On Saturday, CBS aired the Denver Broncos’ dramatic 33-30 overtime win over the Buffalo Bills, ending Buffalo’s season and their pursuit of a first-ever Super Bowl title. 🏈😮
Later Saturday, FOX carried the NFC Divisional clash between the top-seeded Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers, who advanced by eliminating the defending champions, the Philadelphia Eagles. The other NFC game, Rams vs Bears, was the late-night NBC matchup at 6:30 p.m. ET. 🏈🛡️
Sunday’s 3 p.m. ET kickoff pits the Houston Texans against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium, with ABC and ESPN sharing the broadcast. The ManningCast question looms: will Peyton and Eli Manning host their signature show for Texans vs Patriots today? The season’s ManningCast had already ended, with last weekend marking its final episode. 📺⏰
The ManningCast, produced by Omaha Productions under an ESPN contract through 2034, will not return this weekend but isn’t going away for good. The 12-show-per-season arrangement means fans will have to wait until the 2026 season for the next ManningCast, even as the broader deal remains in place for years to come. 🗓️🎙️
Note: Ratings for the ManningCast have declined, with early seasons drawing around 1.1 million viewers and later episodes often failing to reach seven figures. Critics say the novelty faded as the format became more polished than spontaneous, yet the partnership persists for the long term. 📉🎬
