Chiefs take their turn on Peyton and Eli Manning’s entertaining ‘Manningcast’ on ESPN2
Once upon a time, Monday Night Football was the exclusive purview of guys like Frank Gifford, Howard Cosell, “Dandy” Don Meredith, Al Michaels, Dan Dierdorf, Hank Williams Jr. and all their rowdy friends.
Now it’s Carrie Underwood, Aloe Blacc and, if you flip to ESPN2, running commentary from former Super Bowl MVPs Peyton and Eli Manning — football’s first sibs, and, it just so happens, a pretty darned good combo when it comes to the NFL commentary thing.
This week, with Monday Night Football at Arrowhead Stadium, the Chiefs and New York Giants took their turn on a Manningcast. That’s not the simulcast’s real name, but it’s a lot more memorable than “Monday Night Football with Peyton & Eli.” Regardless, whatever you call it, there was something fun about former nemesis Peyton giving props to Kansas City as the Chiefs carved out a 14-10 halftime lead and went on to win 20-17.
The brothers also called out both teams’ foibles, which seemed OK, too. The show works because the Brothers Manning are credible — they obviously know their stuff — and come across as genuine.
They also bring in fresh guests for each quarter. Their first on this particular Monday, actor/comedian Jon Stewart, was hilarious. Lots of one-liners and a painful clip from his in-ring appearance with actor/pro wrestler John Cena, in which the big man dropped the comedian to the canvas with a thud — some kind of suplex.
Stewart also wondered why there aren’t more Mannings in the pipleline, to which Peyton replied, “My dad’s stud fee has gotten really high.”
After Chiefs star and fellow former Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes threw his 10th interception of the season — deflected off a defender, as has become somewhat customary — Peyton was incredulous.
“Eli,” the older brother said, “sometimes he’s just got to know when to say, ‘OK, they got me.” Mahomes himself recently admitted he needs to remember that it’s often better to throw one away than force a pass.
With 10:35 left in the first half, and Michael Strahan taking his turn as a guest, Peyton marveled at Mahomes’ sidearm dart for a first down to Tyreek Hill, even referencing a legendary Kansas City Royals reliever to make his point.
“That was a submarine Dan Quisenberry throw! ... That throw hurts me, just watching it. It hurts my shoulder.”
While Eli won a Super Bowl with the Giants, Peyton won one of his two with the Broncos — a big-time rival of the Chiefs: “It’s loud at Arrowhead,” Peyton said as the crowd roared. “It gets really loud there.”
Peyton, 45, is clearly the natural jokester, with 40-year-old Eli his straight man — and frequent foil. Peyton chided him for referring to an exhibition game as an expedition game. “An Expedition is what I drove in college, Eli.”
All joking aside, the brothers are believable football fans first now, and that was plainly evident when Peyton’s pitch rose on an untimely Giants penalty: “NO! Not a false start!”
People have noticed the Manningcast, and they also noticed when it took a three-week hiatus that ended with last week’s game. Apparently, Eli flipping the double-bird, as he did during a show earlier this year, has been a hit that ESPN can’t do without. Viewership topped out at 1.9 million in Weeks 2 and 3, according to the network.
We’re not gonna lie: Hearing the Mannings gab about football in their Zoom-call format throughout the Chiefs-Giants game was a hoot. Usually, fans hear nothing from marquee players like the Mannings but a milquetoast mashup of soundbites and (for Peyton) ubiquitous Nationwide Insurance commercials.
That seemed to change for these two a few years ago when the brothers collaborated on those “Peyton vs. Eli” commercials for ESPN. One memorable installment included a wet willy and, as they’re walking away down the hall together, Peyton slyly reverse-kicking his younger brother on the back of his legs.
During last week’s telecast, guest Tom Brady referred to defensive players as “dogs chasing cars.” Of course, Brady’s sense of humor, though dry, is semi-legendary. Strahan seemed more concerned with the way his old team was playing against the Chiefs.
When Mahomes uncorked a long jump-ball pass that was caught by no one and could’ve been Mahomes’ second pick of the night, Eli jumped in: “This is where he gets in trouble, Peyton. He’s gotten away with this in his career ... but, ohhhh!”
Eli also took issue with how fast Peyton inhaled his chicken dinner at halftime: “I had to watch you eat a piece of chicken with no knife and fork,” Eli said, “even though you had one.”
The third-quarter guest was none other than Josh Allen, the quarterback who led the Buffalo Bills to a win at Arrowhead earlier this season. Peyton called him “the senior quarterback of that division now,” with Brady now a Super Bowl champ (at the Chiefs’ expense) in Tampa Bay.
“I’m a big Tom Brady fan, I think everybody knows that ...” Allen said. “But I’m real glad he’s out of the division. I think I’ll just leave it at that.”
Hall of Famer Michael Irvin was the final guest of the night. The former Cowboys receiver talked about his admiration for Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, cutting him some slack for a lost fumble in the second half.
All in all, a clever show, and one that looks destined to continue. Peyton’s Omaha Productions has a 30-episode deal with ESPN.
This story was originally published November 1, 2021 at 9:21 PM.