Chatter about the so-called “Madden Curse” of players meeting bad fates after gracing the cover of the video game has died down, but there may be a new one to take its place: The Manningcast Curse.
In a wild coincidence, the six active players that have appeared on the “Monday Night Football” sidecast on ESPN2 with Peyton and Eli Manning – Travis Kelce, Russell Wilson, Rob Gronkowski, Matthew Stafford, Tom Brady, and Josh Allen – have all lost the following week.
The latest example, Josh Allen, quarterbacks the Bills – who were favored to beat the Jaguars by over two touchdowns on Sunday, but lost outright and didn’t even reach the end zone.
There has yet to be an active player appear on the Manningcast whose team won their next game.
The silver lining here, as long as the trend persists, is that the curse does not appear being to be a season death sentence. The Buccaneers, Rams, Bills, and Chiefs all remain plausible Super Bowl contenders.
The Manningcast has provided a fun diversion on Monday nights. Peyton’s ability to conduct an interview while simultaneously breaking down the All-22 film of a play that just happened is a glimpse into a very unique mind, while Eli has added an element of deadpan humor. The Manningcast is taking a break for Monday night’s Steelers-Bears game, however.