“Jerry Jones got return on his investment today.” – Chris Simms on performances of newly-signed QB Dak Prescott and WR CeeDee Lamb
“I hear [people] say, ‘He’s overrated, he’s not in the Top 10.’ Watch the game. He’s an incredible football player and an incredible leader for that team.” – Jason Garrett on Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
“I grew up here. I have been a Lions fan for 67 years. I have never seen it like this.” – Tony Dungy reporting from Ford Field on the buzz in Detroit around the Lions
“You can’t sleepwalk and lose at home to the Patriots in Week 1. Unacceptable.” – Devin McCourty on the Bengals’ loss to New England
Peacock Sunday Night Football Final Streams Exclusively on Peacock Following Rams-Lions and Every Sunday Night Football Game During 2024 Season
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 8, 2024 – NBC Sports’ presentation of Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season continued tonight from Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., with Football Night in America leading into coverage of Rams-Lions on Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock.
Maria Taylor hosted FNIA from NBC Sports’ Studio 3 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 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.
Football Night also included Jason Garrett’s interview with Rams head coach Sean McVay and Harrison’s pre-game interview with Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown.
***
Following are highlights from tonight’s edition of Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock:
ON LIONS
Dungy on the buzz in Detroit: “I grew up here. I have been a Lions fan for 67 years. I have never seen it like this. I talked Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson on the sideline and they said the same thing. The energy is just electric.”
Harrison on the Lions’ defense: “It’s the defense that was holding them back (last year). This is the best secondary they’ve had. They went out and got some guys on the outside that can play tight man-to-man coverage. That is something that they really struggled at last year and they also struggled with a lot of blown coverages.”
Harrison on DE Aidan Hutchinson: “I love watching him play. He plays with incredible passion. He reminds me of (Raiders DE) Maxx Crosby because he’s all over the place. One of the things I really like – on the sideline, he’s constantly encouraging and communicating with his teammates.”
ON RAMS
Garrett on WR Cooper Kupp: “I spent a day with the Rams in the spring...I’m in the receiver meeting and (WR coach) Eric Yarber is one of the best, but the guy who’s standing up coaching as much as anyone is Cooper Kupp. He’s walking up, replaying film, going over to guys...Puka Nacua’s eyes are as wide as can be listening to Kupp. The environment is incredible and it’s easy to see why they’ve been so successful.”
Harrison: “I was told by the Rams coaches that the Lions have a lot of different weapons, but the biggest weapon is Sam LaPorta, and they have a special defensive package for him.”
Dungy on the Rams without recently-retired DT Aaron Donald: “It’s going to be a different defense. You can’t replace Aaron Donald – not only the great plays he made, but his presence. They’re going to have to be a little different on defense.”
Jac Collinsworth to Harrison and Dungy: “Would you rather have a 33-year-old Aaron Donald, or would you rather have these young, cheap studs as they project towards the future?”
Harrison: “I think Aaron Donald is the greatest defensive player I’ve ever seen, but I would rather have these younger guys that are a lot cheaper.”
Dungy: “No, no, no. I want 40-year-old Aaron Donald if I can have him.”
Harrison: “I’ve got more love than anybody for Aaron Donald, but at the end of the day, we have to treat this like a business. I want those young guys and I want to be able to provide depth on my defensive line. Now I can take all that money I’m saving and spend it elsewhere.”
ON COWBOYS
Garrett: “Dominant on offense, dominant on defense, and don’t kick it to KaVontae Turpin, the best in the NFL at (punt returns). The Cowboys bludgeoned the Browns at their place.”
Simms: “You want your stars to play their best in the biggest games. They’re against the Cleveland Browns, one of the best defenses in all football, and Jerry Jones got return on his investment today. CeeDee Lamb looks like he’s been practicing all year long. The thing I loved is they said, ‘(CeeDee Lamb) is our guy, we are featuring him. We don’t care he’s only been here a few weeks.’”
Garrett on QB Dak Prescott and his contract extension: “I am so happy for him. He is everything you want in a football player and the leader of your football team. There’s lots of distraction in Dallas and there has been for a long, long time...the guys love to play for him. I hear [people] say, ‘He’s overrated, he’s not in the Top 10.’ Watch the game. He’s an incredible football player and an incredible leader for that team.”
McCourty on the defense: “They were all over Deshaun Watson today. A sack from Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence had two sacks, they had nine QB hits on the day. Unstoppable up front.”
ON PATRIOTS
McCourty: “The biggest question coming into the season was the offensive line, and Rhamondre Stevenson comes out and rushes for over 100 yards. That was the point for New England. Run the ball, set up some play action, and Jacoby Brissett did an awesome job of getting them out of some bad situations.”
Garrett: “Simms has Cincinnati going to the Super Bowl. The Patriots go to Cincinnati and they win this game. Everyone’s talking about them being the worst team in the NFL. (Head coach) Jerod Mayo had them believing, they played the game the right way and they are building something special there.”
ON BENGALS
McCourty on the Bengals’ home loss to the Patriots: “With everything going on, they forgot they’re playing the Patriots Week 1. I don’t care about the 2021 season when they beat the Chiefs in the playoffs... that’s gone. It’s 2024, you can’t sleepwalk and lose at home to the Patriots in Week 1. Unacceptable.”
Simms on loss to Patriots: “This is the Bengals’ fault in a lot of ways. Offseason drama with Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase. And it’s hard not to think, ‘Oh, Patriots Week 1? The Chiefs are down the road next week.’ It’s like the slept on the Patriots and they looked like it today.”
ON CHARGERS
Simms on the Chargers under head coach Jim Harbaugh: “They’re tough, detailed, and they don’t beat themselves. Justin Herbert was efficient...running the ball and being physical is what jumped out to me.”
Garrett on Harbaugh: “Of all the hires of the offseason, this was the slam dunk for me. He’s won at every level. I went to OTA practice, was out on the field for two seconds, and could see that it’s an operation. They know what to do. They will have an identity. They’ll be physical, they’ll be tough, they’ll be a Jim Harbaugh football team.”
ON DOLPHINS
Florio on the latest following WR Tyreek Hill being detained by police before the game: “Former Walter Payton Man of the Year Calais Campbell said after the game that he went over to deescalate the situation. He was handcuffed and detained for disobeying a police officer’s orders. As to Tyreek Hill, Miami-Dade Internal Affairs division has begun an investigation. (Hill’s) agent Drew Rosenhaus has told me that after the game, Internal Affairs reached out to Hill to speak to him. Lawyers are considering all options including possible litigation and one officer has already been placed on what they are calling ‘administrative duties.’”
Garrett on S Jevon Holland’s forced fumble at the goal line: “Jacksonville is going to make it a 17-point game, Jevon Holland knocks the ball out at the goal line and you have to put that highlight on the clinic reel for ‘punching it out.’ This swung the entire game...this is a big win for Miami because they are winning in different ways.”
ON BEARS
Garrett on QB Caleb Williams in his pro debut: “Out of rhythm to say the least. That’s a compliment. They were sloppy as can be. A ton of misses by Caleb Williams throughout the early part of this game. They had no rhythm and were out of sync the whole time. He didn’t look comfortable and missed some big throws.”
Simms: “I think what they need to change in the next game is being a little more aggressive on early downs. A lot of running the ball early today and then on third down, let’s throw.”
ON STEELERS
Simms on the Steelers defense: “It was Pittsburgh-‘Blitzburgh’ all day long. Pittsburgh played in the preseason and they looked like a team that played in the preseason. They were the more physical team out there against the Falcons today.”
Florio on his post-game conversation with DE T.J. Watt: “He told me there were so many Steelers fans at the game that the Falcons had to go to a silent count early. He said that’s a huge advantage for a defense. Here’s another advantage – film study. T.J. Watt said he found what he called a ‘golden nugget’ studying film that gave him perfect timing to get a sack, to force a fumble...the problem was it was too perfect, he was called offside, but the official told him at halftime that he might have made a mistake on that one...he also told me, Coach Garrett, that in the 2017 NFL Draft that when the phone rang and the Steelers picked him, he thought it was you on the phone.”
Garrett: “We should have taken him, Florio! He’s the most impactful defensive player in the NFL.”
ON TEXANS
Simms on the offense: “We know C.J. Stroud is great, but if the Houston Texans get a run game going like this in this Bobby Slowik offense, the potential is limitless.”
McCourty on the effect of RB Joe Mixon’s big rushing day: “The safeties on the Colts had 27 combined tackles. When your safeties have that many tackles, it’s a long day. C.J. Stroud – pick your poison, whoever you want to go to.”
ON VIKINGS
Simms on QB Sam Darnold: “This guy is supposed to see ghosts when he goes into MetLife Stadium. ‘Oh, all of the bad memories from the New York Jets.’ Not today. He made lots of good memories against the New York Giants today.”
Dungy: “We might have to start calling head coach Kevin O’Connell the quarterback whisperer. He did a great job getting Sam Darnold ready today.”
ON PANTHERS
Garrett on Carolina’s 47-10 loss to New Orleans in head coach Dave Canales’ debut: “New coach – same old story for the Carolina Panthers.”
***
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 2024 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.
-- Football Night in America --