“I walk into the hotel lobby and all you see are Packers fans and Eagles fans all over the place – it took me 45 minutes to get a seat for breakfast.” – Rodney Harrison on the excitement for Packers-Eagles in São Paulo
“He is going to bring some attitude back to the Eagles.” – Tony Dungy on RB Saquon Barkley
“He will not make it through the rest of the year if he plays like that.” – Chris Simms on Ravens QB Lamar Jackson’s style of play vs. Kansas City
Matthew Stafford and Los Angeles Rams Visit Jared Goff and Detroit Lions in Season Debut of Sunday Night Football on Sept. 8 on NBC, Peacock and Universo
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 6, 2024 – NBC Sports’ coverage of the opening weekend of the 2024 NFL season continued tonight exclusively on Peacock, with a special edition of Football Night in America leading into the first-ever NFL game played in Brazil, featuring the Green Bay Packers against the Philadelphia Eagles at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo.
Tonight’s special edition of Football Night in America featured host Maria Taylor, three-time Super Bowl champion Devin McCourty, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, NFL insider Mike Florio, and fantasy sports industry pioneer Matthew Berry in NBC Sports’ Studio 3 in Stamford, with Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison, and co-host Jac Collinsworth on-site at Corinthians Arena in São Paolo.
Pre-game coverage also included Kaylee Hartung’s live interview with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Jac Collinsworth’s live interview with Eagles RB Saquon Barkley, as well as excerpts of Tony Dungy’s interview with Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni and Maria Taylor’s conversation with Packers QB Jordan Love.
Noah Eagle (play-by-play), Todd Blackledge (analyst), Kaylee Hartung (sideline reporter) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) are calling tonight’s Packers-Eagles game.
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Following are highlights from tonight’s special edition of Football Night in America on Peacock:
ON THE SCENE IN SÃO PAULO
Jac Collinsworth: “Today, there is just a different buzz around this place. You’re seeing Peyton Manning jerseys, Tom Brady jerseys, Patrick Mahomes jerseys – of course, a lot of Eagles and Packers jerseys too. These fans have been waiting for this moment for a long time.”
Harrison: “This morning, I thought I was going to have a nice, quiet breakfast. I walk into the hotel lobby and all you see are Packers fans and Eagles fans all over the place – it took me 45 minutes to get a seat for breakfast.”
Dungy on field conditions: “Green Bay might have a little bit of an advantage because this grass is just like what they have at Lambeau Field. The Philadelphia defensive backs were out here earlier and they were slipping a little bit. They all changed to long cleats and they’re ready to go now.”
ON PACKERS
Harrison on the Packers’ defense: “They went out and made a significant investment on the defensive side of the ball. The went out and signed Xavier McKinney, the top free safety on the market, they re-signed Rashan Gary, and hired an aggressive defensive coordinator...this defense should be a lot better.”
Dungy on QB Jordan Love: “He is the perfect leader for this group. He’s gotten them to work hard and grow. They love him.”
Harrison on Love: “I really enjoy Jordan Love. When I met him last year, he was humble, he was cool, but the moment wasn’t too big for him. I really trust Jordan Love.”
McCourty on Love: “I’m looking forward to seeing the maturity on how he handles all of this. Everyone had question marks...he came and delivered. Now everyone is expecting this team to potentially make the Super Bowl. That’s a lot to take on, so I want to see how he handles it.”
Simms: “As the year went on last year, it’s like the coaches said, ‘It’s time to sink or swim. We’ve got to see if this guy can go to the next level and start carrying us,’ and he did that...he just does not flinch in the pocket. He will stand in there until the very last second.”
ON EAGLES
Dungy on RB Saquon Barkley: “He is going to bring some attitude back to the Eagles. They got away from their running game last year. He’s not going to allow that. The other thing he’s going to do is help those receivers because you’re going to have to gang up on him to stop the run.”
Simms on RB Saquon Barkley: “I’m so happy for Saquon Barkley. Hey, I’m a Giants fan, and I’m just telling you he’s a superstar player and he’s finally got the support he needs.”
Harrison on the defense: “When you draft the two best defensive backs in college football, I think the secondary automatically gets better. You have C.J. Gardner-Johnson, you have Darius Slay...with coach (Vic) Fangio and what he brings, I think they’re going to be a lot better...when you have a new defensive coordinator, it’s great because you feel like you have a clean slate.”
Dungy on impact of losing C Jason Kelce: “Jalen Hurts is not going to have Jason Kelce to rely on...coach (Nick Sirianni) showed me in the film session games where Jason would say, ‘He’s coming, don’t worry about him Jalen, we’ll slide, we’ve got him.’ Jalen Hurts will have to do those protections and make those calls at the line himself tonight.”
McCourty on QB Jalen Hurts: “His dad was a coach, so he’s learned the game of football in his mind before he even started playing. This is something that he can do...how does (offensive coordinator) Kellen Moore make the game easier for Jalen Hurts? I want to see how he helps Jalen Hurts be even better.”
ON RAVENS-CHIEFS SEASON-OPENER
McCourty on Ravens QB Lamar Jackson: “The amount of times where he dropped back and he looked like he was letting everyone get down field just so he could run, it looked like he was trying to make every big play to will the team to win and it wasn’t necessary.”
Simms on Jackson: “I think he was still angry about the AFC Championship Game so he was trying to carry the team on his back. You like to see him run the ball a little bit, but at 205 lbs., the pounding he took last night, he will not make it through the rest of the year if he plays like that.”
ON BENGALS
Florio on WR Ja’Marr Chase’s contract situation: “This has become a game of ‘contract chicken.’ We know what Chase wants, but the Bengals think come Saturday he’ll accept their best offer. I’m not so sure of that. I’m told he is willing to sit on Sunday if he doesn’t get what he wants.”
NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL WITH KAYLEE HARTUNG
Roger Goodell on bringing the NFL to São Paulo: “Just look around, right? The crowd, the fans, the enthusiasm, the stadium itself. The leadership here really wanted to do this and that makes a difference for us.”
Goodell on playing games in international locations: “When we take these games to global markets, the television, the media, it all helps. And at the end of the day when the fans get here and they get into this environment, it becomes a big event. That’s what is going to put us on a rocket ship.”
Goodell on the possibility of an international division: “I do believe there are a number of cities internationally that could do it, but it is always the competitive side we worry about.”
Goodell on the new dynamic kickoff: “There are so many factors that go into it...what we want to do is see if we can get this play back, do it in a safe way, and then see what other adjustments we have to make. Whether it’s moving the touchback to the 30 (yard line) or even the 40 (yard line), those are the kind of things we’re going to want to talk about.”
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Sunday Night Football -- America’s No. 1 primetime television show for an unprecedented 13 consecutive years -- debuts Sunday, Sept. 8, with a 2023 NFL Wild Card rematch as Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions host Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. In January, Detroit defeated Los Angeles, 24-23, to earn its first playoff win since 1991. Coverage begins with Football Night in America -- the most-watched studio show in sports -- at 7 p.m. ET, leading into kickoff at 8:20 p.m. ET on NBC, Peacock, and Universo.
--FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA--
