FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 30th, 2023

JOE BURROW SPEAKS WITH PETER KING TO LEAD WEEK 8 NFL RECAP IN THIS WEEK’S “FMIA” COLUMN

“We’re exactly where we need to be and we’re going to keep getting better.”– Bengals QB Joe Burrow after Cincinnati’s win over San Francisco

“Put them in some order, but (A.J.) Brown, Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill are the three best receivers in football.” – King

“If the Browns get to the end of this season without having a good idea whether Watson’s their long-term quarterback, that would be an abject disaster.” – King on injured Browns QB Deshaun Watson

“A contender with a rushing need that won’t pay a third-rounder plus something, or an unconditional second-rounder, for a half-season of Henry (a 2024 free-agent) is making a mistake.” – King on Titans RB Derrick Henry and Tuesday’s NFL Trade Deadline

STAMFORD, Conn. – Oct. 30, 2023 – Peter King speaks with Cincinnati Bengals QB Joe Burrow after the team’s statement win over the San Francisco 49ers in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also discusses A.J. Brown’s historic season, the Broncos’ win over the Chiefs, Titans rookie QB Will Levis’ first career start, 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 these videos and more, click here to subscribe.

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

BENGALS

Bengals QB Joe Burrow to King on his game-sealing touchdown pass to Ja’Marr Chase against the 49ers: “What was cool is it happened exactly how we practiced it. Our guys did a great job of selling it. It’s no secret we like to throw those kinds of routes to Ja’Marr — it’s a big part of what we do. In that situation, a great call by Zac (Taylor).”

Burrow on recovering from his preseason calf injury: “It’s tough when you have an injury and you’re playing through it. You obviously can’t do some things that normally you can…We got through it healthy and we’re on the other side now, it feels like.”

Burrow on the current state of the Bengals: “We’re exactly where we need to be and we’re going to keep getting better.”

WEEK 8

King on Vikings QB Kirk Cousins reportedly tearing his right Achilles: “A brutal blow for the team, and for a quarterback headed to free agency after the season. It won’t be great for Cousins, on the free market heading into his age-36 year, coming off a torn Achilles.”

King on Titans rookie QB Will Levis’ first career start, a win over Atlanta: “Tennessee rookie Will Levis looked a lot more like the first pick in the draft than the 33rd…His superb play might give the Titans pause at Tuesday’s trade deadline.”

King on the Jets’ 13-10 win over the Giants: “I think I still don’t know how the Jets won that game. Or, rather, how the Giants lost it. Amazing to see the Giants’ season circling the drain before Halloween.”

King on the Jaguars: “They’re 6-2, riding a five-game win streak, just won convincingly in the Land of Tomlin, and have a 2.5-game lead in a bad division entering their bye. I’d say things are looking up.”

King on the Dolphins’ win against the Patriots: “Mike McDaniel is 3-1 against Bill Belichick. Not many coaches can say they’re batting .750 against the great Belichick.”

KING’S WEEK 8 AWARDS

Offensive Players of the Week: A.J. Brown, Philadelphia, Russell Wilson, Denver, & Will Levis, Tennessee

King on Brown: “Put them in some order, but Brown, Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill are the three best receivers in football.”

King on Wilson’s performance in Denver’s win over Kansas City: “Wilson’s had a lot of gaudy numbers games in his life, but I bet it’s a lot more rewarding to snap a 16-game Broncos losing streak against the best quarterback in the sport.”

Defensive Players of the Week: Kayvon Thibodeaux, New York Giants, Maurice Hurst, Cleveland, & Jalen Ramsey, Miami

King on Thibodeaux: “His two sacks, for losses of 15 and 10 yards, on what should have been the Jets’ final drive of a loss, were precisely the plays the Giants drafted him to make.”

Coaches of the Week: Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator, Denver, & John Fassel, special-teams coordinator, Dallas

King on the Denver defense: “Against Kansas City, the cream of the AFC, Denver gave up one TD in eight total red-zone trips to the great (Patrick) Mahomes. Excellent job by Joseph and the mostly young D.”

Special Teams Players of the Week: Thomas Morstead, New York Jets, Brandon Aubrey, Dallas, & Sam Martin, Buffalo

King on Aubrey: “Aubrey’s hit all 18 of his field-goal tries through seven games, including his longest Sunday in the rout of the Rams: 58 yards, perfectly down the middle, and another insurance boot late. Not bad for a guy earning $750,000, one-third of 1 percent of the Dallas salary cap.”

Goats of the Week: Graham Gano, New York Giants, & Brock Purdy, San Francisco

NEWS & NOTES

King on Titans RB Derrick Henry: “Derrick Henry is the only truly great player who could be — should be — traded in the next day-and-a-half…A contender with a rushing need that won’t pay a third-rounder plus something, or an unconditional second-rounder, for a half-season of Henry (a 2024 free-agent) is making a mistake.”

King on Bills QB Josh Allen rushing less to protect his health: “If I were a Bills mafioso, I’d rather be 10-7, a Wild Card, and the sixth seed in the playoffs, playing exclusively on the road with a relatively healthy Allen…than 12-5, a division champ, and the third seed with Allen trying to limp through one home game and two road games to get to the Super Bowl.”

King on the Browns QB Deshaun Watson saga: “It’s too early to say Watson is a Cleveland bust. But if the Browns get to the end of this season without having a good idea whether Watson’s their long-term quarterback, that would be an abject disaster.”

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.

—NBC SPORTS—