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          Draymond Green, Phil Mickelson, Philip Rivers and Al Michaels join Monday Night Football with Peyton & Eli Manning in Week 10

          • Tory Barron, ESPN EditorNov 16, 2021, 05:00 AM
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              Tory Barron is a Bristol-based writer and editor for ESPN.com. After retiring from playing lacrosse at UConn, the DC native decided to try her hand at writing about people playing sports.
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          At this point in the season, you might have heard rumblings of the rumored "ManningCast curse" -- a dreaded phenomenon in which every active player who comes on Peyton & Eli Manning's Monday Night Football broadcast subsequently loses the next game played.

          First, it came for Travis Kelce and Russell Wilson in Week 2 after their Week 1 appearances on the telecast. Then, the curse claimed Week 2 guest Rob Gronkowski in Week 3 and Matthew Stafford the following week. The curse proved to be alive and well after the Manning brothers' three-week hiatus when one Tom Brady suffered its effects in Week 8. Next up was Josh Allen, who, you guessed it, lost in Week 9.

          In case you lost track, that's an astounding 0-6 record for NFL stars coming off a ManningCast cameo.

          Luckily for the guests who called in during the Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers showdown, none is currently on an NFL roster.

          If the Golden State Warriors' hot start suddenly subsides, it would be within reason to assume the curse extends to NBA players and blame Draymond Green's third quarter appearance. But until then, we can all enjoy an uninhibited recap of the latest installment of the ManningCast.

          From Phil Mickelson's candid take on Eli's golf swing to where Green stands with Charles Barkley and the odds we see Philip Rivers in a NFL uniform again this season, here's what we learned in Week 10:

          They thought it was Darnold ...

          Sam Darnold is a quarterback for the Carolina Panthers. Aaron Donald, on the other hand, is a defensive superstar for the Rams. But their last names are pretty similar, so we'll allow Peyton's slip of the tongue.

          Makes sense.

          Eli can take it from here ...

          If there's one thing the youngest Manning brother doesn't need his big bro's help with, it's discussing the New York Giants' Super Bowl victories.

          Eli was quick to dismiss Peyton when the opportunity arose for him to discuss the "Manning to Manningham" play from Super Bowl XLVI with Al Michaels.

          Lefty believes in the curse ...

          It's not that Mickelson doesn't believe in the power of the ManningCast curse, it's that he scheduled his appearance on the show with the confines of the curse in mind. So, he considers himself safe.

          The golfer also offered up some sage advice to athletes considering joining the show in the future, namely to only come on before a bye week.

          And thinks Eli's golf swing is cute ...

          If you're an aspiring golfer, there are a lot of words you'd be eager to hear describe your swing, but "cute" likely isn't one of them.

          Lefty didn't come here to spare feelings.

          It's all love between Draymond and Chuck ...

          NBA fans remember the Barkley-Green saga all too well. What was less publicized is why Green decided to befriend Barkley after the former NBA star and current "Inside the NBA" analyst's not-so-nice comments about the Warriors player.

          All's well that ends well.

          Peyton is getting tough ...

          While we're on the subject of people saying not-so-nice things, Eli decided to challenge Draymond with talking smack to Peyton and, well, he did, with a succinct message of "the Colts cut you."

          Still feels too soon.

          Rivers embraces the coach bod ...

          As a rookie, there are probably few things as flattering as being told you have the talent to be one of the all-time greats. That is unless the person giving you the compliment is a teammate who also is trolling you about your aesthetic.

          While Rivers insists he is embracing the coach life, he also didn't rule it out when asked if he would return to the field this season.

          To quote Lloyd Christmas: So you're telling me there's a chance.