This Eli Manning Sketch Is the Best Thing You'll See All Week
If you've been so much as a casual football fan the past decade or two, you know that comedy runs in the Manning family's blood. Sure, there are the billion-some commercials Peyton fronted over the years, but who could forget his "United Way" sketch on SNL? Nowadays, you can see Peyton wise-cracking with his little brother, Eli, in their Monday Night Football alternate broadcast, if you feel some type of way about Joe Buck.
I'll be honest: I always thought Peyton had the most post-football comedy career potential. Until today. In a new episode of Eli's Places—which is essentially a footballified Parts Unknown-style series on ESPN—the former New York Giants QB donned horrifying prosthetics so he could look like a 20-year-old kid. Why, you ask? He masterminded a bit with Penn State football Head Coach James Franklin, so he could attempt to walk on to the squad as... Chad Powers, a homeschooled QB looking for his big break.
The segment, which you can view below, is an absolute riot. I've gotta say: Eli's still got it! Manning, looking like (as he quips!) a Dazed and Confused-era Matthew McConaughey, absolutely cooks in the tryout. It's hilarious watching college kids try to catch deep balls from a guy who isn't as long removed from the NFL as you think. At the end, there's even a body-horror moment, with Manning pulling the prosthetics from his face. I just have one plea, to ESPN: if Jason Sudeikis's Ted Lasso can get his own Emmy-winning series after a one-off NBC sketch, why can't Chad Powers get his own Friday Night Lights-style run? The idea is yours, ESPN, free of charge.
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