“A few weeks ago, he’s at home sitting on the couch. Now the Browns are relying on him to throw for over 300 yards.” – Chris Simms on Browns QB Joe Flacco
“Week in and week out he puts the city of Buffalo on his back, and he did it again today.” – Jason Garrett on Bills QB Josh Allen
“At some point, do we have to take this guy off the field? You can’t keep having plays like this.” – Devin McCourty on Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney’s offside penalty nullifying go-ahead touchdown
Peacock Sunday Night Football Final Streams EXCLUSIVELY on Peacock Following Eagles-Cowboys and Every Sunday Night Football Game During 2023 Season
STAMFORD, Conn. – Dec. 10, 2023 – NBC Sports’ presentation of Week 14 of the 2023 NFL season began tonight AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas., with Football Night in America leading into coverage of Eagles-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 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. Steve Kornacki was also in the studio to break down playoff scenarios. Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy and two-time Super Bowl winner Rodney Harrison joined co-host Jac Collinsworth and 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.
Pre-game coverage included Jason Garrett’s interview with Cowboys QB Dak Prescott.
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Following are highlights from tonight’s edition of Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock:
ON COWBOYS
Harrison on QB Dak Prescott and head coach Mike McCarthy: “I have to give props to Mike McCarthy. I think he’s done a wonderful job this year. He’s turned Dak Prescott into an MVP – CeeDee Lamb into an all-pro… he’s done a great job this year.”
Garrett on Prescott and the offense: “He’s one of the all-time great guys and one of the all-time great leaders and teammates I have ever been around. He’s grown so much because he’s the most coachable player I’ve ever seen. He locks in on you when you give him a coaching point and he says, ‘Okay, you want it done that way? I’m going to go do it.’ And you see immediate improvement…they’ve changed dramatically in the last six weeks. It’s less about getting the ball out in less than 2.3 seconds, more about go play and attack the defense.”
McCourty: “This Dallas Cowboys defense and these cornerbacks do something that very few teams can do. They play you ‘mano a mano.’ I would tell all of Cowboys nation to believe in these guys (Daron Bland and Stephon Gilmore). Don’t worry about moving Bland because of the game last week against D.K. Metcalf.”
Simms on the Cowboys’ defensive backs: “Those defensive backs have been put in some tough positions all year long. They come through, there’s no doubt about it. I would just be careful about doing it too much against this group. A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith – that’s where I’d be careful with playing too much man-to man.”
ON EAGLES
Dungy on utilizing the run game: “Dallas has fast defenders and can rush the passer, so you have to attack them the way Philly normally attacks which is with that power running game inside the tackles. That is what they need to get back to tonight.”
Harrison: “Philly runs the tush push and gets three or four yards every single time. You can’t tell me that if they line up and run the football 25 times, they can’t get four to five yards per carry.”
Harrison on the defense: “They are a talented bunch…the coach gives them a lot of freedom, but I think that’s the biggest problem. They don’t have a lot of discipline…you have to play with discipline, it doesn’t matter how much talent you have.”
Kornacki: “In the AFC, the Browns entered the week at a four-way tie at 7-5. All three of those other teams lost this week, so what the Browns now have is a game up on every other team in the AFC Wild Card hunt, and it adds up to a 75% chance of the Cleveland Browns making the playoffs. On the NFC side, it’s the Tampa Bay Buccaneers who did the most this week. They had a 30% shot (to make the playoffs) entering today. That does not do justice to what they achieved today. They were down late in that game, and if they had lost, they basically would have been extinct in the playoff race. Instead, they now have a 50-50 shot when they could have been virtually eliminated.”
ON BILLS
Simms: “They looked down and out a few weeks ago. They’re battling back and they’re back in the AFC playoff picture and it’s because of Josh Allen. He takes a lot of flak, but Josh Allen is one of the best in the game.”
Garrett on QB Josh Allen: “He’s done a little bit of everything throughout his career. Week in and week out he puts the city of Buffalo on his back, and he did it again today. So many great throws from the pocket. He moves around, stays in there and just throws strike after strike.”
ON 49ERS
Simms: “Brock Purdy’s on fire, the run game’s on fire, Deebo Samuel’s on fire, Brandon Aiyuk’s on fire…it’s pretty hard to stop right now.”
Simms on Deebo Samuel: “Is he a running back? Is he a receiver? He’s awesome, I know that, and that’s all that matters.”
Garrett: “I have no idea how you stop these guys.”
ON CHIEFS
McCourty on WR Kadarius Toney, whose offside penalty nullified a go-ahead touchdown: “At some point, do we have to take this guy off the field? You can’t keep having plays like this.”
Kornacki: “Patrick Mahomes has played in three Super Bowls and besides that, 11 playoff games – all of them have been home games. There is a chance we will see Patrick Mahomes on the road in the playoffs this year.”
ON RAVENS
Garrett on the Ravens: “They’ve been playing ahead all year long, and today they had to come from behind to win a close one. Lamar Jackson was on fire – almost accounted for 400 yards of offense.”
ON BROWNS
Simms on QB Joe Flacco: “It’s unbelievable what we’re watching with Joe Flacco. A few weeks ago, he’s at home sitting on the couch. Now the Browns are relying on him to throw for over 300 yards in an AFC matchup against the Jaguars. Play action, bootleg passes…old man on the run, outside of the pocket. Way to go Joe Flacco, you deserve a lot of credit.”
ON LIONS
Simms on loss to Bears: “It ain’t looking good in Detroit right now…Lions secondary defense is struggling right now…they can’t stop anybody right now. There were some completions where we said, ‘Where are the Lions?’”
Garrett: “The Lions have been sloppy. Offensively, the ball is on the ground way too much and they’re turning it over. Defensively, you can’t let (Justin Fields) get outside of the pocket and make plays with his feet.”
ON RAMS
Simms on OT loss to Ravens: “Matthew Stafford and the Rams have got to be proud of their effort and what they did. He made so many big throws throughout this game.”
ON BUCCANEERS
Simms on the offense: “They do have some playmaking ability – Chris Godwin, Mike Evans – so they can be stagnant forever, and then all of a sudden rip off a three-play, 75-yard drive.”
Garrett: “Among all of the teams in the NFC South, I like Tampa Bay the most. They’ve got a quarterback that’s got a little moxie to him, two big-time receivers outside, and they’re capable of playing really good defense.”
ON JETS
Simms: “The passing game got going in the rain…all of a sudden, it’s starting to look like the Jets have a real offense.”
DAK PRESCOTT WITH JASON GARRETT
Prescott on his run since the Week 5 loss to San Francisco: “That one surprised me. I thought we were ready to go. Just to get punched in the mouth the way we did, it was a great wake-up call and humbling for us. We didn’t fight the way we should have through the end…we want to be aggressive, we want to take our shots and I don’t think we were doing that enough (early in the year). Coach McCarthy would be the first to say that. Now if you give us one-on-one, we’re going to challenge you and see if you can keep up.”
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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 2023 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, while Berry will host a weekly segment called “DraftKings Crowning Moments,” where the fantasy sports analyst will discuss his successful bets from that day; he will also provide fantasy advice and an early look at the waiver wire. Football Night in America’s studio team will also provide recaps and insights into the day’s biggest moments, while Florio will provide injury and news updates.
-- Football Night in America --
