“How crazy is it that this could morph into one of the game’s best rivalries? (Trevor) Lawrence vs. (C.J.) Stroud…Give me that matchup twice a year forever.”– King on Jaguars-Texans
“Feels like more than ever, it’s an Any Given Sunday league.” – Eagles C Jason Kelce on the competitive state of the NFL
“If he can be sure he is reasonably recovered, without a significant risk of re-tearing the Achilles, I think he’d strongly consider playing, whatever the Jets’ record is.” – King on Jets QB Aaron Rodgers’ potential comeback
STAMFORD, Conn. – Nov. 27, 2023 – Peter King speaks with Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce after both players’ teams won down-to-the-wire games in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also discusses Aaron Rodgers’ potential comeback, the Packers’ win against the Lions on Thanksgiving, and more.
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The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:
EAGLES
Eagles C Jason Kelce on his team: “I guess it’s surprising that nobody else is up there with us at this point of the season, because the disparity between great teams and good teams is less than I’ve seen in my time in the league.”
Kelce on the competitive state of the NFL: “It feels like there’s a big middle of the pack. Very big. It’s as close as I’ve ever seen the NFL. Feels like more than ever, it’s an Any Given Sunday league.”
Kelce on being called for a false start twice in the last two minutes of regulation in Philadelphia’s win over Buffalo: “I think they were good calls, if I’m being honest. I flinched. That’s the bottom line. You know, our stadium, our fans are incredible. But it’s kinda been some of the problems sometimes when we go no-huddle…The fans are really excited and you’re trying to make a play and all of a sudden it’s difficult sometimes to hear the quarterback.”
King’s four teams best able to challenge Philadelphia: San Francisco, Kansas City, Baltimore, Dallas
JAGUARS
King on the Jaguars-Texans rivalry: “How crazy is it that this could morph into one of the game’s best rivalries? (Trevor) Lawrence vs. (C.J.) Stroud…Give me that matchup twice a year forever.”
Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence on future matchups vs. the Texans: “I always want every team in our division to be as bad as possible. That’s better for us. But no, I do think it’s gonna be fun to play them twice a year.”
Lawrence on WR Calvin Ridley’s touchdown and two-point conversion late in the third quarter of Jacksonville’s win against Houston: “In games like this, you gotta make those plays down the stretch. It’s players, not plays. It’s about the guys you trust and have faith in just going and making a play.”
AARON RODGERS
King on Jets QB Aaron Rodgers’ potential comeback after tearing his Achilles in Week 1: “If he can be sure he is reasonably recovered, without a significant risk of re-tearing the Achilles, I think he’d strongly consider playing, whatever the Jets’ record is.”
King: “I don’t think (Rodgers’ doctor, Neal) ElAttrache would put his reputation on the line by letting Rodgers play if he felt there was a major risk of tearing the Achilles.”
King on Rodgers returning to practice: “A quarterback can practice at different levels of intensity…Rodgers would be able to manage his effort during practice, and I’m sure he would be aware of what is going too far when he gets on the field.”
WEEK 12
King on Bills QB Josh Allen: “The Bills lost that game in Philadelphia, but please, please, please do not bring out some goofy stat to blame Josh Allen. That’s one of the best games he’s ever played.”
Falcons S Jessie Bates III on his pick-six off Saints QB Derek Carr: “I’ve been a step late on a bunch of plays this year, and I thought I needed to be more aggressive. This was kind of a risk. The coach tells [me], ‘Play the middle of the field,’ and I do, but I’ve been watching a lot of film on the Saints and I thought there was a play to be made there.”
Bates on the Falcons’ win against the Saints: “These are the kinds of games you dream of as a kid. Playoff atmosphere, full house, a game we really needed. The division’s open, but we’re in the front seat now.”
KING’S WEEK 12 AWARDS
Offensive Players of the Week: Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia, Garrett Bolles, Denver, Jordan Love, Green Bay, & Dak Prescott, Dallas
King on the Packers: “All along, the 2023 season has not been about winning the Super Bowl for Green Bay; it’s been about developing the fourth quarterback in the last 32 seasons for the Packers.”
King on Love: “He capped a terrific November, the month of proving he belongs, with a 103.1 rating and with a 3-1 month, the only loss a four-point decision to the Steelers.”
Defensive Players of the Week: Jevon Holland, Miami, Josh Allen, Jacksonville, Jessie Bates III, Atlanta, & Rashan Gary, Green Bay
King on Holland’s pick-six to end the first half in Miami’s win against the Jets on Black Friday: “Craziest play of the season, and of course the Jets were involved. Holland plucked a Tim Boyle Hail Mary at the Miami goal line, landed at his 1-, and sped/zig-zagged 99 yards for a touchdown.”
King on Gary’s performance in Green Bay’s win over Detroit on Thanksgiving: “Played the game of his career, on a national stage, just over a year after tearing his ACL and missing half of the 2022 season.”
Coaches of the Week: Eddie Faulkner, offensive coordinator, & Mike Sullivan, quarterbacks coach, Pittsburgh
King on the Steelers’ offense in their win against the Bengals: “The Steelers broke a 58-game streak of offensive futility, gaining over 400 yards (421) for the first time since week two of 2020 in the 16-10 win at Cincinnati in the first game after the firing of offensive coordinator Matt Canada.”
Special Teams Players of the Week: Jake Elliott, Philadelphia, & Daniel Whelan, Green Bay
Goats of the Week: Bill Belichick, New England, & Derek Carr, New Orleans
King on the Patriots’ loss to the Giants: “The Giants won a game the Patriots lost about 65 different ways, 10-7.”
King on Carr’s first season in New Orleans: “I guess $60 million (the fully guaranteed money Carr signed for with the Saints last spring) doesn’t buy what it used to. In 11 games, Carr has 10 TD passes and the Saints have exceeded 24 points just twice.”
NEWS & NOTES
King on the Broncos: “I think the most fascinating, interesting, mysterious and dangerous team down the stretch of this season will be Denver. I could see the Broncos finishing 8-9. I could see them going on the road and winning a Wild Card game. Or more.”
King on the Lions: “I think the Lions are regressing, which is an odd thing to say about an 8-3 team. But they can’t get defensive stops the way they did early in the year…The massive comeback against Chicago may have been a mirage.”
King on the possibility of the NFL adding an 18th regular season game to the schedule: “An 18th game for a regular starter provides 65 more chances (the number of plays for each unit, on average, in a game) to get hurt. Easy for me to say, but if the players vote for an 18th game sometime down the road, they’ve lost the empathy factor from me when it comes to injuries.”
Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.
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- 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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