Peyton and Eli Manning’s Manningcast is back for a sixth season on ESPN2. In addition, this time, they’re bringing a new tech-driven wrinkle to the broadcast.
What We Know: Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli returns Week 1, airing on selected Monday nights at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and the ESPN App. The alternate telecast debuted in 2021 and has since won multiple Sports Emmy Awards. Moreover, it runs across 11 regular-season games this year, plus a February 14 alternate telecast of Super Bowl LXI — the first ManningCast of a championship game. New this season is Manning Mode, an Xs-and-Os feature powered by NFL Next Gen Stats and Adrenaline’s TruPlay AI, delivering real-time analytics during select segments.
What’s At Stake: This now marks the sixth season for the Omaha Productions partnership with ESPN. However, with ESPN going all in on this NFL season ahead of the network’s first Super Bowl, reports have stated that ESPN is considering a Pat McAfee Show led alt-cast on weeks the Manningcast does not air. Whether or not that could lead to a more permanent option for either show moving into the 2027 season is unknown.
What Remains Unclear: ESPN hasn’t named the guest lineup for Manning Mode segments or the broadcast overall. In addition, one additional Monday night edition remains unannounced.
What It Means: The ManningCast keeps evolving beyond conversation-driven football coverage. Moreover, Manning Mode signals a bigger bet on tech-integrated storytelling for alternate broadcasts. Meanwhile, the Super Bowl LXI assignment marks new territory — the first Manning-hosted title game — as ESPN heads into its first-ever Super Bowl season.
2026 Manningcast Schedule:
- Sept. 14: Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs
- Sept. 21: New York Giants at Los Angeles Rams
- Oct. 5: Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints
- Oct. 12: Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams
- Oct. 26: Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles
- Nov. 2: Chicago Bears at Seattle Seahawks
- Nov. 16: Los Angeles Chargers at Baltimore Ravens
- Nov. 23: Cincinnati Bengals at Washington Commanders
- Dec. 7: Dallas Cowboys at Seattle Seahawks
- Dec. 21: New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs
- Jan. 4: Houston Texans at Green Bay Packers
- Feb. 14: Super Bowl LXI
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