FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Sunday, September 24th, 2023
NOTES & QUOTES FROM WEEK 3 EDITION OF FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA ON NBC AND PEACOCK
“Whatever they wanted to do. It didn’t matter. Big play to the left, big play to the right, wide open guy here, wide open guy there…the fastest offense in football.” – Chris Simms on the Dolphins offense scoring 70 points on Denver
“Denver was horrendous. Embarrassing. Hard to watch. Sean Payton has a lot of soul-searching to do with that football team because they quit. They didn’t compete.”– Jason Garrett on the Broncos
“There was no ‘Bad Blood’ there, he was O.K…and now it’s, ‘Look What You Made Me Do.’” – Simms on Patrick Mahomes injury scare and Taylor Swift’s reaction to Travis Kelce TD with Swift in attendance
Carrie Underwood Joins Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth for On-Field Interview During Football Night
Peacock Sunday Night Football Final Streams EXCLUSIVELY on Peacock Following Steelers-Raiders and Every Sunday Night Football Game During 2023 Season
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 24, 2023 – NBC Sports’ presentation of Week 3 of the 2023 NFL season continued tonight from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., with Football Night in America leading into coverage of Steelers-Raiders on Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock.
Maria Taylor hosted FNIA from NBC Sports’ Studio 1 in Stamford, Conn. She was joined by former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, three-time Super Bowl Champion Devin McCourty, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, NFL Insider Mike Florio, and fantasy sports industry pioneer Matthew Berry. Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy and two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison joined co-host Jac Collinsworth at the site of the game.
Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), Melissa Stark (sideline reporter) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) are calling tonight’s game.
Pre-game coverage also included a live interview on the sideline with Tirico, Collinsworth and Multi-Platinum, 8-time GRAMMY® Award winner Carrie Underwood, who stars in the show open for NBC’s Sunday Night Football and is currently in Las Vegas for her ongoing residency, REFLECTION.
Football Night also included Michael Smith’s interview with Raiders RB Josh Jacobs. Click here to watch the full interview.
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Following are highlights from tonight’s edition of Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock:
CARRIE UNDERWOOD WITH MIKE TIRICO AND CRIS COLLINSWORTH
Mike Tirico to Carrie Underwood on the sidelines: “It’s 11 years of opening Sunday Night Football, but this is your first time at a Sunday Night game.”
Underwood: “Yes it is! I don’t know what took me so darn long, but I’m glad that I’m here.”
Tirico: “Do people ever come up do you and say, ‘Hey, can you sing the Sunday Night Football song?’”
Underwood: “They do. I feel like we should work it into our set, just a little snippet of it…some people are like, ‘This is my favorite time of the week!’”
ON THE RAIDERS-STEELERS RIVALRY
Dungy: “This rivalry was huge back in the day. I played for the Steelers and it seemed whoever won between the two of us was headed to the Super Bowl. I got introduced to this rivalry 46 years ago as a rookie. Lester Hayes and I played in some college all-star games, we were good friends, he’s playing for the Raiders as a rookie. I came out in pre-game to give him a hug and he walked right away from me. He said, ‘Al Davis said we can’t talk to you.’ I said, ‘Ah, it’s going to be that type of game.’ And it was.”
ON STEELERS
Harrison on the Steelers offense: “I believe in Kenny Pickett. I don’t believe in their offensive coordinator (Matt Canada). I think Kenny Pickett did a great job last year of proving that he could play on this level…this kid is tough, athletic, and if they want to make changes, make it in the coaching staff, not with Kenny Pickett.”
Dungy: “I don’t think it’s the coaching staff. I think Steeler football is running, tough and physical upfront…that’s what they haven’t done and that’s what they need to get going tonight…I’ve known head coach Mike Tomlin for over 20 years. He’s not concerned about the fans, the coaches. He’s concerned about execution and controlling the line of scrimmage. They’ve got some good running backs but they’re getting hit behind the line of scrimmage too much.”
Garrett: “The Steelers have had an identity on defense since 1969 when they drafted Joe Greene. In the Ben Roethlisberger years, they knew who they were (on offense). Since Ben has left, I don’t know if they know who they are on offense.”
McCourty on WR George Pickens: “He’s always covered…but he’s still always open. We used to say that every time we played against DeAndre Hopkins – throw it up, give him a chance…you see he can have (defensive backs) all over him, he still comes down with the ball… one way to be more creative is just giving Pickens a chance.”
ON RAIDERS
Dungy on RB Josh Jacobs: “Raider football is power and they have got to get Josh Jacobs going. We talk about Pittsburgh not running, but Jacobs has struggled, under two yards per carry. They have got to establish the run with him.”
Harrison on WR Davante Adams: “He catches everything. He’s an excellent route runner, he’s very crafty, but it can’t be all Davante Adams tonight. Jakobi Meyers is back healthy, Hunter Renfrow can make a lot of plays, they’ve got to spread the wealth.”
ON DOLPHINS
Simms on the Dolphins scoring 70 points vs. Denver: “Whatever they wanted to do. It didn’t matter. Big play to the left, big play to the right, wide open guy here, wide open guy there…the fastest offense in football, and (head coach) Mike McDaniel is being more patient with the run game this year.”
Garrett: “Let’s start with (general manager) Chris Grier… I’ve never seen a faster team at every position. Who are these guys? Jaylen Waddle didn’t play in the game…70 points in the NFL, it’s unheard of.”
ON BRONCOS
Garrett on the Broncos giving up 70 points to Miami: “Denver was horrendous. Embarrassing. Hard to watch. Sean Payton has a lot of soul-searching to do with that football team because they quit. They didn’t compete.”
Simms: “Denver did not do any tackling drills this week.”
ON CHIEFS
Simms on injury scare for QB Patrick Mahomes: “In honor of Taylor Swift, there was no ‘Bad Blood’ there, he was O.K. … (showing Swift’s reaction to Kelce’s touchdown) and now it’s, ‘Look What You Made Me Do.’”
ON JAGUARS
McCourty: “All the talk has been, ‘They’re going to dominate the AFC South. This is the team to beat.’ And they come into this game and just – nothing. They really haven’t looked great all season.”
Garrett: “I just think everybody has to tap the brakes on the Jags. If you think about it, early on last year, they weren’t very good. Then they got on a hot streak at the end of the year and played awfully well, and everyone crowned them…they’re still rebuilding this thing, they’ve got the right coach, they’ve got the right quarterback, it’s just going to take some time.”
ON CHARGERS
McCourty on defensive stand to win the game: “The Chargers’ defense might have saved Brandon Staley’s job after he went for it on his own 24-yard-line.”
Simms on Staley’s decision to go for it with a run play on 4th-and-1 from his own 24-yard-line up 28-24 late in the game: “You haven’t run the ball all day, you can’t run. So now in the biggest moment, we’re going to run with the guy nobody knows up the middle?”
Garrett: “Your number one job as a head coach is to constantly try to put your team in the best position to win. I can’t believe that that decision puts the Chargers in the best position to win. They had rushed for 30 yards up to that point, they’re on their own 24-yard-line…their team, their defense, overcame the coaching decision.”
Simms: “The defense has got to pick it up in L.A. Every week, it’s Justin Herbert having to make things happen, it’s all about the offense. (The offense) has played almost perfect this year and they’re 1-2, nearly 0-3…he bailed Brandon Staley out today.”
ON PACKERS
McCourty on QB Jordan Love: “You’ve got to give him a lot of credit. Didn’t play well all game, and then got it going at the end. Rushing TDs, passing TDs…he did it all at the end.”
ON COWBOYS
Simms: “We saw it a little last week…too much talent on this offense to settle for field goals time after time…probably the shocking upset of the day.”
Garrett: “They were banged up up front with big guys out of the lineup…this red zone thing is an issue…they took a step back today.”
McCourty: “I don’t think the defense came ready to play.”
ON CARDINALS
McCourty on upset win vs. Cowboys: “Arizona’s buying in. (Head coach) Jonathan Gannon is coming in here, guys are thinking, ‘You’re telling us a lot of things. You’re trading players, getting rid of guys, who’s our quarterback? We don’t know. And look at us here, now we’re dancing at the back of the end zone.’”
ON TEXANS
Simms on QB C.J. Stroud: “This is three weeks in a row that the Texans have had no running game and they’ve had to rely on him dropping back and throwing the football. He was phenomenal again today. In the pocket, he just diced up the Jaguars defense. Very impressive for a rookie quarterback.”
ON JETS
Florio on Jets’ QB situation: “There’s nothing they can really do at this point. There’s no free agent starter they can sign and plug in, they recognize they don’t have the draft capital to go out and trade for a starter from some other team, and anyone that has a backup needs the backup and if they have an extra, they’re going to want a premium the Jets aren’t able to give. They put in an offense just for Aaron Rodgers, now they’re pivoting to Zach Wilson. They’re going to stay the course and they realize they’re going to have to play perfect defense or they are stuck each and every week.”
ON BROWNS
Simms on QB Deshaun Watson: “He had his best performance as a Cleveland Brown. Aggressive down the field, made some plays with his legs both with scrambling and quarterback-designed runs…he looked comfortable.”
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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 2023 season. The show is hosted from the game site by Jac Collinsworth, Harrison, and Dungy, who will provide instant reactions to each Sunday game along with highlights and interviews, while Berry will host a weekly segment called “DraftKings Crowning Moments,” where the fantasy sports analyst will discuss his successful bets from that day; he will also provide fantasy advice and an early look at the waiver wire. Football Night in America’s studio team will also provide recaps and insights into the day’s biggest moments, while Florio will provide injury and news updates.
— Football Night in America —
