Move over, Madden Cover Curse. Hello … Damn Manningcast?
Current NFL stars better be careful before agreeing to become guests of Peyton and Eli Manning on their alternate broadcast “Monday Night Football” on ESPN2 for the remainder of 2021.
There have been four “MNFs” with the Manning so far with six left for this season. Every active player who has shown up to discuss soccer and other things with them has been unlucky with a loss in the next week. Some have had it worse, also falling victim to injuries.
Tom Brady probably won’t be joining his famous fraternal friends soon on the air again, saving his Manning quality time for the golf course. Brady stopped by to chat with Peyton and Elli for the much-anticipated Manningcast comeback in Week 7, for Monday night’s game between the Saints and Seahawks.
MORE: Full Schedule for the Manningcast in 2021
Brady threw 375 yards and 4 touchdowns in Sunday’s Week 8 game at New Orleans. But he also threw two interceptions (one for pick six) and fumbled in the Mannings’ hometown, leading the Buccaneers to a 36-27 loss to the Saints.
If Brady had been paying attention, he would have passed the Manning invite and avoided his worst day of an MVP-caliber stellar season. You may have forgotten what happened to other NFL offensive studs that did ‘MNF during the first three Manningcasts:
Week 1: Russell Wilson
The Seahawks quarterback was there with the Mannings to break the crazy finale to the Ravens-Raiders overtime thriller. In his next game, Wilson threw for 343 yards and 2 touchdowns against the Titans in Week 2, but his team lost a thrilling overtime thriller at home, 33-30. Tennessee matched Las Vegas’ Week 1 winning points total to start.
Three weeks later, Wilson injured the middle finger on his right (pitching) hand and that led to him missing the first three games of his long NFL career. “DangeRuss” cannot be blamed for not knowing that the Mannings were so dangerous, given that he was one of the first two unsuspecting victims.
Week 1: Travis Kelce
Before Wilson, the Chiefs tight end talked about his contemporaries Darren Waller and Mark Andrews with the Manning. Kelce caught 7 passes for 109 yards and a TD after that in Week 2, but his Chiefs lost a thrilling regulation thriller to the Ravens, who rebounded, 36-35. Kelce is now playing through a neck injury and his team has continued to fight for his appearance on “MNF” in Week 8. That could also be related to Patrick Mahomes being half the Madden NFL 22 coverage. with Brady.
Week 2: Rob Gronkowski
The Buccaneers unknowingly let the Manning curse hit twice. Let’s hope Gronk has fun with Peyton and Eli talking about the Lions-Packers, because it also came at a cost.
Brady’s favorite tight end and good friend was limited to 4 receptions for 55 yards on 8 goals in Week 3. His team was also beaten by the Rams, 34-24. That had been the only loss of the season for the reigning Super Bowl 55 champs until the week after Brady’s Manningcast.
MORE: Guest Rankings We’d Like To See On ESPN’s ‘Manningcast’
Week 3: Matthew Stafford
Stafford had a great game as a Rams quarterback against Brady and Gronkowski in Week 3, with 343 passing yards and 4 TDs. But he made a mistake by showing up with the Mannings to celebrate one night later. Stafford’s broadcast season was pretty forgettable during the Eagles-Cowboys game. This was his performance against the Cardinals in Week 4
In his arguably worst outing of the best season of his career, Stafford threw for 280 yards and 2 TDs with an interception, averaging 6.8 yards per attempt. Los Angeles lost heavily to Arizona, 37-20, for its only loss of the season.
Week 7: Tom Brady
Brady may have provided conclusive visual evidence that the curse is a reality, given that he and his Buccaneers freaked out on the most irritating night of all, Halloween.
Week 8: ?????
When the Chiefs host the Giants, who will become the next player ready to be cursed? Stay tuned and be very scared if a star from your favorite NFL team is featured on the latest Manningcast guest list.
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Eddie is an Australian news reporter with over 9 years in the industry and has published on Forbes and tech crunch.