Maria Taylor hosted FNIA from NBC Sports’ Studio 1 in Stamford, Conn. She was joined by Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, former NFL head coach Jason Garrett, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, fantasy sports industry pioneer Matthew Berry, and NFL Insider Mike Florio. Steve Kornacki was also in the studio to break down playoff scenarios. Two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison joined co-host Jac Collinsworth at the site of the game.
Taylor interviewed Commanders DTs Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. Click here for the full interview and see below for highlights.
Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), Melissa Stark (sideline reporter) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) are calling tonight’s game. Tirico also reported from the field during FNIA.
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Following are highlights from tonight’s edition of Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock:
ON GIANTS
Harrison on head coach Brian Daboll’s impact on QB Daniel Jones: “He’s done a great job of playing to the strengths of Daniel Jones and he’s rebuilt his confidence.”
Simms on Jones: “His ability to run is underrated. People don’t realize how good he is at tucking it away.”
Garrett: “One thing I can guarantee in this ballgame is the Giants are going to blitz. They’re going to blitz to try to stop the run. They’re going to blitz to pressure the quarterback.”
Harrison on defensive coordinator Wink Martindale’s blitz-heavy defense: “With that pressure comes a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they’re without their starting corner Adoree’ Jackson…This is part of the reason why Wink Martindale is so frustrated. He can’t run the stable of blitzes in his repertoire because he’s missing guys in the secondary.”
ON COMMANDERS
Garrett on QB Taylor Heinicke: “Especially at crunch time, his teammates believe in him. He came up big against the Giants a couple of weeks ago, and that’s been his calling card throughout his career.”
Simms on Heinicke: “He’s incredibly poised in clutch moments, but he will miss throws where you go, ‘What? You’re too good to miss that throw, Taylor Heinicke.’ But it’s the magic plays that stand out.”
DL Jonathan Allen to Taylor on his relationship with DL Daron Payne, who were teammates at Alabama: “I think it’s dynamic. When you’ve played with someone as long as we have, it’s easy to play off each other because I know how Payne rushes, he knows how I rush. So you just build that bond…Payne’s like a dancing bear. When you get a dude that’s 315 (pounds) and agile, teams don’t know how to deal with it.”
Payne to Taylor on playing meaningful games in December: “I love this stage. It seems like every game is a big game for us and something about big games just makes me want to play harder.”
Garrett on playing against Washington’s defensive front: “Limit drop-back passing, move the quarterback. Get away from those guys. They’re great against the run, they’re disruptive rushing the passer. I don’t want any part of them.”
ON EAGLES
Simms: “Here’s the hottest combination in football. Jalen Hurts deep balls to A.J. Brown every week for big plays.”
ON CHIEFS
Florio on speaking with QB Patrick Mahomes postgame: “We see so many things that Patrick Mahomes does, and we call it artistry. He has a different term for it. He calls it Panic Mode…Just make something happen, get it done however it takes…Some of his best work was a result of panic mode. And they practice it. Guys get open, he does whatever he has to do to get them the ball.”
ON DOLPHINS
Dungy on the Dolphins’ three-game losing streak: “Three losses, but three tough places to play. Their offense got going against Buffalo, so I’m encouraged. Now, those are games you have to win if you want to be a playoff team, but I was encouraged.”
Garrett: “I still like Miami. I liked what they did against Buffalo. They ran the ball. There was more balance in their offense. Buffalo is a tough team to beat up there when the snow starts falling against that quarterback.”
Simms: “They’re still a young football team that’s learning how to win these types of games. I’m with the coaches here. I’m positive about them. I know I wouldn’t want to see them coming into town with all those weapons on offense. That aggressive defense. They’ve got playmakers everywhere.”
Dungy: “I would have one suggestion for Coach (Mike) McDaniel. Run the ball in the red zone. When you’re averaging eight yards a carry, please keep running it.” (laughs)
ON LIONS
Dungy: “I grew up in Michigan and I’m going to say something I didn’t know if I was going to be able to say in my lifetime: the Lions are playoff contenders.”
Simms on fourth-and-inches touchdown pass: “A phenomenal play design and play altogether in a big moment by the Detroit Lions.”
Dungy on Lions’ impact if they make the playoffs: “I think they’d be very dangerous. They had been cutting it loose on offense scoring a lot of points all year, but it’s just recently that the defense has picked up the pace…I wouldn’t want to play them.”
Garrett on head coach Dan Campbell: “Dan and I were teammates for three years. As tough and gritty a guy as I’ve ever been around. That’s how his team is playing right now. They’ve got a real shot.”
ON JETS
Florio on injured QB Mike White: “His timeline is week-to-week and I’m told it’s unlikely he’ll play this week – Thursday night, short week game against the Jaguars. That rib needs to calcify, it needs to hold in place otherwise it can get dislodged, it could puncture a lung. That’s why the doctors wouldn’t let him play on Sunday. My understanding is it’s unlikely he’s going to get medical clearance to play against the Jaguars on Thursday.”
ON PATRIOTS-RAIDERS
Simms reacting to the Raiders’ game-winning fumble return touchdown vs. the Patriots: “They’re just trying to lateral it and go down and maybe score a touchdown. Jakobi Meyers has been around the league though, and he decides to throw it all the way across the field in a tie football game.”
Dungy: “What are you even thinking?”
Garrett: “Talk about a plane ride that you don’t want to be on.”
Simms: “Don’t sit next to Bill Belichick on the plane ride home.”
Taylor: “I’d rather walk.”
Dungy: “I sat here for 10 years with Rodney Harrison right there telling me how much the Patriots practice situational football. Now you’ve got 30 seconds left in the game, a one-on-one deep pass gets behind you and then that last [play] — I don’t know what was happening. That’s just a draw, run the clock out and go to overtime. What were they thinking? … How do you throw the ball backwards 20 yards when the game is tied?”
Garrett: “I think the players went rogue on Coach Belichick. It was a draw play and I think when they made the yards, they had this idea that maybe we can throw it around and make a play.”
Taylor: “You can’t make it up.”
Kornacki: “They’re the biggest loser of the day when it comes to the AFC Wild Card (playoff picture).”
ON CHARGERS
Kornacki on the Chargers’ playoff chances after beating the Titans today: “The biggest winner on the day, it’s the Chargers…They came into the day out of the top seven (in the AFC) with barely a 50% chance. They vault over Miami – remember, who they beat last week – now nearly an 80% chance the Chargers go to the playoffs.”
ON PANTHERS
Dungy on the loss to the Steelers: “A golden opportunity to make up some ground on Tampa, could not do it today. Very disappointing for the Panthers.”
ON JAGUARS
Simms: “Trevor Lawrence reminding everyone why he was the No. 1 overall pick in the Draft a few years ago. Big plays to win this football game against the Dallas Cowboys…An unbelievable comeback.”
Garrett on Lawrence’s impact: “It was about the quarterback; the competitive spirit and playmaking ability of this guy was off the charts.”
Garrett on the Jaguars’ comeback win vs. the Cowboys: “A huge part of this thing is mental toughness. You’re down 17, you have the fumble late. Your quarterback’s mental toughness is contagious throughout the team. Doug Pederson has them believing down there in Duval.”
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Peacock Sunday Night Football Final, an NFL post-game show produced by NBC Sports, streams exclusively on Peacock following every Sunday Night Football game during the 2022 season. The show is hosted by NBC Sports commentators Kathryn Tappen and Chris Simms, who provide instant reactions to each Sunday game along with highlights and interviews. Football Night in America co-host Jac Collinsworth and analyst Rodney Harrison also provide recaps and insights into the day’s biggest moments from the site of each week’s SNF game. NFL Insider Mike Florio provides injury and news updates. Matthew Berry provides fantasy football analysis and an early look at the fantasy waiver wire.
— Football Night in America —
