“The best rookie quarterback in the game right now and one of the best rookie quarterbacks I’ve seen in my life.” – Chris Simms on Texans QB C.J. Stroud
“The Ravens defense is unreal. They’re coached extremely well, they’re creative, they can get after the passer, and they’re good in the secondary.” – Simms on the Ravens defense
“(Dak Prescott) put the entire team on his shoulders throughout this ballgame. Time and time again in the big moments, he was the guy making plays. Unbelievable job.”- Jason Garrett on Cowboys QB Dak Prescott’s performance against the Eagles
Peacock Sunday Night Football Final Streams EXCLUSIVELY on Peacock Following Bills-Bengals and Every Sunday Night Football Game During 2023 Season
STAMFORD, Conn. – Nov. 5, 2023 – NBC Sports’ presentation of Week 9 of the 2023 NFL season began tonight from Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, with Football Night in America leading into coverage of Bills-Bengals 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 and 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 McCourty’s interview with Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase, as well as Peter King’s interview with Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes in Frankfurt.
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Following are highlights from tonight’s edition of Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock:
ON BENGALS
Harrison on QB Joe Burrow: “He’s given this team a boost because of his health. You look at this offensive line, they’re playing with a lot more confidence...and this defense is getting better. This is a scary team.”
McCourty on facing Burrow as an opposing player: “We didn’t see him a lot, but when we did, we knew Joe Burrow was a smart quarterback. We also said, ‘We gotta make it tough.’”
McCourty after discussing a play from 2022 where he intercepted Burrow: “I just want you guys to know, I didn’t decide to pick this play!”
McCourty on Ja’Marr Chase’s signature touchdown celebration, the Griddy: “I think the Bengals really considered bringing me back for Sunday Night Football just so I could hit the Griddy in the endzone.”
ON BILLS
Garrett on QB Josh Allen: “If the city of Buffalo is on this guy’s shoulders, he can’t hold it up for 60 minutes in 17 games. When they spread it around, that’s when they’re at their best and then in the big moments, he’s going to make the plays for them.”
ON TEXANS
Simms on Texans rookie QB C.J. Stroud: “The best rookie quarterback in the game right now and one of the best rookie quarterbacks I’ve seen in my life.”
Florio on Texans RB Dare Ogunbowale’s crucial field goal in Houston’s win over Tampa Bay: “He found out at halftime that he would be kicking in the second half, and he hadn’t practiced the ‘snap, spot, hold, kick’ sequence since training camp. When it was time to kick the field goal, he said he just stared at the ground and as soon as he hit it, he knew it was good. He said he should’ve done the Steph Curry lookaway – he didn’t – but he got the ball and he told me he’s probably going to give it to his dad because his dad wanted him to be a soccer player anyway.”
ON PACKERS
Simms on the Packers’ win over the Rams: “(Jordan) Love was efficient. He didn’t make any mistakes. They ran the ball well and you could see the Rams couldn’t do anything on offense.”
ON CHIEFS
Simms on the Chiefs’ fumble-return touchdown in the win over the Dolphins in Frankfurt: “The fumble forced by (Trent) McDuffie and then of course the great pitch to (Bryan) Cook, who opens it up and looks like Usain Bolt running down the sideline. This Chiefs defense has been awesome all year long.”
Florio on his conversation with McDuffie: “Tyreek Hill was the focal point for the Kansas City defense...McDuffie told me that the goal was to put hands on him and disrupt the timing of the offense.”
ON RAVENS
Simms on Baltimore’s defense in the win over Seattle: “The Ravens defense is unreal. They’re coached extremely well, they’re creative, they can get after the passer, and they’re good in the secondary.”
McCourty: “I talked to Kyle Van Noy after the game. He said, ‘I don’t know if everybody knows, but in six games I’ve got five sacks. They can’t block me.’”
Simms: “They look like they’re one of the best teams in football.”
ON EAGLES
Simms on the Eagles pass rush: “The Eagles pass rush is a force to be reckoned with...it’s one of the best D-lines in football. They are the reason they won this game against the Cowboys.”
ON COWBOYS
Simms on QB Dak Prescott in Dallas’ loss to Philadelphia: “Dak played phenomenal football. They wouldn’t have been in the game without his performance today.”
Garrett on Prescott: “That quarterback in Dallas, Dak Prescott, put the entire team on his shoulders throughout this ballgame. Time and time again in the big moments, he was the guy making plays. Unbelievable job. A classic in the NFC East.”
ON RAIDERS
Garrett: “Antonio Pierce has brought a new energy to Las Vegas and his team responded. Got the ball to Jakobi Meyers early on in the ball game. They were dominant in all three phases for 60 minutes.”
ON VIKINGS
Simms on QB Josh Dobbs: “Josh Dobbs? Let me just check, he got signed like four days ago. Here he is running the two-minute drill and making plays for the Minnesota Vikings throughout the game. He was the leading rusher on the day for the Viking and late in the game, it wasn’t always pretty, but he leads them on a comeback clutch drive. He gets the touchdown and the Minnesota Vikings pull off the shocking win.”
Florio on Dobbs: “He’s from Alpharetta (Georgia), right up the road, went to Falcons games as a kid. Showed up this week in Minnesota. I asked him how many plays he knew, he said, ‘Just enough.’ He spent two and a half extra hours on Friday going over everything. He was constantly hearing from Kevin O’Connell in that headset. I said, ‘When do you know when it’s time to run?’ He said, ‘It’s easy. When everyone’s covered.’ Because they don’t account for him! After today, maybe they will.”
Simms on the Vikings: “We all last week were like, ‘It’s over without Kirk Cousins.’ We got to give Kevin O’Connell, the culture up there in Minnesota, Brian Flores some credit, because I certainly didn’t think they were going to win today.”
ON FALCONS
Simms on QB Taylor Heinicke’s first start for the Falcons, a loss to the Vikings: “Heinicke did some good things. It wasn’t perfect. He can be awesome but also a little crazy with the football.”
ON BROWNS
McCourty on Cleveland’s defense in the win over Arizona: “That was the story of the day. This Browns defense continues to dominate games. Seven sacks today, two interceptions, and most importantly, a shutout.”
JA’MARR CHASE WITH DEVIN MCCOURTY
McCourty: “Have you ever stepped on a football field and felt, like, ’I don’t know if I’m the best player today’?”
Chase: “Hell no. It doesn’t matter where I go, I don’t feel like that.”
Chase on the best part of his game: “I’m versatile. That’s the best part of my game, I’m versatile. I do inside, outside. I can do it all, wherever they move me.”
Chase on his relationship with QB Joe Burrow: “I’ll tell you one thing about Joe, when it’s business time, he’s locked in. He’s not cracking no smile or nothing like that. Having a guy like that around is just letting you know you’ve got to lock in and pay attention to it.”
Chase on if there is a hatred starting to build with the Bills: “I don’t know. Buffalo hates us probably. I wouldn’t say we hate them, we don’t even care. It’s just, ‘Next game up, next team up. We gotta win.’”
PATRICK MAHOMES WITH PETER KING
Mahomes on today’s winm over the Dolphins: “It was a big win. Obviously, it’s going to mean a lot as we get to the playoff picture, but I think just seeing the defense play like that and responding against a great team. We’ve got a lot to clean up on offense. We know that. We’ll continue to work, but with a defense like that we’ll continue to win football games.”
Mahomes on the Chiefs defense: “I think it’s the best defense in the NFL. If we have a defense like that, we’re going to get this offense figured out. I promise you. And then, we’re going to be a hard team to beat.”
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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 --