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HELP WANTED — Peyton Manning has been retired from the NFL for seven seasons and has made a fine career for himself outside the game being in basically every commercial made.
You've probably seen Peyton Manning more today than when he was playing for the Indianapolis Colts or Denver Broncos. He's a great voice for the game and has millions flocking to the Monday Night Football broadcast he does on ESPN with his brother Eli called "ManningCast."
If you've never seen it, it's an entertaining stream of consciousness with an assortment of guests during the MNF game. The Manning brothers give great insight into the game as former professional quarterbacks, some useless facts, and sometimes some NSFW content via Eli Manning.
All in all, it's a great time to be had on the Worldwide Leader of Sports.
But on the first Monday night broadcast of the 2022 NFL season, Peyton Manning was like the rest of us as we watched the Broncos make inexplicable decisions down the stretch while trailing 17-16 to the Seattle Seahawks.
With just under a minute left to play and facing a fourth-and 5 situation, the Broncos fumbled away the moment (not the ball, they already did that twice on the goal line earlier) in hopes of getting within field goal range to win the game.
"We've got three timeouts, I might use one right here," Manning says as he's seen giving the sign for a timeout repeatedly. "Let's use one, let's talk about this one."
But the clock continues to tick down and the Broncos don't seem to look rushed or in a hurry to stall the time.
Trying to figure out what's going on, Manning offers: "They're going to try to draw them offsides." To which Eli Manning says: "They don't have that much time. Well you don't want to waste that much time, I don't think."
Still, no timeouts and the Broncos break their huddle. By now nothing makes sense.
Peyton Manning then raises his eyebrows in a confused gesture, thinking exactly what everyone else watching the broadcast was thinking: What are you doing?!
"Yeah, I think we should call a timeout, like now," Peyton Manning says as he hits the timeout gesture even harder with his hands.
Finally, with 20 seconds left in the game, Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson gestures for a timeout right as the play clock is about to expire.
"So you just burn 30 seconds to call a timeout?" guest Shannon Sharpe says, questioning the decision like everyone else all while Peyton Manning offers up the surrender cobra gesture. All three NFL players were baffled.
But sure, the Broncos had a master plan out of that timeout, right? RIGHT?!
No, nothing substantive at all. The Broncos trotted out its kicking team in an attempt to make a 64-yard field goal. As a reference point, the longest made field goal in NFL history is a 66-yard kick made by Justin Tucker last season.
And as expected, the field goal was no good. Seattle Seahawks breathe a sigh of relief as they get a Week 1 win over their former QB.
Thanks to the NFL for making it a great weekend (and kickers, go get some practice in — you know who you are!).








