What do Bill Cowher, Roger Goodell, Snoop Dogg and Aaron Rodgers have in common?

Well, not exactly a whole lot. And that’s where the beauty of the Manningcast comes in.

Peyton and Eli Manning will be joined by those four in one of their strongest guest lists of the season as Week 17 wraps up with an AFC North showdown between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football.

First, the game.

The Steelers (7-7-1) are about as desperate as it gets.

Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hinted at retirement Thursday, saying “signs are pointing that way this could be it.” If Big Ben is going to take one last run at the postseason, his team will need a victory to avoid being eliminated from contention after the Cincinnati Bengals wrapped up the AFC North and the Los Angeles Chargers beat the Denver Broncos.

The Monday Nighter will most likely be decided in the trenches as heading into Week 17, the Browns led the NFL in yards per rush this season (5.1) while the Steelers’ defence has allowed the most in that category (4.8). Nick Chubb leads the Browns’ ground attack with 1,143 yards on the ground and eight touchdowns while D’Ernest Johnson (398 yards, two TDs) and Kareem Hunt (386, five TDs) have been solid partners in crime.

Unless the Steel Curtain shows up for Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger’s time might be running out. 

Of course, Big Ben started his career under Cowher in 2004, who will join the Manning brothers in the first quarter.

The duo went 34-14 during their three seasons together, winning the Super Bowl in 2005 before Mike Tomlin took over on the sidelines beginning in 2007. In 15 seasons at the helm of the Steelers from 1992 to 2006, Cowher won two Lombardi Trophies, made the playoffs 10 times and won the division eight times. What better way to possibly (likely) bid farewell to one memorable era of Steeler football than with the one that preceded it?

In the second quarter, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will stop by the broadcast, maybe even from his famous basement lounge chair that grabbed headlines during the 2020 NFL Draft over Zoom.

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The Mannings are known to keep it light with their guests and haven’t been afraid to trade a few shots at guests in the past. But trading jabs with Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green or comedian David Letterman is one thing. Will either brother be open to mixing it up with the most powerful person in football?

And of course, we can’t forget what happened during Letterman’s appearance as the New England Patriots took on the Buffalo Bills just under one month ago.

As Letterman finished telling a story about Goodell getting booed, calling it “wonderful,” the Manningcast abruptly cut to commercial as the Late Night star appeared to be nearing his punchline. Was this just a coincidence or did somebody pull some strings? Either way, Goodell is the guy to ask.

After halftime, things really start to get fun.

Next up is multiplatinum rapper and entertainment mogul Snoop Dogg, who is no stranger to having a good time. Snoop is no stranger to sports broadcasts as he and comedian Kevin Hart teamed up with NBC for an Olympic highlight show last summer. As expected, Snoop won a gold medal in personality.

His son, Cordell Broadus, was also recruited by and committed to UCLA for football. So the game definitely runs in the family.

But the Mannings may have saved their most notable guest for last.

No stranger to the media attention the past few months, reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers will join the broadcast in the fourth quarter.

Apparently, the Green Bay Packers quarterback isn’t scared of the Manningcast Curse. Similar to the trend of players to appear on the cover of the Madden football video game, active players who appear on the Manningcast have struggled the week after on the field. In fact, the first six player guests to appear – Russell Wilson, Travis Kelce, Rob Gronkowski, Matthew Stafford, Tom Brady and Josh Allen – all lost their next games, going a combined 0-6 the week after.

Even PGA star Phil Mickelson wanted no part of the golf course after appearing on the Nov. 15 edition, saying he wanted no part of the golf course the next several weeks.

 

However, the curse didn’t carry over to the NBA as Green’s Warriors beat the Brooklyn Nets by 18 points the day after Green joined the Mannings in Week 10.

Rodgers’ Packers are scheduled to finish the season against the Detroit Lions (2-13-1). With the NFC’s No. 1 seed and home field advantage secured all the way to the Super Bowl, Rodgers may not even dress in Week 18 - could the curse follow him all the way to the divisional round of the playoffs?