ESPN’s ManningCast concluded its 2025 NFL season coverage with the Houston Texans win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. This was the fifth ManningCast season, and the brothers are already committed to coming back for a sixth season.
Peyton Manning and Eli Manning have been consistently great on this program, but last night’s broadcast was especially good.
JJ Watt and Ben Roethlisberger were the ManningCast guests whose history with the playoff teams made the commentary even more impactful. Watt was asked who he was rooting for in a game that pitted his former team against his brother TJ’s current team. He affirmed that watching his brother win would be preferred, but in the end, if the Texans won, he would be thrilled for them as well.
.@JJWatt reveals who he's rooting for tonight 👀
Watch the Manningcast on ESPN2 and the ESPN App. pic.twitter.com/N1kxwSBroq
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 13, 2026
Watt also shared the real reason he never united with his brothers to play in Pittsburgh. He did not want to take any money from TJ who was negotiating a contract extension at that time.
Roethlisberger was disgusted by the time he appeared in the second half, and his mood did not improve. He was a typical Steelers fan who could not believe his former team did not take advantage of the many Texans offensive miscues in the first half and said more than once, the Steelers should have been winning the game at that point.
Big Ben not too happy on the Manningcast. #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/nEwI7YagJu
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) January 13, 2026
Eli Manning presented Peyton with a hilarious gift that took some work to assemble. It was a framed montage of the NFL trading cards of the players who intercepted Peyton in his record 28 interception 1998 rookie season.
HILARIOUS: ELI MANNING SURPRISED HIS BROTHER PEYTON WITH A MASSIVE BOARD COMMEMORATING HIS HISTORIC 28 INTERCEPTIONS IN ONE SEASON…
Eli found the cards of each player who intercepted Peyton that season and had them custom-made.
All-time gift 🤣🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/AIF4X1p4rQ
— MLFootball (@MLFootball) January 13, 2026
Peyton Manning went out on a limb and predicted that Aaron Rodgers will play again next year. He also surprised no one when he told his brother he would be at the Broncos vs. Bills game on Saturday.
Clips from the season concluded the broadcast with notorious soundbytes from former President George W. Bush, Baker Mayfield, and Charles Barkley.
How long did President George W. Bush prepare for the ManningCast?
"About 10 minutes." 😂 pic.twitter.com/dALkYVTtwq
— Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) November 18, 2025
The ManningCast with @bakermayfield and Charles Barkley was must-see tv pic.twitter.com/i4pTrtjuVS
— Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) November 4, 2025
