NFL Wild Card Weekend Ends With ManningCast Finale Amid Blowout Trend

GLENDALE, Ariz. — The NFL’s wild card weekend concluded Monday night with a ManningCast finale, capping off a weekend marked by lopsided games and a growing trend of playoff blowouts. The Manning brothers, Peyton and Eli, returned to ESPN2 and ESPN+ for their final broadcast of the season, offering analysis and commentary during the matchup between the NFC West champion and the NFC’s top wild card team.

The weekend’s games were largely dominated by home teams, with three of the first four contests ending in decisive victories. The Philadelphia Eagles set the tone early, scoring just 101 seconds into their game, while the Houston Texans secured their lead 58 seconds before halftime. By the end of each game, announcers were already looking ahead to the next round, as the outcomes were rarely in doubt.

This pattern reflects a broader issue in both college and professional football: the widening gap between elite teams and the rest of the field. Since the NFL expanded its playoff format to six wild card games in 2020, higher-seeded teams have increasingly dominated, often by large margins. Critics argue that adding more teams to the playoffs, as the league plans to do, will only exacerbate the problem.

“The gap between the elite teams and everyone else is vast and virtually unbridgeable,” said one analyst. “Adding more teams to the playoffs won’t improve competitive balance—it will just mean more blowouts.”

The ManningCast, which has become a fan favorite for its unique blend of humor and insight, featured guests including former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick and former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen. The broadcast provided a welcome distraction from the weekend’s lackluster games, which contrasted sharply with the thrilling College Football Playoff matchups that preceded them.

As the NFL considers further expansion—both in the number of playoff teams and regular-season games—fans and analysts alike are questioning whether the league is prioritizing revenue over quality. “More teams mean more fans invested, but it also means more bad football,” said one commentator. “The NFL needs to think carefully about what it’s sacrificing for growth.”

Monday night’s game, originally scheduled for SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, was moved to Glendale due to unforeseen circumstances. The winner will advance to face the top-seeded team in the next round, but for many fans, the real highlight of the evening was the Manning brothers’ final broadcast of the season.