Russell Wilson wasn't the only big-name Broncos quarterback suffering Monday night, as Denver folded in crunch time to fall to the Seahawks, 17-16, in Week 1's finale. Peyton Manning was also in town for the return of "Monday Night Football with Peyton & Eli," otherwise known as the "ManningCast," ESPN2's alternate broadcast featuring the famous ex-QB siblings. But Manning's unabashed Broncos fandom wasn't the only thing powering the "ManningCast" to start the 2022 season.
Here are some of the best moments from the first "ManningCast" of the year:
Peyton saddened by Broncos' sour ending
As the night wore on, it became more apparent that the elder Manning wasn't going to hide his rooting interests, repeatedly referring to the Broncos as "we" and, most notably, ending the night looking thoroughly defeated by Denver's clock shenanigans, which essentially took the ball out of Russell Wilson's hands in favor of a 64-yard walk-off field-goal try. "The Broncos are gonna be fine," Peyton told the brothers' last guest, Shannon Sharpe, as he signed off, even as his sunken eyes and worn-down face told the true story.
Peyton Manning would have handled the final minute different than Denver did…. pic.twitter.com/yRqlxjFDQ3
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 13, 2022
Joel McHale pokes fun at Russ, Peyton
The actor and comedian was the Manning brothers' second -- and most entertaining -- guest of the night, mainly for a couple zingers pertaining to the present and former Broncos QBs of the night. A diehard Seahawks fan, McHale compared seeing Wilson enter Monday's game in a Broncos uniform to seeing "my dad showing off his new wife." He then asked Peyton straight up: "What's bigger, your forehead or John Elway's teeth?" He didn't get an answer.
The Mannings love Clete Blakeman's physique
Nobody sparked more conversation than the game's head official, who looked quite in shape. Peyton couldn't help but speculate that Blakeman delayed several calls so that his pecs would get more screen time, and at one point, he even took a guess at the size of Blakeman's seemingly tight-fitting striped uniform, going with a "boys medium" on the chest.
Peyton throws shots at kickers, New York Jets
He was a little feisty, if you can't tell. Early on, Eli commented about the Broncos potentially allowing Russell Wilson to throw the ball 70 times in his Denver debut, to which Peyton responded: "The Jets threw it 70 times yesterday, they looked good." Ouch. Later, he took a separate, unrelated jab at special teamers when Eli asked when kickers have their position meetings: "They don't. There are no kickers' meeting rooms. They don't exist."
Shannon Sharpe screams at Russ
The former star tight end was the final guest of the night, and his appearance was littered with emotional reactions to Wilson's late-game decisions, specifically whenever Wilson wouldn't target -- wait for it -- his tight ends. At one point, he full-on yelled, nearly adding some expletives, causing Eli to mutter: "Shannon's making me nervous."
