“You make critical decisions in critical moments and when you are unsuccessful, there are consequences in the National Football League.” – Mike Tomlin on Aaron Glenn’s decision to take the ball to start overtime
“I wish people would just pull back and appreciate that guy’s greatness.” – Jason Garrett on Dak Prescott
“From my perspective, they don’t have a place to hang their hat. They haven’t established the run, they aren’t performing well enough on third down or possession down circumstances, and to make matters worse, they’re not getting yards in chunks… They can’t solve all of their problems, but they better solve one of these problems really soon.” – Tomlin on the Steelers’ offense
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 20, 2026 – NBC Sports’ coverage of Week 2 of the 2026 NFL season continued tonight from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., with Football Night in America leading into coverage of Colts-Chiefs on Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock.
Tonight’s on-site edition of Football Night in America from Arrowhead Stadium featured host Maria Taylor, Super Bowl-winning former head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Tomlin, Dallas Cowboys head coach and three-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Jason Garrett, three-time Super Bowl champion Devin McCourty, and NFL insider Mike Florio. Chief data analyst for NBC News and NBC Sports Steve Kornacki joined FNIA from the studio in Stamford, Conn.
FNIA included Maria Taylor’s FaceTime interview with Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase following his spectacular catch against the Houston Texans, and more.
Mike Tirico (play-by-play), Cris Collinsworth (analyst), Melissa Stark (sideline reporter) and Terry McAulay (rules analyst) are calling tonight’s game.
***
Following are highlights from tonight’s Week 2 edition of Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock:
TOMLINISMS
Tomlin on the Jets head coach Aaron Glenn’s decision to take the ball instead of kick it to start overtime: “You make critical decisions in critical moments and when you are unsuccessful, there are consequences in the National Football League.”
Tomlin on motivating the Browns by saying “Browns are the Browns” after their Week 1 game: “I’m glad I can still motivate even though I’m not coaching anymore…It’s good to be heard. You’re welcome!”
Tomlin on Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ aggressive play calling: “You know what I love about Brian Flores, he lays in the open. He doesn’t care that you know…Flo is going to be Flo.”
ON CHIEFS
Tomlin on the Chiefs’ offense last week against the Broncos: “The addition of Kenneth Walker just takes a lot of pressure off of (Patrick Mahomes). If you want to know what somebody’s intentions are, what do they do in the first 15 plays and what do they do in waning moments (and in) short yardage. It showed very early last week. They were run heavy in the first 15 (plays), and just about every short yardage circumstance it was a downhill no BS running game.”
Tomlin on his “don’t blink” quote to his team before playing the Chiefs in 2021: “We blinked a little bit that day. But my agenda is two-fold. Number 1, you have to train your group to smile in the face of adversity. Adversity is definitely a part of football. But also, you want to train your group to be prepared to not be normal. It is a normal thing to blink. But ordinary men are capable of doing extraordinary things especially on the football field. So how do you set that mindset? You come up with little cliché like that to capture their attention.”
McCourty on Kenneth Walker: “What I love about him is his vision. He always finds the open space, he finds the green grass. He gets going and he can go anywhere.”
Tomlin on Mahomes’ mindset: “We spend a lot of time talking about Patrick Mahomes’ unique talents and they certainly are; we don’t spend enough time talking about his unique mindset that goes along with that talent.”
ON COLTS
Tomlin on Jonathan Taylor: “He is their best player in any of the three phases. If they are going to turn their fortunes, they have to keep things really simple. They have to feed this guy the ball.”
ON STEELERS
Tomlin on Steelers offense: “From my perspective, they don’t have a place to hang their hat. They haven’t established the run, they aren’t performing well enough on third down or possession down circumstances, and to make matters worse, they’re not getting yards in chunks. Sometimes when you get yards in chunks, you can cover up some other inadequacies. They can’t solve all of their problems, but they better solve one of these problems really soon.”
ON JETS
Tomlin on the Jets’ unnecessary roughness penalty on game-winning drive in OT: “That’s just an example of the Jets blinking in a significant moment.”
Tomlin on Jets head coach Aaron Glenn’s decision to take the ball instead of kick it to start overtime: “It doesn’t matter whether or not I agree or disagree. You make critical decisions in critical moments and when you are unsuccessful, there are consequences in the National Football League.”
ON COWBOYS
Garrett on Cowboys QB Dak Prescott: “He was awesome today and he’s been awesome for a long time. 11 years as a starter. We had him as a rookie and he won 13 games. So, I wish people would just pull back and just appreciate that guy’s greatness.”
ON PACKERS
McCourty on the Packers’ comeback win: “The Jets failed but the Packers found a way to win in the fourth quarter. I was critical of them last week for not doing that. Jordan Love stepped up and the rest of the team; special teams, Skyy Moore; they got a win.”
ON BEARS
Florio on QB Caleb Williams’ injury: “It looked bad, but I’m told there is optimism that it is not a severe injury. It could be as slight as a grade 1, that is the lowest level hamstring injury, but they’ll know more tomorrow when they do the MRI. I’m told Caleb (Williams) is in good spirits to attack the recovery, whatever it may be. He had a left hamstring injury, the other leg, when he was at USC, so he’s been through this before. The Bears host the Eagles next Monday night. It’s Tyson Bagent if Caleb Williams can’t go.”
Garrett on Bears offense without Caleb Williams: “I’m betting on Tyson Bagent though. This guy is a sneaky good football player. (Head coach Ben Johnson) will get him right.”
ON VIKINGS
Tomlin on defensive coordinator Brian Flores’ aggressive play calling: “You know what I love about Brian Flores, he lays in the open. He doesn’t care that you know…Flo is going to be Flo.”
ON BENGALS
Tomlin on Bengals DT Dexter Lawrence: “This was a big acquisition in the offseason physically and in other areas. Dexter Lawrence provides big plays, and he provides the wave that this defense is riding. They’re getting their money’s worth with this acquisition.”
Garrett on the Bengals’ defense: “The early story of the year is the Cincinnati Bengals defense. They sacked (CJ) Stroud four times in this ball game. They were dominant.”
Ja’Marr Chase to Taylor on his first touchdown catch of the game: “I don’t remember much. I just remember seeing the ball in the air for a second and then I couldn’t see it because it was stuck in the light. So, I had to reposition myself behind (Derek) Stingley and I just knew that I was close to the sideline.”
Chase to Taylor on breaking the Bengals’ all-time record for most games with multiple touchdown catches: “It feels good. Apparently, I break a record every week and don’t find out about it until it’s broken.”
ON BROWNS
Tomlin on motivating the Browns by saying “Browns are gonna Browns” after their Week 1 game: “I’m glad I can still motivate even though I’m not coaching anymore…It’s good to be heard. You’re welcome!”
ON SAINTS
Garrett on the Saints game-winning quarterback sneak: “They ran quarterback sneak two plays in a row, and I think the angels were looking down on the Saints in this one because they got a remarkably good spot… Let’s roll. Cardiac Saints, baby.”
ON THE PASSING OF ERNIE ACCORSI
Taylor in remembrance of Ernie Accorsi: “We want to take a moment to remember longtime general manager Ernie Accorsi. He died yesterday at the age of 84, and over his career Accorsi worked with quarterbacks ranging from Johnny Unitas with the Baltimore Colts to Eli Manning, who was instrumental in bringing the Giants a Super Bowl. Now of course he retired in 2006, but he helped lay the foundation for New York’s Super Bowl teams during the 2007 season and in 2011. Our thoughts go out to the Accorsi family.”
--FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA--
