“This might be the biggest story in the sport right now…The 49ers are a Super Bowl-caliber football team. If they go 0-2 against the Seattle Seahawks next week, how long is that leash for Trey Lance?” – Chris Simms on whether the 49ers should replace Trey Lance with Jimmy Garoppolo
“If I’m coaching there, I’ve got some worries. Joe Burrow got hit more than any quarterback in the league last year and it wasn’t any better this year.” – Tony Dungy on the Bengals
“I absolutely love that guy...He’s going to play for 20 years. Playing quarterback in the NFL is hard to do and it’s like he’s playing in the park.” – Jason Garrett on Chargers QB Justin Herbert
Peacock Sunday Night Football Final Streams EXCLUSIVELY on Peacock Following Bucs-Cowboys and Every Sunday Night Football Game During 2022 Season
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 11, 2022 – NBC Sports’ presentation of Week 1 of the 2022 NFL season began tonight from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, with Football Night in America leading into coverage of Buccaneers-Cowboys on Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock.
Maria Taylor hosted FNIA from NBC Sports’ Studio 1 in Stamford, Conn. She was joined by Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, former NFL head coach Jason Garrett, and fantasy sports industry pioneer Matthew Berry. Two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison joined co-host Jac Collinsworth at the site of the game. NFL Insider Mike Florio provided reports from his home studio.
Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), Melissa Stark (sideline reporter) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) are calling tonight’s game. Tirico did a report from the field during the show.
Football Night also included Tony Dungy’s interview with Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles.
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Following are highlights from tonight’s edition of Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock:
ON BUCCANEERS
Head Coach Todd Bowles to Dungy on similar philosophies with QB Tom Brady: “Whether it’s throw it 60 (times) or run it 60, he just wants to win the ballgame. Our philosophies are the same. He has a killer instinct. I don’t say a lot -- according to popular belief -- but I’ll try to cut people’s throats out myself.”
Dungy on what Bowles told him: “He felt like he had to put his stamp on this team and that would be with discipline and details.”
Harrison: “I like what Todd Bowles is doing. He’s taking Antoine Winfield [Jr.], who played free safety last year, and moving him to strong safety. Putting him in the box, closer to the line. He’s a lot better player moving forward than he is moving backwards. He gave up a lot of big plays – we saw it in the playoffs – so he was a liability in coverage. I like what they’re doing.”
ON COWBOYS
Dungy on LB Micah Parsons: “Rodney Harrison says to pressure inside against Tom Brady. I look for this guy to be blitzing inside tonight.”
Simms on Parsons: “He’s one of the best defensive players in football, no doubt.”
Berry on Cowboys running back Tony Pollard: “The key to me is Tony Pollard in the receiving game. [He is] a very adept receiver. I think he has a big game out of the backfield as a pass catcher for Dak Prescott.”
ON 49ERS
Simms: “I think this might be the biggest story in the sport right now. The 49ers losing a tough game in tough conditions to a lesser Chicago Bears team. Let’s look at Trey Lance. There’s a lot of talent to be had, you can see his ability running the football…but it’s these moments that scare us: inconsistency in throwing, inconsistency in decision-making, and that allowed this Bears team to get back in the football game…[the 49ers] are a Super Bowl-caliber football team. (If) they go 0-2 against the Seattle Seahawks next week, how long is that leash for Trey Lance?”
Garrett: “If you’re Kyle Shanahan, you have to think about this: he’s 8-29 playing with a quarterback not named Jimmy Garoppolo. He’s 31-14 with Garoppolo. Garoppolo is on the team. Trey Lance is going to be a great football player in this league for a long time. I’m not quite so sure you just hand him the job when you have this other guy who’s taken you to the NFC Championship Game, he’s taken you to the Super Bowl. It will be interesting in San Francisco.”
Dungy: “I really agree with Jason. This has to be an organizational decision. Kyle Shanahan, John Lynch, the general manager, you drafted Trey Lance with a high pick, but you’ve got a guy on the team who took you to a Super Bowl…your players know that Jimmy Garoppolo has taken you to a Super Bowl, so I think you need to be careful and make sure you don’t lose the team. If it’s not going well, go back to the guy who took you (to the Super Bowl).”
ON BENGALS
Dungy: “Is there a Super Bowl hangover? Thursday, the Rams didn’t look good. Cincinnati, we’re expecting Joe Burrow to light it up there. Offense – sacks, interceptions, turnovers. Very disappointing loss for the Bengals.”
Dungy: “If I’m coaching there, I’ve got some worries. Joe Burrow got hit more than any quarterback in the league last year and it wasn’t any better this year…what’s going on there?”
ON SAINTS
Simms on fourth-quarter comeback: “It was very impressive. It was a gritty win for the New Orleans Saints.”
Dungy: “We saw Jameis Winston come back with a strong fourth quarter. In the past, we’ve seen him in those situations just try to do too much and get wild with the football. Today, he was under control.”
Garrett: “He didn’t make the bad mistakes and get frustrated when it wasn’t going well. He played through it and played great when it came to crunch time.”
ON RAVENS
Simms on QB Lamar Jackson: “Their offense didn’t run the ball well today, but in big moments he made big throws.”
Dungy on Jackson’s performance: “Early on, it wasn’t great. But he warmed up and got to it and even without a great running game, he made things happen…and the deep ball looked good today. That’s something I know he was working on in the offseason.”
ON EAGLES
Taylor: “A big question (heading into the season) was what would be the impact of A.J. Brown? It was instant.”
Dungy: “It really was. I think this is a perfect marriage.”
Garrett: “This guy is a really good route runner. He’s so productive. And as you said coach, he’s going to get man-to-man coverage because Philly runs it better than anybody and the quarterback runs it better than anybody. What a great pickup.”
ON VIKINGS
Dungy: “Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota. He’s completely changed the atmosphere. The players are relaxed, they’re happy to be there. He is doing some things with three wide receivers, moving Justin Jefferson around, it was awesome.”
ON CHARGERS
Garrett on QB Justin Herbert: “I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a young quarterback make the game look so easy at such a young age as Justin Herbert…I absolutely love that guy. He’s so good in the pocket. He showed he can make plays on the move. I think he’s a special player. He’s going to play for 20 years. Playing quarterback in the NFL is hard to do and it’s like he’s playing in the park.”
ON COMMANDERS
Simms: “We saw the redemption. They rode his right arm throughout the football game. Carson Wentz has talent. We’ve seen enough evidence of that throughout his career. He’s done some really good things with the Philadelphia Eagles. He wasn’t all that bad with the Colts last year, either. I think the big thing is what you said: [the Commanders are] going to have to continue to ride his right arm because I don’t think they’re going to be a great running football team. They have tremendous weaponry at the wide receiver position. As long as he can limit the mistakes. We saw those two bonehead interceptions, but the good thing was he wiped the slate clean and came back and rebounded with two big touchdowns late to help them win the game.”
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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 2022 season. The show is hosted by NBC Sports commentators Kathryn Tappen and Chris Simms, who will provide instant reactions to each Sunday game along with highlights and interviews. Football Night in America commentators Jac Collinsworth and Harrison will also provide recaps and insights into the day’s biggest moments from the site of each week’s SNF game, and Mike Florio will provide injury and news updates. Matthew Berry will also join the show to provide advice and an early look at the fantasy waiver wire.
-- Football Night in America --
