FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, September 25th, 2023

DOLPHINS HEAD COACH MIKE MCDANIEL AND RB DE’VON ACHANE SPEAK WITH PETER KING AFTER DOLPHINS’ HISTORIC DAY IN THIS WEEK’S “FMIA” COLUMN

“Miami won explosively without Jaylen Waddle, and with all wide receivers not named Tyreek Hill catching a total of four passes. This is a deep, deep team.” – Peter King on the Dolphins’ historic 70-20 win over the Broncos

“That Jacksonville team’s a top 10 team in the NFL, but we knew we could play with them…I’m not somebody a team can tee off on.” – Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud on Houston’s win over Jacksonville

“They’re 0-3 and Justin Fields might be hurt. This Bears team, again, looks like the favorite for the first pick in the 2024 draft.” – King on the struggling Bears

 STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 25, 2023 – Peter King speaks with Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel and rookie running back De’Von Achane after their historic 70-20 win against the Broncos in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also speaks with Texans rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud and discusses the Cardinals’ win over the Cowboys, the Bears’ 0-3 start, and more.

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

DOLPHINS

Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel to King on kneeling down on the last series as opposed to attempting to break the NFL single-game scoring record: “It’s not the way you want to get the record. I would hope that if the shoe was on the other foot, the opponent would feel the same way. That’s called karma. I’m trying to keep good karma with the Miami Dolphins.”

King on the Dolphins’ pregame speech before their 70-20 win over the Broncos: “(McDaniel) had fullback Alec Ingold talk to the team before this game. Nothing (Knute) Rockne-ish was said, but the message was sent: I trust you guys.”

Dolphins rookie running back De’Von Achane on his 233-yard, four-touchdown performance: “Me having 200 yards in an NFL game, that’s a shock to me. But I think I showed the type of back I am.”

King on Miami’s roster moves: “Watching De’Von Achane run it for the Dolphins Sunday, I thought: Miami doesn’t have to trade for Jonathan Taylor. And the Dolphins shouldn’t. They should use their cap and draft capital elsewhere on a talent-rich roster.”

TEXANS

Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud on Houston’s win over Jacksonville: “We’re grown men. We’re NFL players. Why can’t we win any game we show up to play? That Jacksonville team’s a top 10 team in the NFL, but we knew we could play with them. I’m nobody’s fish. I’m not somebody a team can tee off on. I compete. We all compete. The way I look at it, all pressure is a privilege.”

Stroud on his development: “I think I just learn from week to week. A lot of the sacks and hits that happened last week were on me. I gotta get rid of the ball, get it out on time. This week, I think I fixed that issue.”

CARDINALS

King on Cardinals QB Josh Dobbs’ performance in the win over the Cowboys: “He looked like he’d been a Cardinal for years, not four weeks, against the formerly unbeatable-looking Cowboys. Arizona by 12. We all saw that coming.”

Dobbs on earning his first win as an NFL starting QB: “I’m actually more proud of the team and how we all played, not just me. We started fast, played complementary football…It’s Jonathan Gannon’s first win as a head coach, and Drew Petzing’s first win as an offensive coordinator, so a lot of firsts for a lot of people — they get to enjoy it the same as I do.”

PUKA NACUA & RAMS

King on Rams rookie WR Puka Nacua, who currently ranks in the top 10 in receiving yards: “When the Rams saw Nacua, I believe they thought they were seeing (Cooper) Kupp Jr. Both are 6-2 and weigh around 207. Both are highly competitive…It won’t be surprising if Nacua becomes Kupp II.”

Nacua on his chemistry with QB Matthew Stafford: “If he gives me a thumbs up, I feel really good. If he just gives me the quick nod, I did good enough.”

WEEK 3

King on Taylor Swift attending the Chiefs game: “Yes, T-Swift, jumping and cheering in a box with Donna Kelce, her heart evidently all a-flutter watching her rumored new beau Travis Kelce at Arrowhead. You Need to Calm Down, Taylor; it’s only September.”

King on Packers QB Jordan Love: “At least early in his career, Love has something in common with (Brett) Favre and (Aaron) Rodgers: they’ve all beaten the Bears, and they’ve been good (mostly) in crunch time when needed.”

King on the Bears: “They’re 0-3 and Justin Fields might be hurt. This Bears team, again, looks like the favorite for the first pick in the 2024 draft.”

King on Rams K Matt Gay: “Gay had the greatest day an NFL kicker’s ever had. Four field goals of 53 yards or longer, including the winning 53-yarder in OT for the first-place Indianapolis Colts of the AFC South.”

King on 49ers QB Brock Purdy: “It’s amazing to me, after he begins his career 11-0 in games he’s played at least three quarters, that there is this universal asterisk on his competence.”

KING’S WEEK 3 AWARDS

Offensive Players of the Week: Joshua Dobbs, Arizona, De’Von Achane, Miami, & Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers

King on the Dolphins: “Addendum to one of the great individual days in Dolphins history: Miami won explosively without Jaylen Waddle, and with all wide receivers not named Tyreek Hill catching a total of four passes. This is a deep, deep team.”

Defensive Player of the Week: Myles Garrett, Cleveland

King on Garrett: “For the day, Garrett finished with 3.5 sacks and eight pressures, one of the great games of his ascending career.”

Coaches of the Week: Mike McDaniel, head coach, Miami, & DeMeco Ryans, head coach, Houston

King on McDaniel: “He’s invented the most explosive offense in the game over the first month of the season, and that included the kind of play most coaches might design in their dreams but not actually call in a game…No-look shovel pass in the tight red zone.”

Special Teams Players of the Week: Matt Gay, Indianapolis, Rashid Shaheed, New Orleans, & Will Anderson Jr., Houston

NEWS & NOTES

King on the Bears’ struggles: “The Bears look worse — at least early this year — than they did last year, when they had the $90-million dead-cap anchor weighing down the franchise. When you don’t have consistent quarterback play, and you can’t protect the quarterback who’s struggling to play consistently, you have no hope.”

King on 49ers WR Deebo Samuel’s physical style of play: “I have no idea how long Deebo Samuel can last playing the physical style he plays…but I doubt he makes it through 17 games playing that way.”

King on USC QB Caleb Williams: “Would choosy Caleb Williams exit USC if his NFL fate lay in Chicago? It’ll take someone Fearless to turn this ship around.”

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 Group 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.

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