“They came out of the locker room ready to play. They answered all the questions from last week.” – Mike Tomlin on the Steelers’ win over the Bengals
“I love when people have an opportunity to answer narratives. We were challenging them to finish fourth quarter football. That’s an emphatic finish.” – Tomlin on the Ravens’ game-winning field goal over the Cowboys
“You got to keep playing. 7 seconds left. You cannot give up that catch.” – Devin McCourty on the Cowboys’ defensive breakdown in loss to Ravens
“Early season candidate for the best acquisition of the offseason. He’s been a star.” – Jason Garrett on Chiefs RB Kenneth Walker III
STAMFORD, Conn. – Sept. 27, 2026 – NBC Sports’ coverage of Week 3 of the 2026 NFL season continued tonight from Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colo., with Football Night in America leading into coverage of Rams-Broncos on Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock.
Tonight’s on-site edition of Football Night in America from Empower Field at Mile High 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 Broncos head coach Sean Payton surprising Tomlin with a new pair of shoes at the desk and Garrett’s FaceTime interview with Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota.
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 3 edition of Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock:
TOMLINISMS
On the Commanders’ win over the Seahawks: “Their backs were against the wall, but they smiled in the face of adversity.”
On Chargers QB Justin Herbert’s fourth quarter interception in the red zone despite the Chargers winning the turnover battle: “Sometimes it doesn’t matter how many times you turn the ball over, it’s when you do.”
Tomlin on QB Josh Allen’s performance – including two rushing TDs for the third week in a row – in the Bills’ win over the Chargers: “The most significant quarterback and the most significant running back, however you want to describe him.”
RAMS
Mike Tomlin on if Rams DE Aaron Donald looked good in his first game back on Monday: “He did and I’m not surprised by it. A lot of times you think a guy can’t get off the couch and be effective, but Aaron Donald has been an outlier his whole career.”
Jason Garrett: “I couldn’t believe it. He practiced twice in pads. They better double team him tonight.”
BRONCOS
Tomlin after Broncos head coach Sean Payton surprised him with a pair of new shoes at the desk during the show: “He’s been giving me shoes for a long time. It’s an expression of his love and I appreciate it.”
Devin McCourty: “So when he gave you shoes, did you make sure his team got the win?”
Tomlin: “No, I did not. But I appreciate the footwear!”
Garrett on QB Bo Nix: “He’s comfortable out in space, particularly in the red zone. It’s critical to let him get out of the pocket and make some plays.”
ON STEELERS
Tomlin on the Steelers’ bounce back win over the Bengals: “They came out of the locker room ready to play. They answered all the questions from last week. They had some explosive plays early and that certainly provides energy not only to their team, but takes advantage of their home environment.”
Garrett: “It looked like the old Aaron Rodgers today.”
ON RAVENS-COWBOYS
Garrett on the Ravens’ sequence of Zay Flowers’ 27-yard-reception, calling a timeout with one second remaining, and executing a game-winning field goal as time expired: “It’s an unbelievable throw by Lamar (Jackson). That is hard to do. Great execution.”
Tomlin: “I love when people have an opportunity to answer narratives. We were challenging (the Ravens) to finish fourth quarter football. That’s an emphatic finish.”
McCourty on the Cowboys’ defensive breakdown during that play: “You got to keep playing. 7 seconds left. You cannot give up that catch.”
ON CHARGERS
Garrett on the Chargers’ offense amid an 0-3 start: “I put it on the offense. The marriage between (offensive coordinator) Mike McDaniel and Justin Herbert has not been very smooth so far. He doesn’t look comfortable at all. A Jim Harbaugh team is tough and physical and they are not that right now.”
Tomlin on the Chargers’ defense in their loss to the Bills: “I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that (Bills running back) James Cook ran for over 150 yards today. (The Chargers) got to stop the run if they want to stop this slide that they’re on.”
ON PATRIOTS
McCourty to Taylor on the Patriots’ loss to the Jaguars: “Maria, I don’t understand, how did I end up (narrating) all the Drake Maye mistakes in this highlight?”
ON COMMANDERS
Commanders QB Marcus Mariota to Garrett on the keys to beating the Seahawks: “It starts with our defense. They created turnovers and they got some big stops down in the red zone. The guys up front did an unbelievable job creating time in the passing game.”
ON CHIEFS
Garrett on RB Kenneth Walker III: “Early season candidate for the best acquisition of the offseason. He’s been a star.”
ON TEXANS
Tomlin on what head coach DeMeco Ryans should focus on amid an 0-3 start: “He needs to be focused on getting C.J. (Stroud) and the offense going. They’re minimizing their defense’s opportunity to impact the game. When you’re playing from behind, guys like Will Anderson and Danielle Hunter don’t get a chance to do what they do best.”
ON GIANTS
Garrett on the Giants’ 12-7 win over the Titans: “The Giants are playing John Harbaugh’s brand of football.”
ON BROWNS
Tomlin on Cleveland’s win over Carolina: “I got to give the Cleveland Browns credit. They won the fourth quarter and they won the fourth-down circumstances. They made the significant plays in the significant moments.”
ON BILLS
Tomlin on QB Josh Allen’s performance in the Bills’ win over the Chargers: “The most significant quarterback and the most significant running back, however you want to describe him.”
--FOOTBALL NIGHT IN AMERICA--
