“It’s like watching the old Patriots teams with Tom Brady. They need a touchdown? They’re going to score a touchdown. They’re 10-1 and I don’t feel like they’ve really played an A+ game all year.” – Chris Simms on the Eagles
“If I play defense on that team, I want somebody new, someone that hasn’t been out there.” – Devin McCourty on the Patriots QB situation
“This is the answer that you had to figure out if you’re a Kansas City Chiefs fan.” – Simms on Chiefs WR Rashee Rice (107 yards and 1 TD vs. Las Vegas)
“As Ludacris said, ‘Move – get out the way’ – all day long against this Saints defense.” – Simms on the Falcons’ rushing attack in win vs. New Orleans
Peacock Sunday Night Football Final Streams EXCLUSIVELY on Peacock Following Ravens-Chargers and Every Sunday Night Football Game During 2023 Season
STAMFORD, Conn. – Nov. 26, 2023 – NBC Sports’ presentation of Week 12 of the 2023 NFL season continued tonight from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., with Football Night in America leading into coverage of Ravens-Chargers on Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock.
Maria Taylor hosted FNIA from NBC Sports’ Studio 1 in Stamford, Conn. She was joined by 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), Jason Garrett (analyst), Melissa Stark (sideline reporter) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) are calling tonight’s game.
Tonight’s pre-game coverage also included McCourty’s interview with Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. Click here to watch the full interview.
***
Following are highlights from tonight’s edition of Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock:
ON RAVENS
Harrison on this year’s Ravens team: “I actually think this team is better (than in Lamar Jackson’s MVP season in 2019). Offensively, they’ve given Lamar a lot more freedom. Safety Kyle Hamilton told me they’re only scratching the surface of what they can do on the defensive side of the ball…they’re winning in different ways. It’s not just Lamar Jackson making plays.”
Simms on the Ravens’ defense: “They never let you be comfortable. You don’t know who’s blitzing or what kind of coverage they’re in…Mike Macdonald, the defensive coordinator of the Ravens, will tactically take chances and I love that about him…they lead the league in sacks, but they don’t have one premier pass rusher. That speaks to the scheme of the defensive coordinator and what he’s doing.”
ON CHARGERS
Dungy on QB Justin Herbert: “All these experts out here saying that Justin Herbert puts up good numbers but he’s not a good quarterback – you couldn’t be more wrong. This guy is doing everything for them. He’s throwing the ball well, moving around, just making all kinds of big plays.”
Harrison on Herbert: “If I’m Justin Herbert, I have to go into this game with the mindset that I have to score as many points as possible. It has to be a shootout because I can’t trust my defense.”
Dungy on the Chargers: “Their problem is on defense. They’re talented, but they are not playing consistent football. They are going to have their hands full with that Baltimore running game.”
ON EAGLES
Simms on OT win vs. the Bills: “The Eagles are unreal. Their resilience. They hold you to a field goal, they score a touchdown. You miss a field goal? They kick a 59-yarder in the rain…it’s like watching the old Patriots teams with Tom Brady. They need a touchdown? They’re going to score a touchdown…they always have an answer…they’re 10-1 and I don’t feel like they’ve really played an A+ game all year. Philly just does whatever they’ve got to do to win on a given Sunday and there’s a lot to be said about that.”
McCourty: “That’s the difference between the Eagles and all of the other teams in the NFL. They can do it multiple ways. We’ve talked about the 49ers – they have to play a certain type of game to be successful. Philly doesn’t. They figure it out in-game, they adjust, and they win at the end of the day.”
ON BILLS
Simms on OT loss vs. the Eagles: “The Bills are not as good as the Eagles. They have no wiggle room here so the mistakes are amplified with Josh Allen. He threw a bad interception when they had control of the game…but it’s the Eagles that were really the star of the show.”
ON STEELERS
McCourty on the Steelers’ offense under interim OC Eddie Faulkner in win vs. the Bengals: “Kenny Pickett was throwing the ball down the field…everyone has been saying, ‘Use these weapons.’ They used them, they came to play today, and it worked out well for them.”
McCourty on WR Diontae Johnson not reacting to fumble: “You watch him and you say, ‘Move. Block. Do something.’ He doesn’t block – if he has been blocking, he might not see the ball. But now he sees (the fumble and return). ‘You’re one of our fastest guys. Chase. Do something.’”
ON CHIEFS
Simms on WR Rashee Rice (107 receiving yards and one touchdown catch): “This is the answer that you had to figure out if you’re a Kansas City Chiefs fan…somebody at the wide receiver position is going to have to stand up and be the guy and make the defense gameplan for them a little bit…if they can keep running the ball, (Travis) Kelce over the middle and some one-on-one matchups outside for Rice? They’ll find a niche for him and they’ll become more explosive in the pass game.”
McCourty on Rice: “He can catch crossing routes, he can go down the field, he can do so much for this offense.”
ON PATRIOTS
McCourty on the QB situation: “I do believe that we will see somebody different at quarterback. I’m not sure if it’s (Bailey) Zappe. If I play defense on that team, I want somebody new, someone that hasn’t been out there.”
Simms: “As far as Mac Jones, can we definitively say we won’t see him out there again this year? I think the problem is there’s not a lot of great answers they have on their roster. I feel like his time with this regime is coming to an end, but they need to do something different. Give the ball to Malik Cunningham and see what he can do.”
ON COLTS
Simms on win vs. Buccaneers: “They dominated the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball today. It wasn’t just the run game, they harassed Baker Mayfield with their defensive line throughout…watch out for this Colts team. They’re alive.”
ON JAGUARS
Simms on the Jaguars’ win vs. the Texans: “One thing I loved, the Jaguars attacked in the passing game – made a lot of big plays. Calvin Ridley stood up a lot today, they found him a number of times. Trevor Lawrence looked great as well. The Jacksonville Jaguars are a really good team.”
ON FALCONS
Simms on the Falcons: “Their team is built around the offensive line. For the amount of money they spent, they’ve got to start dominating up front. As Ludacris said, ‘Move – get out the way’ – all day long against this Saints defense.”
McCourty on RB Bijan Robinson: “Hey Atlanta – this is why you brought Bijan Robinson to the A. He was able to run the ball…they made sure to put the ball in Bijan Robinson’s hands all day.”
LAMAR JACKSON WITH DEVIN MCCOURTY
Jackson rating the Ravens’ offense: “I would say we’re a seven (out of 10). The sky is the limit for us. We hit strides but it’s about being consistent.”
Jackson on running more: “As long as we win the game, I did enough running. The game has been getting a lot faster – it’s changing, but in a good way.”
Jackson on the chip on his shoulder this season: “The chip, is trying to get a ‘chip (championship). I really don’t care about the noise – I like being the underdog. When we’re getting praised, that’s when I get mad. I don’t want to hear that stuff. Don’t talk about us, talk about the other teams. I like when they overlook us.”
***
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 --
