“They have four wins this year where in the final quarter they had less than a 50% chance of winning. The percentage chance of winning all four of those? Just 0.3%.” – Steve Kornacki on the Chiefs’ success in close games
“We’re seeing a resurgent Russell Wilson. He looks like old Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson to me.” – Chris Simms on the Steelers QB
“Sam Darnold said, ‘Forget about Kirk Cousins. Today is my day.’” – Devin McCourty on Darnold’s five-TD performance in 42-21 win vs. Kirk Cousins and Atlanta Falcons
“‘Nacua Matata’ – it means no worries in L.A. these days. The offense goes through Puka Nacua.” – Simms on Rams WR Puka Nacua following 178 scrimmage yards in 44-42 win vs. Buffalo
Peacock Sunday Night Football Final Streams Exclusively on Peacock Following Chargers-Chiefs and Every Sunday Night Football Game During 2024 Season
STAMFORD, Conn. – December 8, 2024 – NBC Sports’ presentation of Week 14 of the 2024 NFL season continued tonight from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo., with Football Night in America leading into coverage of Chargers-Chiefs on Sunday Night Football on NBC and Peacock.
Maria Taylor hosted FNIA from NBC Sports’ Studio 3 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 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:
· An opening tease from life-long Chiefs fan and Saturday Night Live cast member Heidi Gardner;
· Kansas City Royals legend and World Series champion George Brett on Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes;
· Tony Dungy’s pre-game interview with Chargers rookie OL Joe Alt, whose father John Alt is in the Chiefs Ring of Honor;
· Rodney Harrison’s pre-game interview with Chiefs DE Chris Jones.
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Following are highlights from tonight’s edition of Football Night in America on NBC and Peacock:
ON CHARGERS
Harrison on head coach Jim Harbaugh and the offense: “Harbaugh has done a great job with this offense, but I still think it’s too conservative. They need to open it up a little bit more and let Justin Herbert do his thing, especially against this secondary in Kansas City.”
Dungy on OL Joe Alt and Harbaugh’s approach to the team’s identity: “You take the fifth overall pick and you don’t draft a shiny weapon, you draft a big offensive tackle. That’s his mindset. ‘We’re going to be tough. We’re going to be physical. We’re not fooling anybody. This is going to be Charger football.’”
Harrison: “A bunch of players on the Chargers told me that this is not just another divisional game. This is like a playoff game for them. Now they have an opportunity to see and gauge where they are as a team.”
ON CHIEFS
Kornacki on Chiefs’ success in close games: “Think back to Week 1 where Baltimore looked like they might have had a game-tying touchdown overturned by replay – that was one of seven games this year that the Chiefs have won where they either took the lead or had a game-saving defensive stand in the final minute of play... They have four wins this year where in the final quarter they had less than a 50% chance of winning. The percentage chance of winning all four of those? Just 0.3%.”
Garrett on issues throwing the ball downfield: “There’s just a lot of missed opportunities that can make the complexion of these games look a lot different. The biggest issue for me is the left tackle. Mahomes has been under duress all year long. He just needs some time to throw these balls down the field.”
McCourty on the Chiefs’ defense: “Even without [former Chief and current Titans DB] L’Jarius Sneed, we said that this is a defensive football team. Jaylen Watson gets inserted and he tears his ACL, so Nazeeh Johnson becomes a starting corner opposite Trent McDuffie. They pulled Johnson and put in Joshua Williams...What is going on with this defense? They need to figure it out. They’ve given up more points...this defense just does not look the same.”
ON EAGLES
Simms on the issues in the passing game following 22-16 win vs. Carolina: “There are issues. They’re too talented to look like this in the passing offense...there are pass plays where you simply need to pull the trigger. We’ve seen too much of Jalen Hurts looking at the rush, leaving the pocket in some situations, and leaving yards on the football field. Their offense is not very complex when it comes to the passing game. They don’t dress it up. You don’t see motions or shifts. I don’t know – let’s hit the best receiver in football on the underneath route and see what he does after the catch...they need to do some more creative stuff to help [Hurts] out going forward.”
McCourty: “Let’s take a breath. They’ve won nine straight. I think other teams will turn on this Carolina film and see the way they played defensively – they were one catch away from winning the game...but I think the Eagles like this style. Hurts had 59 rushing yards, he didn’t turn the ball over, and they won another game.”
Garrett on Eagles players’ post-game comments following the win: “The big thing for me is to keep all of that frustration in-house. The teams that ultimately win the Super Bowl get better week after week – but do that in-house. You don’t have to make this thing a public spectacle. You won the game, embrace it, and move on.”
ON STEELERS
Simms on QB Russell Wilson: “We’re seeing a resurgent Russell Wilson. Quick decisions, on-the-money throws, and a new target in Mike Williams...he looks like old Seattle Seahawks Russell Wilson to me.”
ON SEAHAWKS
Garrett following Seahawks’ 30-18 win vs. Arizona: “I’ve just been really impressed with Seattle’s defense as of late. They’ve had a lot of big takeaways, Geno Smith threw it to nine different receivers in the game...Zach Charbonnet went for 134 and two touchdowns. This is how [head coach Mike Macdonald] wants to play defense and run the football.”
McCourty: “Right now, they’re the team in the NFC West. The defense is creating turnovers. The thing that I have really loved is how their secondary is stepping up.”
Garrett: “I just like the balance. Early in the season, it was all about Geno throwing the ball. They got Charbonnet going and running the football. That kind of balance is going to help them down the stretch.”
ON RAMS
Simms on WR Puka Nacua: “‘Nacua Matata’ – it means no worries in L.A. these days. With Puka at wide receiver and Cooper Kupp, the Rams are dangerous...he had a rushing touchdown today as well. The offense in L.A. runs through Puka Nacua.”
Kornacki: “They have a 33% chance to win the division, but they control their own playoff path. They have a Week 18 date at home with Seattle. If the Rams can get to that game a game behind Seattle, all they will have to do is win because it will be a sweep of Seattle for the season, and they’ll take the NFC West.”
ON CARDINALS
Kornacki: “Sorry, Cardinals fans. No team in the NFL took a bigger hit in the NFL than the Arizona Cardinals. They had a golden opportunity at home against Seattle. Had they won that game, their chances of winning the NFC West would have been about 50%. Instead with the loss, barely a pulse – about 4%.”
ON DOLPHINS
Garrett on the 32-26 overtime win vs. the Jets: “Don’t look now – Tua [Tagovailoa] was on fire late in the ball game. Tyreek Hill had one of his best games and Jonnu Smith caught three balls in overtime.”
ON VIKINGS
McCourty on QB Sam Darnold’s five-TD performance in 42-21 win vs. Atlanta: “Sam Darnold said, ‘Forget about Kirk Cousins. Today is my day.’”
ON FALCONS
Garrett on Falcons QB Kirk Cousins: “It’s been bad for Cousins lately. No touchdowns and eight interceptions. They seem out of whack, out of rhythm and he doesn’t look comfortable at all.”
ON BILL BELICHICK
Florio on Bill Belichick interviewing for UNC’s head coach position: “He is very surprised that he hasn’t heard from any NFL teams so far. Three teams currently have vacancies and none of them have reached out to him. If he gets shut out again, where is he going to go? Unless he goes to Canada (laughs), he’s going to a college team.”
McCourty: “He’s not going to Canada, that is for sure. He misses coaching. The media is great, he enjoys that, but he wants to coach football. I would be surprised to see him coaching young kids, it would be a little tough for him, but he just wants to be back around ball.”
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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 2024 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.
-- Football Night in America --
