For years, Peyton and Eli Manning were known for their heroics as quarterbacks on the gridiron but, nowadays, the two have taken on new football-adjacent roles. The Super Bowl-winning siblings currently serve as commentators for ESPN’s Monday Night Football. As such, they provide keen notes on games, but they also provide thoughts on some of the unexpected shenanigans that occur on the field. Just this week, the two were commentating when the game was derailed by a “streaker.” And luckily for us, we can watch how things went down.
The Manning brothers were covering the match-up between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams on Monday when things went down. Peyton pointed out to viewers that a “streaker” had indeed run onto the field but had been taken down with a “nice, legal hit.” As the brothers continued to discuss the matter, footage of the wild moment was shown, and you honestly have to see it to believe it. Take a look at it for yourself in the Twitter post down below:
Peyton & @EliManning will do play-by-play of anything... including a streaker on the field 😂 pic.twitter.com/OXsYj9ieqSOctober 4, 2022
Ultimately, Rams middle linebacker Bobby Wagner delivered the hit that took down the streaker, who’d made his way onto the field shortly before halftime. To be completely honest, I don’t know what makes me laugh more, Wagner’s sharp takedown or the fact that Peyton Manning referred to it as a “nice, legal hit.” Either way, good on the 10-year NFL veteran for finding a way to counter the intruder’s post route, as noted by Manning.
This definitely wouldn’t be the first time that an individual made their way onto the field during a football game. For instance, some sports fans may remember that in 2021, Super Bowl LV was interrupted by a streaker wearing a pink thong bathing suit. Such a thing has actually become so commonplace that gamblers even place bets regarding whether or not people will attempt to run onto the field during a specific event. (I’m honestly not sure just how willing I’d be to put down cash on such a thing.)
While moments like these can be pretty funny on their own, what makes them even more laugh worthy is when there just happens to be a witty commentator on the job at the time. I’m honestly not surprised that Peyton Manning had such a great sense of humor about the whole thing. In the past, Manning has dropped some great jokes, which has been on display when he’s hosted awards shows or appeared on Saturday Night Live. He can also throw shade as evidenced by his reaction to Tom Brady unretiring from the NFL earlier this year. Peyton has even playfully poked fun at Eli and his sad face following his 2016 Super Bowl win.
This streaking situation probably won’t be the last one that pops up during the Manning brothers’ commentating stint with ESPN. And quite frankly, I can’t help but chuckle when I think about how Peyton might address any of these potential occurrences down the road.
Tune into ESPN’s Monday Night Football as it continues to air this fall as part of the 2022 TV schedule.
