Another country superstar has joined the mix.
This coming Monday, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins are playing on Monday Night Football with a whole bunch of AFC playoff hopes on the line. And while the main broadcast is always on ESPN, the Manning brothers, Peyton and Eli Manning, started their super popular, alternative ManningCast in 2021 on ESPN2, which has been a big hit among football fans.
Just a few weeks ago, country superstar, Luke Combs, joined the Manning brothers to cheer on his Carolina Panthers during their matchup against the San Francisco 49ers. Though the game itself didn’t go the way the “Beer Never Broke My Heart” singer would have hoped, with Carolina falling 20-9, against all odds, Combs’ long-time team is currently sitting at 1st atop the NFC South despite having a record of just 7-6.
Just announced this morning, fellow superstar and reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year, Lainey Wilson, will become the next guest on the Manningcast, joining Peyton and Eli as the Steelers take on the Dolphins.
In a hilarious announcement video posted to both Lainey, Eli and Omaha Production’s Instagram pages, Eli would stage a fake phone call with the “4X4xU” singer. Asking her to come on the show, the 2x Super Bowl champion would respond to lines from Wilson and Ernest’s 2024 single, “Would If I Could,” before officially announcing that she would be joining the broadcast.
Though it might sound like a bit of an odd pairing, especially considering the fact that Combs joined for his hometown team last month, it makes a lot more sense when you realize that Wilson’s fiancé, Delivin “Duck” Hodges, quarterbacked for the Steelers for six starts in 2019. Replacing the soon-to-be Hall of Famer, Ben Roethlisberger, Duck led Pittsburgh to a 2-3 record during the last five games of the regular season. Unfortunately, they didn’t make the playoffs, finishing with a record of 8-8, and that was the last time he’d play in the NFL, despite being rostered on the Steelers’ practice squad throughout the 2020 season.
Luckily for Hodges, he’d meet Wilson just a year later in 2021, and the rest has been history so to speak, with the couple recently getting engaged this past February.
As for the Monday night matchup itself, there’s surprisingly a lot on the line as mentioned previously. Similarly to the Panthers, the Steelers are atop of the AFC North despite their middling 7-6 record. They got back on track last week thanks to a vintage performance from future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers, where he not only scored in his first rushing touchdown since 2022 (complete with his signature “discount double check” celebration afterward) but also posted an impressive 284 passing yards along with a touchdown at the age of 42.
The Dolphins, against all odds, have played their way back into the playoff picture as well. Though it’s highly unlikely, as they sit with just a 1% chance, they’ve been one of the hottest teams in the league lately after rattling off four straight wins. At minimum, they’re looking to play spoiler here against the Steelers.
It’s safe to say that Wilson, who’s always entertaining as host of the CMA Awards, will be a great watch, especially as she reunites with Peyton, whom she co-hosted the 2024 CMAs with along with Luke Bryan.
The ManningCast airs at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN2 and streams on ESPN+.
“Would If I Could”
