Of the three weekly prime-time NFL games, MNF has the lowest viewership. While it remains the most-watched thing on ESPN, cable broadcasts always reach significantly fewer viewers than broadcast. And since 2006, MNF has been on ESPN rather than ABC. Now there’s a weekly Thursday Night Football game, and the NFL tends to put its best matchup of the week on NBC’s Sunday Night Football broadcast. For decades, the weekly Monday night game was one of the most-watched American television broadcasts in any category, week in, week out. Its peppy theme song became our National Football Anthem, and its announcers became legitimate celebrities. Monday Night Football used to be one of the highlights of the NFL week. It had the closeness and casual feel of a Twitch stream, except the two streamers were two of the most famous football men alive. It probably wasn’t the best way to watch a football game for fans of one of the teams-the Mannings sometimes got so excited breaking down a particular play that they skipped over live game action-but it was fun to watch a game with them. They spent an extended period of time making fun of Kyle Boller, which might have been the most entertaining part of an entertaining evening.
They added recollections from their own careers-like the time Peyton tried to write an apology letter to a ref but couldn’t get his address because the NFL feared that he was seeking retribution for a call, or the surprising admission that “halftime adjustments” are essentially a myth since teams don’t actually have enough time to strategize in the relatively short breaks. The New York Post reports that by halftime, ESPN management told them to “focus more on football.” They broke down the defenses and explained what the quarterbacks might be thinking on various plays. It was chuckle-worthy, but Peyton felt like a standup comic who just saw the red light flashing indicating their time was almost up, rushing from bit to bit, knowing he hadn’t done all of his material yet.īut as the game went on, the Mannings skipped the bits and just talked. They brought in Charles Barkley, and he and Eli made fun of Peyton for losing to him in golf.
#TWEETS ABOUT MNF GAME SERIES#
The Manning ‘MNF’ MegaCast and the End of the Announcer Monopoly Era NFL Power Rankings: The Chiefs Maintain Their Mystique Making Sense of the Series of Events That Led to the Raiders’ Bizarre Win Over the RavensĪt the beginning of the night, the Mannings focused on scripted bits, like Peyton putting on a headset and pretending to be Jon Gruden while Eli sheepishly laughed, and Peyton putting on a helmet and pretending to be a quarterback while calling plays while Eli made fun of Peyton’s large head.