The first Monday Night Football game of the 2024 NFL season is here. The New York Jets will take on the San Francisco 49ers in what many believe could be a Super Bowl matchup.
LIVE: Follow Jets vs. 49ers updates from 'Monday Night Football'
Kickoff from Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California, is set for 8:15 p.m. ET, and the game will be available on ESPN, ABC and ESPN+. DirecTV subscribers will eagerly wait to see if an agreement is made between AT&T and Disney, or else they will have to find another way to watch the game.
The main broadcast on ESPN and ABC will feature the usual commentary team of Troy Aikman and Joe Buck in the booth, with Lisa Salters on the sideline. ESPN2 will provide an alternate broadcast that features the return of the Manningcast.
While the show typically features the Manning brothers, Eli and Peyton, they now regularly welcome guests to join them in not only watching the games but also providing either professional analysis or personal anecdotes while the game is going on.
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Manningcast guests for Week 1
- Bill Belichick, former New England Patriots head coach
- Adam Sandler, Actor
- Chris Jones, Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle
Omaha Productions is an entertainment company founded by Peyton Manning and the main producer of the Manningcast. They have taken a creative approach to announcing the guests for upcoming episodes and have used an informative graphic reminiscent of "Saturday Night Live."
Tonight. 8:13pm ET. ESPN2. pic.twitter.com/WK0RwwLQxg
— Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) September 9, 2024
Bill Belichick
The future Hall of Fame head coach was with the Patriots from 2000 to 2023. He led them to six Super Bowl victories, the last coming in 2018. Belichick finished with a 266-121 record in New England and a 302-165 record overall as a head coach.
Belichick parted ways with the Patriots after the 2023 season. He interviewed with the Atlanta Falcons for their vacant job but was unsuccessful in getting it, as the team hired Raheem Morris instead.
Belichick has started making the media rounds with appearances on College GameDay, 2024 NFL Draft coverage and a weekly standing spot with the Pat McAfee Show. He will be a regular guest of the Manningcast and is expected to appear on every episode this season.
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Adam Sandler
Sandler started on SNL as a writer but quickly transitioned to a featured cast member. His firing in 1995 jump-started his film career with "Billy Madison" (1995), followed by "Happy Gilmore" (1996) and "The Wedding Singer" and "The Waterboy" in 1998.
Sandler has been in 70 feature films and will likely be promoting a new stand-up special released last month.
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Chris Jones
The Manningcast typically has an active NFL player join to provide in-game insight and discuss stories around the league.
Jones and the Chiefs opened the NFL season with a big win over the Baltimore Ravens last Thursday. The defensive tackle had the defense's only sack and added two more tackles and a forced fumble in the victory.
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How to watch Week 1 Manningcast
- TV: ESPN2
- Live Stream: ESPN+ | Fubo
ESPN2 will remain the home of the Manningcast for the 2024 season.
Due to lingering contract disputes between the company and Disney, the Manningcast can be watched with any streaming service that offers live TV, other than DirecTV.
Similarly, the Manningcast version of Monday Night Football can be streamed directly through ESPN+ or any service offering access to ESPN+ outside DirecTV. Fubo carries the ESPN channels and comes with a free trial covering subscribers for the season's first Manningcast.
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