Unfortunately, the return of Peyton and Eli Manning's ManningCast for its sixth season did not do great during ESPN's first NFL Monday Night Football game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos, which set records for the network.

According to Andrew Marchand, the first ManningCast of the season only garnered 705,000 viewers on ESPN2. That is about 3% of the record-setting 23.2 million total viewers the game garnered.

Luckily, this was the first of 12 games (including Super Bowl 61) that the Mannings will have a broadcast during, so there is still time for things to trend up.

However, a Pat McAfee-led alternate broadcast is potentially coming during the weeks the ManningCast doesn't air. It remains to be seen how well that show fares in comparison to the Manning brothers' show.

Why did Peyton and Eli Manning's ManningCast stumble during ESPN's Chiefs-Broncos MNF game?

Eli and Peyton Manning at Yankee Stadium.
Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images.

It's unknown why the first ManningCast of the year didn't do well. The first broadcast featured A-list guests like legendary Denver Broncos quarterback John Elway, actress Kate Hudson, and Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald.

Obviously, a lot of NFL fans tuned into the Chiefs-Broncos game, which featured the return of Patrick Mahomes. Most seemed to want to hear Joe Buck and Troy Aikman call the game on the traditional broadcast.

There are still 11 more games for them to turn things around. The Manning brothers' next broadcast is next week when Eli Manning's former team, the New York Giants, take on the Los Angeles Rams.

They will also call marquee games like the Buffalo Bills vs. the Rams, the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Philadelphia Eagles, the New England Patriots vs. the Chiefs, and Super Bowl 61 in February 2027.

The ManningCast, now in its sixth season, is an alternate Monday Night Football broadcast that airs on ESPN2. It features Peyton and Eli Manning, who break down the game and feature celebrity guests.

It remains to be seen what the show's future is, should the viewership continue on a downward trajectory. Hopefully, things pick back up in Week 2.