Peyton Manning and Eli Manning‘s ESPN2 broadcast of Monday Night Football, dubbed the ManningCast, was a huge hit on social media, and a nominal hit in the ratings. Now, the brothers are back for one more telecast as they’ll cover their first playoff game tonight between the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Rams.
The show will welcome three guests onto the broadcast this evening, Cardinals legend Larry Fitzgerald, Seattle Seahawks quarterback (for now) Russell Wilson, and Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson.
Guests for the final ManningCast of the season: Larry Fitzgerald, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Russell Wilson.
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) January 17, 2022
The good news for Wilson is that the ManningCast Curse won’t apply to him this time, at least until the Seahawks (or whoever he’s playing for) loses their first game next season. Wilson was previously a guest on the broadcast and Seattle lost their next game, as the curse foretold.
Hopefully, the brothers will be able to suss out some information from Wilson, who reportedly wants to explore his options despite saying he’d like to remain with the Seahawks and has a no-trade clause. Considering Pete Carroll is sticking around, there certainly seems to be some untapped intel that could be leaked.
All three guests should bring something interesting to the discussion, but NFL folks on social media have already been sharing their thoughts about their appearances and what might go down. A lot of people specifically wondered if Peyton, who has been rumored to be in the running to be an owner of the Denver Broncos, will use the opportunity to pitch Wilson on coming on over (sneakily, of course).
Wilson gonna talk about how he is fully committed to appearing on the ManningCast but here is a list of 4 other broadcasts he would be willing to be traded to as well https://t.co/sPHuRE85Bk
— Shiv Ramdas Buk Riter (@nameshiv) January 17, 2022
Book an L for Russ' 2022 team in Week 1.
Cardinals unaffected my Manningcast curse because Fitz isn't on the team anymore. https://t.co/XtkiXvwBqo
— Jess Root (@senorjessroot) January 17, 2022
can Fitz line up at WR instead? https://t.co/Th7ZwnDSdf
— Fabian Ardaya (@FabianArdaya) January 17, 2022
Need Eli to ask Wilson about the Giants https://t.co/eQibbG7kmC
— Dan Duggan (@DDuggan21) January 17, 2022
Russell Wilson joins the Manning Cast tonight…
Will Peyton recruit him to Denver on primetime national TV?
https://t.co/sivvy40Inf — Zac Stevens (@ZacStevensDNVR) January 17, 2022
Love this for two reasons:
1. Only 3 guests. The game is going to be intense, and I'd rather just hear Peyton and Eli than The Rock promoting… whatever he'll be promoting.
2. Russell Wilson was great earlier this season on the Manningcast in overtime during Ravens-Raiders. https://t.co/czSvoGZ0Jr
— Rob Tornoe (@RobTornoe) January 17, 2022
Tune into the ManningCast on ESPN2 at 8:13 p.m. EST tonight for the Rams-Cardinals playoff game.
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.