“I’ve been in the league for 47 years. I’ve never seen a regular-season game with this much on the line.” – Tony Dungy on tonight’s Vikings-Lions game
“As a Lions fan, this is the atmosphere we’ve been dreaming about and praying for. It was definitely on our Christmas list.” – Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders to Chris Simms on tonight’s Vikings-Lions game
“Who’s the most balanced and complete team in the league? It’s the Philadelphia Eagles.” – Jason Garrett
“The thing about the NFL – it’s a results-driven business.” – Devin McCourty on Patriots firing rookie head coach Jerod Mayo after 4-13 season
Peacock Sunday Night Football Final Streams Exclusively on Peacock Following Vikings-Lions and Every Sunday Night Football Game During 2024 Season
STAMFORD, Conn. – January 5, 2025 – NBC Sports’ presentation of Week 18 of the 2024 NFL season continued tonight with a special edition of Football Night in America live on-site at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., leading into coverage of Vikings-Lions in NFL Game 272 on Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock, with the NFC’s top seed and a first-round bye on the line.
Maria Taylor hosted tonight’s edition of Football Night in America from Ford Field alongside former Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett, three-time Super Bowl champion Devin McCourty, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison, NFL Insider Mike Florio, fantasy sports industry pioneer Matthew Berry, and co-host Jac Collinsworth.
This marks the first time that Football Night’s entire studio team was on-site at a regular-season finale since the show’s inception in 2006.
Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), Melissa Stark (sideline reporter) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) are calling tonight’s game.
Tonight’s pre-game coverage included Dungy’s film room session with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, Taylor’s pre-game interview with Vikings WR Justin Jefferson, Garrett’s pre-game interview with Lions head coach Dan Campbell and Harrison’s pre-game interview with Lions RB Jamhyr Gibbs. Coverage also included a pre-game tease with actor and Lions fan Keegan Michael-Key.
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Following are highlights from tonight’s edition of Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock:
ON HISTORIC NATURE AND IMPORTANCE OF TONIGHT’S MATCHUP
Dungy: “I’ve been in the league for 47 years. I’ve never seen a regular-season game with this much on the line.”
Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Lions RB Barry Sanders to Simms: “I’m expecting a phenomenal night. This team has risen to every occasion the last few years. As a Lions fan, this is the atmosphere we’ve been dreaming about and praying for. It was definitely on our Christmas list.”
Dungy on atmosphere in Ford Field: “I’ve been on the road [on FNIA] for two years now and I’ve never been in a building where the noise has been so loud this early before a game.”
ON VIKINGS
Vikings WR Justin Jefferson to Taylor on the importance of tonight’s matchup: “To get that No. 1 seed with home-field advantage and the bye week is something I’m pretty sure everyone in this league wants, so for it to be at stake tonight, the last game of the regular season, we have to come out swinging.”
Harrison on how the Vikings are preparing for the Lions’ offense and trick plays: “I got a text from someone on the Minnesota Vikings defense. They said, ‘We’ve seen the trick plays both on offense and special teams. We can’t allow it to take away our aggressiveness.’”
Harrison on how the Vikings’ offense should attack the Lions’ defense: “The Lions love to play man-to-man. You have to attack them by forcing their linebackers into covering open space. That means lining up Aaron Jones and T.J. Hockenson outside. They can’t cover those guys.”
Dungy on QB Sam Darnold: “I spoke with Sam during warmups and he said his biggest thing tonight is the pre-snap operation with this crowd, ‘making sure I can hear the coach and the players can hear me. Once I snap the ball, everything is black and white, it’s 1-2-3-4 and I have great confidence in what I’m doing.’”
Harrison on WR coach Keenan McCardell: “I have to give a lot of credit to wide receivers coach Keenan McCardell. He has done a terrific job. That room has really developed. That’s the name that they keep telling me. Jordan Addison has gotten a lot better and Jalen Nailor is playing some of his best football.”
McCourty on how the Vikings should approach the Lions’ offense: “Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has to use the first game against Detroit [this season]. They tried to blitz Detroit and it didn’t work. Detroit had answers. I think they switch it up and they have a disguise element to them where they only blitz a couple times this game where they go all out and they’re patient.”
Florio on reports that the Vikings may trade head coach Kevin O’Connell: “I talked to a Vikings source just a few moments ago and I was told, ‘We love Kevin and he’s not being traded.’”
ON LIONS
Harrison on the importance of tonight’s game: “It’s a must-win. They’ve been the best team in the NFC throughout the year and I think it’s going to be demoralizing if they lose tonight and have to go on the road and win three times to get to the Super Bowl.”
Head coach Dan Campbell to Garrett about tonight’s approach: “It’s just about playing the next game. It really is. You don’t have to tell them the stakes. The players know the stakes. It’s just about the fact that this is the next game and don’t do too much. Do your job. That’s what’s gotten you 14 wins – and it’s going to take 15 wins to get this division and the No. 1 seed.”
Dungy on Campbell’s propensity for trick plays and going for it on 4th down: “They’re going to keep doing it because that’s Dan Campbell. He’s going to dial up the trick plays. He did it last week in a game against San Francisco that didn’t even matter. The Minnesota defense knows they’re going to see it, they can’t get paralyzed and need to just read their keys and create turnovers.”
Garrett on the Lions’ offense: “I love them from top to bottom. They are really talented with seven first-round picks on this offense. I love the play caller Ben Johnson. They’re aggressive and attack constantly. They make a ton of first downs on first and second downs.”
Florio on Lions’ offensive coordinator Ben Johnson: “Johnson is one of the no-brainer head coach candidates to get offers to become a head coach if he wants. There is no guarantee he will leave this year. The key for him is going to be alignment with the front office and don’t be surprised if he ultimately stays put in Detroit.”
ON PACKERS
Simms on potential injuries to QBs Jordan Love and Malik Willis: “You’ve got to be a little concerned about Jordan Love. Malik Willis got banged up in this game as well. Jordan Love has not played his best football and he’s been injured a lot during the year. You wonder how close he’ll be to 100%.”
Simms on Packers having to face the Eagles in the playoffs: “This will be a tough task for Green Bay to go on the road. They’re banged up as a football team and you can’t have good vibes losing two in a row to end the season going to play in Philly.”
McCourty: “But we keep saying that Green Bay is a dangerous team. A little inconsistent, but if they get hot, they can scare you. Philadelphia will have to be on it.”
ON BRONCOS
McCourty on their chances vs. Buffalo in the playoffs next week: “Denver and their style can travel well. They can run the football, but most importantly, they have a good defense...I think Denver is a team that is going to have a shot to go get an upset.”
ON PATRIOTS
McCourty on firing of rookie head coach Jerod Mayo after 4-13 season: “The thing about the NFL – it’s a results-driven business. He didn’t do what the Krafts were looking for and they decided to move on...you could tell the last few weeks, whether it was players talking about fans, media things happening, I think the Krafts said, ‘We have the opportunity to take advantage of another candidate out there.’ Tough call.”
Garrett: “You evaluate these decisions less on the record and more on the feel in the building. Dan Campbell was 4-19-1 in his first year-and-a-half in Detroit, but you talk to anybody – player, coach, or the like – and they felt like this was the leader, this was the guy, there was a vibe in the building that everyone was embracing despite the results. Clearly that didn’t exist in New England.”
Florio on firing of Jerod Mayo and head coaching vacancy: “The Patriots made the move quickly and most believe former Titans head coach and member of the Patriots Hall of Fame Mike Vrabel is available. He just interviewed with the Jets on Friday and other teams will be interested. Look for them to move quickly and talk to Vrabel. They have to do a full search, but Vrabel is the name everybody is watching moving forward. Another name to keep an eye on – former Patriots defensive coordinator and now Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores. The only issue there? The Patriots would have to wait until the Vikings were eliminated before they could hire him if they wanted to go that route.”
ON BUCCANEERS
Garrett on 27-19 win against New Orleans to clinch the NFC South: “It was ugly for a while down there. The Bucs were down 10 but then Baker Mayfield took over...his moxie, making plays with his feet, making plays with his arm. He put the team on his shoulders.”
McCourty on Buccaneers’ WR Mike Evans’ 11th straight 1,000-yard season, tying Jerry Rice’s NFL record streak: “Any time your name is mentioned next to Jerry Rice, it’s a good thing.”
ON EAGLES
Garrett: “Who’s the most balanced and complete team in the league? It’s the Philadelphia Eagles for me. The thing I love most about them is they win on the offensive line and they win on the defensive line. They’re a physical team and that’s what wins in the playoffs.”
Simms: “I second Jason in thinking that the Eagles are the best team in the NFC.”
Pro Football Hall of Famer Barry Sanders with Chris Simms on RB Saquon Barkley’s 2,000-yard season: “He made a big statement. He still has a lot left in the tank. He’s in his prime. To see what he did, it really lifts all running backs honestly. As a former player, I’m proud to see it. It’s awesome not just to see him have a great year but his team right in the middle of things and him contributing how he did.”
ON COWBOYS
Florio on Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy’s future with the team: “Jerry Jones said this week that the hay is already in the barn and he also said if McCarthy wants to interview with any other teams, he can. He wants people who want to be there.”
ON JAGUARS
Florio on the Jaguars’ front office: “There is widespread belief that (head coach) Doug Pederson will be fired. The question is whether general manager Trent Baalke will be gone as well. There is a sense that they may have trouble hiring a coach who has options unless they do a clean sweep and start over in Jacksonville.”
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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 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 --
