“He’s going to be the best player on the field tonight. As someone who’s called plays in this league, you’ve got to put your best players in the best positions to have success. I think (Ravens offensive coordinator) Todd Monken has done that.” – Garrett on Ravens RB Derrick Henry
“Over the second half of the season, the Seahawks and Rams, when they played their best football, were the two most impressive teams in the NFC.” – Chris Simms
“I know you don’t want to see Josh Allen in the playoffs, but the way they’ve been playing, they should be confident they can beat anybody.” – Devin McCourty on Jaguars facing Bills in AFC Wild Card Playoff Game
“Absolutely shocked by (head coach Nick) Sirianni’s decision not to play his guys.” – Garrett on Eagles loss to Commanders resulting in #3 seed
STAMFORD, Conn. – January 4, 2026 – NBC Sports’ coverage of Game 272 – the 2025 NFL regular season finale – was presented live tonight from Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., with Football Night in America leading into coverage of Ravens-Steelers on Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock.
Tonight’s FNIA was on-site in Pittsburgh and featured host Maria Taylor, 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, with Hall of Fame head coach Tony Dungy, two-time Super Bowl champion Rodney Harrison, and co-host Jac Collinsworth.
FNIA included Maria Taylor’s FaceTime interview with Browns defensive end Myles Garrett after he broke the single-season sack record, Dungy’s interview with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, Taylor’s interview with Ravens running back Derrick Henry, a look at the historic Ravens-Steelers rivalry featuring Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerome Bettis and seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker Terrell Suggs, Dungy’s on-field pre-game interview with Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton, and Harrison’s on-field pre-game interview with Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth.
Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), Melissa Stark (sideline reporter) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) are calling tonight’s game.
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Following are highlights from tonight’s Week 18 edition of Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock:
ON RAVENS
Dungy on Ravens: “(Ravens head coach) John Harbaugh has to go to his offensive coordinator Todd Monken and say, ‘Give it to Derrick Henry 30 times tonight or you won’t have a job tomorrow.’”
Harrison on the Ravens’ offense: “Lamar Jackson is back but it doesn’t matter who’s the quarterback. If it’s me, I’m going with a more conservative game plan. I’m making it all about Derrick Henry and the run game and not about Lamar.”
Garrett on Ravens running back Derrick Henry: “He’s going to be the best player on the field tonight. The guy is an absolute beast. As someone who’s called plays in this league, it’s always about players and plays. You need both. You got to put your best players in the best positions to have success. I think Todd Monken has done that.”
McCourty on Henry: “I’ve been out there in January trying to tackle Derrick Henry. It is not fun.”
McCourty: “I think Zay Flowers is going to be the X-factor. He’s a guy that Pittsburgh can’t match up with.”
ON STEELERS
Harrison on the Steelers’ offense: “Nobody on this offense scares me. Last week, Aaron Rodgers looked 42 years old, getting rid of the ball too quickly and didn’t want to take any hits.”
Dungy on the Steelers offense without DK Metcalf: “I was at the Steelers practice talking to (head coach) Mike Tomlin. I saw (tight end) Pat Freiermuth and (wide receiver) Adam Thielen and they say it’s going to be different. They have to be. (There will be) a lot more zone from the Ravens. Aaron Rodgers has to get the ball to these guys and they have to be playmakers.”
Garrett on Aaron Rodgers: “Rodgers has been an assassin in this league for the past decade. He has to have that look in his eye and that swagger about him, where he’s smiling and talking a little crap to the guy across from him. He’s got to go take over this game. He’s got to be Aaron Rodgers.”
Dungy on his interview with Mike Tomlin earlier in the week: “He was really nostalgic. He was talking about what it means to be a Steeler, this great rivalry, the Hall of Fame players. I think he expects his Hall of Fame players to step up tonight.”
Dungy on the Steelers’ defense: “Coach Tomlin told me the two players who are going to be big tonight: Derrick Harmon, his rookie defensive run-stopper, and (defensive lineman) Cam Heyward.”
ON NFC PLAYOFF PICTURE
Simms: “Over the second half of the season, the Seahawks and Rams, when they played their best football, were the two most impressive teams in the NFC.”
Garrett on the Eagles not playing their starters: “Absolutely shocked by (head coach Nick) Sirianni‘s decision not to play his guys. They had the opportunity to get the two-seed if they win and Chicago loses. Chicago loses, sets the table for them, and they decide not to play their guys. Absolutely shocked by it.”
ON MYLES GARRETT
Myles Garrett to Taylor on getting the single-season sack record: “I’d been a getting a read on the snap count throughout the game. I knew this might be the last one-on-one all day, so we had to make it count. So, as soon as I saw the clock running down, I just knew that next count he gave the ball was going to be snapped. I just took off and gave everything I had.”
Myles Garrett to Taylor on his feelings going into the game: “This morning, it was fear. I had a dream I didn’t get it. Is this a sign? I was like, no. We had this dream a couple of years back. This had been written. I already knew this was going to happen and I was going to take it down. We didn’t come this far to come up short.”
ON BRONCOS
Garrett on the Broncos earning the AFC’s No. 1 seed: “Their defense is unbelievably good. You have to go play at their place. Not easy.”
ON PATRIOTS
Garrett: “They’ve been so good all year long. They’re consistently good on offense, defense, and the kicking game. I just think they’re going to be a hard team beat and that Drake Maye is firmly in that MVP conversation.”
ON JAGUARS
McCourty on the Jaguars facing the Bills next week in the AFC Wild Card: “I know you don’t want to see Josh Allen in the playoffs, but the way they’ve been playing, they should be confident they can beat anybody.”
ON RAMS
Simms on Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua’s touchdown in the win over the Cardinals: “He’ll be a First Team All-Pro wide receiver. He does stuff like this every week.”
ON COACHING
Florio on the potential head coaching changes this offseason: “There are two spots where it’s viewed as a foregone conclusion that a change is going to be made. The Las Vegas Raiders are undoubtedly moving on from Pete Carroll, and in Cleveland, it’s looking likely that Kevin Stefanski will be out as the head coach there. Beyond that, it gets a little fuzzier…Jets coach Aaron Glenn and (Bengals head coach) Zac Taylor could be back because of a huge buyout. For now, Mike McDaniel looks to be safe with the Dolphins, but we’ll see what happens once they hire a general manager.”
Florio on Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles: “He had three straight division titles until this year, but he’s 35-33 as a head coach and there’s a sense that maybe the Bucs would look to go to someone who would be an offensive expert.”
Florio on Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon: “14 losses for the Cardinals this year, the most ever. It’s believed he has a good chance to be back because he’s never had an opportunity to get his own quarterback.”
Florio on Mike Tomlin: “Nobody expects the Steelers to fire Mike Tomlin, but could this be the time he makes the detour to a different industry? There’s a lot of steam about Tomlin maybe heading to TV.”
Florio on John Harbaugh: “The Ravens are just thrilled to be in this moment with all the injuries they’ve had this year. I’m told that if they lose tonight, ultimately a decision will be made by owner Steve Bisciotti about what to do moving forward. But who are you going to replace John Harbaugh with and are you ready to see him go somewhere else right away and be highly successful?”
--FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA--
