“The MVP of football, Tyreek Hill.” – Chris Simms on Dolphins WR Tyreek Hill
“This was our fear with Philadelphia. With that defense, are they going to be able to hold some of the better teams to 20 points...Today that defense didn’t show up.” – Devin McCourty on the Eagles
“I just love their balance. They were throwing it too much the last few weeks…It’s back to them playing offense the way they need to.” – Jason Garrett on the Lions
Peacock Sunday Night Football Final Streams EXCLUSIVELY on Peacock Following Chiefs-Packers and Every Sunday Night Football Game During 2023 Season
STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 3, 2023 – NBC Sports’ presentation of Week 13 of the 2023 NFL season began tonight from Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., with Football Night in America leading into coverage of Chiefs-Packers 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 included Michael Smith’s interview with Chiefs DT Chris Jones. FNIA also featured coverage of Taylor Swift and Simone Biles pregame at Lambeau Field.
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Following are highlights from tonight’s edition of Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock:
ON CHIEFS
Dungy: “When was the last time we said, ‘Their defense is playing great. If they can ever get their offense rolling, they’ll be ok.’ That’s where they’re sitting right now. That defense led by Chris Jones is playing great.”
Chris Jones to NBC Sports’ Michael Smith on his value to the Chiefs: “I think I help the defense a lot mentally with how I prepare the guys outside of the building after practice. My game has changed on the mental side where I’m setting an example for the young guys, showing them the way.”
Harrison on Jones: “You can tell Chris Jones is starting to mature. He understands his significance to that team and to that defense, and it’s about helping younger players get better.”
McCourty on CB L’Jarius Sneed: “He’s a corner that will come in and smack you, he’ll read things and tackle...This is what he does the best: (pressure) right up in (the receiver’s) face. He’s done that with (Davante) Adams, Tyreek Hill. He’s done it against any and everybody. I love watching him play.”
Garrett on the Chiefs’ offense: “I love how they’re attacking with different people in different ways, but they need a receiver to step up...Rashee Rice has done this in recent weeks. It’s not just the catch, it’s the run after the catch. He’s going to be their go-to guy outside.”
Harrison on WR Rashee Rice: “He’s become one of Patrick Mahomes’ favorite targets...He’s a big, physical guy. Kind of reminds you of (49ers WR) Brandon Aiyuk...This is where he’s most difficult, in open space because he’s so physical and so big.”
ON PACKERS
Harrison: “Coach (Matt) LeFleur has done a great job of transitioning from Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love. Jordan Love is playing with a lot more confidence. They’ve done a good job of surrounding him with young talent. I think the future is bright for the Packers.”
Dungy on Packers’ defensive line vs. Mahomes: “This is a big job tonight because you have to rush the passer, but you have to stay disciplined because you can’t afford to give Mahomes running lanes.”
Simms on the Packers’ offense: “It was shaky early on, but the kid gloves are off in Green Bay. I think that’s the most important thing. They’re being aggressive, they’re attacking. Instead of trying to manage Jordan Love to where he feels comfortable, now you’re seeing the offense unveil one-on-one shots down the field.”
ON DOLPHINS
Simms on WR Tyreek Hill: “The MVP of football, Tyreek Hill. I don’t know what Washington’s thinking, they left him man-to-man all game long like they didn’t realize he’s on a record-breaking pace this year...You leave this guy one-on-one, he is a human highlight reel.”
Simms on Hill’s success today vs. Washington: “Vertical routes. The Dolphins, they get you going with reverses, Raheem Mostert on the outside, and then all of a sudden they hit you with something down the field. And nobody hits you with something down the field better than No. 10 of the Miami Dolphins. We’ve never seen a receiver as fast as Tyreek Hill....He’s a special football player. He’s my pick for MVP right now.”
Garrett on LB Andrew Van Ginkel: “You have no chance if Van Ginkel is intercepting passes and running them back. When they have so many weapons on the other side of the ball, you’re in trouble.”
ON 49ERS
Simms: “The big win of the day. The matchup we all couldn’t wait for all season long. A lot of smack talking, the 49ers did all the smacking on the football field. The offense was phenomenal.”
McCourty: “When you don’t score touchdowns but dominate the game like Philadelphia did early, San Francisco says, ‘Hold on, we’re going to score touchdowns and take the lead even though you’re dominating the field.’”
Garrett on the 49ers’ offense: “They were incredible against a supposedly really good defense. It starts with those weapons outside...Deebo Samuel, what is he? Is he a running back, a wide receiver? I know this: when he has the ball in his hands, they can’t tackle the guy.”
McCourty on Samuel: “He shrugs a linebacker off of him and then has the speed to run away from everybody else in the secondary. He’s the guy you don’t really want to have to tackle when you get out there in the secondary.”
Simms on Kyle Shanahan: “When (Kyle) Shanahan has his full array of weapons, he’s almost unstoppable in terms of gameplay design and everything that goes along with that.”
ON EAGLES
McCourty on the Eagles’ defense: “This was our fear with Philadelphia. With that defense, are they going to be able to hold some of the better teams to 20 points...Today that defense didn’t show up.”
Garrett: “They’ve given up too many points lately. When they want to play these teams down the stretch, Dallas is coming next week. No one is playing better offense than the Cowboys.”
ON LIONS
McCourty on the Lions rebounding from Thanksgiving Day loss: “When you have young players, to see them respond after a tough loss, that’s what it’s about...These young guys showed, ‘Hey, you can count on us. I know it’s after Thanksgiving. We’re ready to win, we’ve played on championship teams (in college).’”
Simms on the Lions’ offense: “Once they start to run the ball [and the] defense starts to overplay the run, that’s where (offensive coordinator) Ben Johnson is great. He’ll throw you a wrinkle. You zig, you overplay this, well we’re going to throw a zag at you...I’m telling you, Jameson Williams is going to be key down the stretch because of his ability to take the top off of a defense or make something happen after the catch.”
Garrett: “I just love their balance. They were throwing it too much the last few weeks. They ran it, it all fit together. It’s back to them playing offense the way they need to. It was impressive.”
Florio on Lions DE Bruce Irvin: “He just joined the team recently. He’s only been in pads three times, he told me, since January when he finished last season with the Seahawks. He had a sack today...He said he knows from playing with Derek Carr when the Raiders were in Oakland for three years, if you get around him, he gets rattled. We saw the big hit to Carr, that was also from Irvin, he expects a fine. He knows he can’t put his body weight on the quarterback.”
ON SAINTS
Florio on QB Derek Carr’s injury: “He’s got a concussion, back injury, shoulder injury. They host the Panthers next week. Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill both played quarterback after Carr left.”
ON COLTS
Simms: “(Gardner) Minshew was great today. The Colts have been running the ball on people, they couldn’t get the run game going (today), he found Alec Pierce for big plays, he found Michael Pittman Jr. for big plays.”
ON TEXANS
McCourty on CB Derek Stingley Jr: “Stingley has been playing big. This was a big discussion, him or Sauce Gardner, and he’s been proving, ‘I’m a player out here in Houston.’”
Simms on Texans’ offense: “We know C.J. Stroud, of course, his ability to throw the football and Nico Collins, the size-speed combination is I think the thing that jumps out at all of us. Not only can he catch it over the middle, but he can beat you deep.”
Garrett on C.J. Stroud and the Texans: “This guy in the pocket is something else. He throws it to these big receivers. They’ve got a lot of young cornerstone players on both sides of the ball in Houston. They’re going to be good for a while.”
ON BUCCANEERS
Simms on WR Mike Evans: “This whole game was all about Baker Mayfield to Mike Evans with a little bit of the run-game to complement them. One of the best big-play receivers we’ve seen in the NFL the last few years.”
ON PATRIOTS:
McCourty on the Patriots’ offense: “Obviously, it’s incomplete because we didn’t get any touchdowns in this game. We were looking forward to just seeing first-downs.”
ON JETS
Garrett on the Jets’ offense: “Another ugly game in MetLife Stadium...A lot of different quarterbacks, be careful what you wish for.”
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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 --