Mike Florio and Chris Simms can't wait for Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes to go head-to-head on Sunday Night Football in Week 4 of the 2023 NFL season.

Video Transcript

MIKE FLORIO: There was one very important game that was leaked yesterday and ultimately confirmed last night. And I think if we pulled this out-- this is one of those situations where if we pulled this out, it would actually make us look not like idiots for a change.

When the Rodgers stuff first was percolating with the Jets, we pointed out if he lands in New York, we'll finally see Mahomes versus Rodgers. We've never seen it before. It would be at the Jets.

And I said at some point it would be perfect for Sunday night week 4. We'd be there. We'll go. We'd volunteer our services from Stanford to East Rutherford or--

CHRIS SIMMS: Ah, yeah.

MIKE FLORIO: --whatever town that's-- is it still East Rutherford?

CHRIS SIMMS: East Rutherford, yeah.

MIKE FLORIO: Is that still the town?

CHRIS SIMMS: East Rutherford, right, yeah.

MIKE FLORIO: Anyway--

CHRIS SIMMS: Right, yeah.

MIKE FLORIO: --that's what it is.

CHRIS SIMMS: Right.

MIKE FLORIO: That's how it landed. And you think about it, that week 4 Sunday night has been a great spot in recent years. It was the Tom Brady back to New England two years ago.

CHRIS SIMMS: Right, sure.

MIKE FLORIO: It was Brady versus Mahomes last year. And this year, it's Mahomes versus Rodgers. It's early enough that hopefully, hopefully, they'll both be available. Hopefully, there won't be any knee injuries or COVID toes that will keep the thing from happening because they were supposed to play in 2019, and Mahomes was injured.

They were supposed to play in 2021. That was when Rodgers had COVID toe. And now, this year, they get a chance to get together. And hopefully, it all holds together until Sunday night, October 1.

If it happens, we'll finally see. And we saw the-- we saw the-- I didn't get that at first-- the 12 years--

CHRIS SIMMS: Yes, right.

MIKE FLORIO: --since the Jets have been on NBC.

CHRIS SIMMS: There's--

MIKE FLORIO: They haven't been on Sunday since--

CHRIS SIMMS: --the Titanic.

MIKE FLORIO: --2011. And 2012 was the last time they were on NBC, Thanksgiving night-- butt fumble game.

CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah, butt fumble.

MIKE FLORIO: So, yeah, that's gonna be-- that's gonna be a great night, and that's gonna be a great game. It's an important game.

CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.

MIKE FLORIO: And those early-season games, too, when you play teams from different divisions, those early-season games echo into the postseason because they, in some respects, can help determine where those games are gonna be played because, hey, look, we're 13 and 4. Oh, wait. The Chiefs are, too, and we lost to them in week 4. We have to go play there if we cross paths in the postseason.

CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah, no. It's a litmus test either way, right? It's good for the Jets, you know, that early in the year. They're gonna see where they stand as compared to a team that, you know, we all know is one of the best teams in football.

Yeah, we haven't seen this match-up. Mahomes, his favorite quarterback growing up is Aaron Rodgers. He has said that, really. So there that is.

And then he's like the new version of Aaron Rodgers. It's like, hey, wait, well, let's come up with a new version of it 15 years later, 16 years later. Oh, hey. It looks like Patrick Mahomes, right?

And then he's doing it at a higher level, as you saw in the stats there, if you're watching, compared to Rodgers. I mean, the first five there, I mean, Mahomes, come on. It's the greatest first five seasons we ever seen in the history of football, probably, I think, when you break it down, right, Mike?

So it's amazing. And I'm with you. Right away, I was like, oh, whoa. This could be one-- we should probably be on the field for that one. That's not a hard-- they don't have to pay for a plane flight, anything.

No special hotel-- we could just stay at the same hotel in Stanford. We can do the pregame there. That would be awesome. I think you should make a weekend--

MIKE FLORIO: You don't even have to stay--

CHRIS SIMMS: No, I can stay home.

MIKE FLORIO: You stay in your house.

CHRIS SIMMS: That's what I mean. And I think--

MIKE FLORIO: Stay at your house.

CHRIS SIMMS: --you stay, too, maybe the next night because they're doing a doubleheader at Giants Stadium-- or MetLife, I still call it Giants Stadium-- where the next night, Seahawks-Giants, Monday Night Football.

So it could be a great weekend for us. You could stay, hang. We'll do the shows. We'll do all that. We'll go to the games. We'll have a good time. I mean, that sounds good. I mean, you and me, watching Rodgers and Mahomes together? I think I'm down for that.

MIKE FLORIO: Wow. Well, I think we should do that week 1 also. Isn't it Cowboys-Giants on Sunday Night Football week 1 at MetLife and, the next night, Bills-Jets? Those are gonna be some--

CHRIS SIMMS: Whoa.

MIKE FLORIO: --interesting two-day football packages at MetLife Stadium.

CHRIS SIMMS: Seriously. You talk about the grounds crew and everybody that's got to get things situated. I don't know. I guess it's just a flip of the switch or whatever-- turn the lights from green to blue.

That was the big selling point. The stadium can go from green to blue on a given day. Oh, my gosh. That's the technology we have here in New York at our great new stadium. Yeah. But, yeah, it's an awesome match-up.

MIKE FLORIO: It's a rare occasion when you've got both teams in New York that are highly desirable and trying to avoid that awkward Sunday afternoon. You don't want them playing at the same time on Sunday afternoon. You want one at 1 o'clock and one at 4:25.

And maybe that's why there are more Jets games than I thought there would be at 1:00 because there's got to be some Giants games at 4:25--

CHRIS SIMMS: Right.

MIKE FLORIO: --because the Giants are pretty good right now. They're in demand.

CHRIS SIMMS: That certainly plays into that.

MIKE FLORIO: It's just--

CHRIS SIMMS: Yeah.

MIKE FLORIO: --we get so used to the Jets and Giants not being nationally desirable both at the same time. This is the first year in a long time they both are. And it's just going to make for some interesting-- interesting football watching and interesting scheduling quirks when you put the two schedules together.