Monday night wasn’t just significant for Aaron Rodgers and the Packers, who put an abysmal season opener in the rear view with a 35-17 rout of the Lions. It also marked the second run for Peyton and Eli Manning as “Monday Night Football” co-hosts, with the quarterback brothers teaming up for a conversational ESPN2 broadcast of the evening’s NFC North showdown. The Mannings were a hit during their Week 1 debut following the Raiders‘ wild upset of the Ravens, but how did they fare in Week 2?
Here’s a rundown of some of the best moments from the latest “Monday Night Football” with Peyton and Eli:
Peyton calls Patriots cheaters
Early on, with the Packers leaning on their running game, the guys joked that Green Bay might have bugged their pregame conversations about needing to establish the run. Peyton took the opportunity to redirect the joke at New England: “Kinda like the Patriots used to do back in the day,” he said, before telling Eli he used to gather wide receivers in the “far corner” of the showers if the Patriots had been in the facility, “because I know it’s bugged, I know it’s got a hot mic.”
Eli goes after Peyton’s forehead
Who said brothers can’t tease each other? The younger Manning said the top feedback he got after their Week 1 broadcast was to keep going after Peyton’s forehead, and he did just that: “It’s not a forehead, it’s a five-head, it’s so big.”
Gronk says he doesn’t watch film
Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski was the first guest to join the show, and he was a hoot. First, he insisted he doesn’t practice on Fridays because that’s when Tampa Bay focuses on red-zone work: “I’m Red Zone Robby G already, baby.” Then he told a story about fellow tight end Cameron Brate asking whether he ever watches film: “Do you watch film? No. No. I just run by guys … I do watch film when the team is showing it.” Bruce Arians must love this!
Favre’s Wi-Fi goes haywire
The Manning brothers had to wait until after halftime to welcome Brett Favre to the broadcast because they weren’t sure if the Packers legend had Internet connection “on the farm in Mississippi.” Later, when Favre actually arrived, he admitted his connection was on the fritz: “My two tin cans and a string finally work.”
McAfee steals the show
Former Colts punter Pat McAfee was the final guest and proved exactly why he’s made a name for himself in radio, with story after story about his time playing with — and fawning over — Peyton in Indianapolis. First, he laughed at the fact Peyton’s feathers were ruffled over Derek Carr having to quiet his own fans in Week 1, telling Eli that when Peyton would hush Colts fans years ago, “babies would stop crying in hospitals.” In the waning minutes of the game, he whipped out one of his most famous stories, about Peyton winking at him on the way out of an Indiana casino with a hint to bet on 18, his number, at the roulette table. As the story goes, McAfee and a handful of others ended up betting the 18 and winning big on the very next spin, confirming Manning’s mythical legacy.
