“Monday Night Football has made its return, and with it comes the much-anticipated comeback of the Manning brothers, Peyton and Eli, to their beloved ManningCast—an alternative broadcast for ‘MNF.’
In Week 1, their special guests were John McEnroe and Ryan Fitzpatrick.
This time around, the Super Bowl champion siblings are providing their unique commentary for the showdown between the New York Jets and the Buffalo Bills, unfolding at MetLife Stadium.
The headline story of the game was Aaron Rodgers making his debut for the Jets, but the narrative took a sudden turn with Rodgers’ injury.
During his first drive with New York, Rodgers suffered an ankle injury due to a sack. He briefly remained on the field before team personnel assisted him to the sideline. Shortly thereafter, the cart made its appearance, and Rodgers left the field. Not much later, he was ruled out for the game.
Peyton and Eli reacted much like the rest of us, with sheer astonishment. Peyton found himself uncertain about the Jets’ backup quarterback and whether they even had one on the roster. It fell to Eli to inform his older brother that Zach Wilson, a former first-round pick, is the QB2.
Sporting a Jets hat, McEnroe emphatically stated that no one should have any expectations from the Jets’ offense at this point. He insisted that the team was in a state of shock and suggested they focus on running the ball and reaching halftime rather than asking Wilson to throw passes. At one point, McEnroe even exclaimed, “Do they have another quarterback?!”
Turning their attention to the stands, they spotted a fan clad in Jets attire who raised the middle finger, evoking memories of a viral moment when Eli made a similar gesture twice during a ManningCast. Peyton quipped, “Eli… that looked like you!”
Eli clarified that he takes it “up a notch” and goes for the double bird instead of just one.
As often happens, retired players miss certain aspects of the game, but there are many elements they don’t miss. Eli mentioned that seeing quarterbacks get tackled reminded him of how much he doesn’t miss that part of the game. Peyton chimed in, saying he doesn’t miss playing in the cold. Being on our screens while comfortably indoors suits them just fine.
Eli couldn’t resist speculating whether Woody Johnson would call Tom Brady out of retirement to play for the Jets.
Peyton jokingly responded that Brady playing for the Jets would seem illegal. Clearly, the Manning brothers weren’t overly impressed with Wilson’s performance.”
