Peyton and Eli Manning skipping ‘Monday Night Football’ this week after their curse claimed another NFL player

It looks like the Madden Curse has some competition, thanks to Hall of Famer Peyton Manning and his younger brother, Eli.

Since the launch of their Monday Night Football alternate telecast this season on ESPN2, the Manning brothers have featured six current NFL players as guests. In every case, that player and his team have gone on to lose the following week — a notable streak in a league that’s often a prisoner to superstition.

The most recent victim was Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who was on an MVP pace before jumping on the Manningcast last week to discuss Chiefs-Giants. Six days later, he committed three turnovers in the Bills’ ugly 9-6 loss to the lowly Jacksonville Jaguars.

The week before, Tom Brady yucked it up with the Mannings, joking about Peyton’s tight clothes and his inability to defeat Eli. Fast-forward to Sunday, and Brady threw a game-sealing pick-six to safety P.J. Williams in the Buccaneers’ loss to the New Orleans Saints.

You could also argue that the Manning curse extended to the Eagles, who lost a close game to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday after head coach Nick Sirianni reportedly used some footage of Peyton (including his appearance on Saturday Night Live) to motivate the team last week.

Here’s a list of current NFL players who have been guests on the Manningcast, along with their subsequent losses.

There won’t be a Manningcast tonight for the matchup between the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers. Peyton and Eli are only calling 10 games this season, and have already done five, including the Eagles’ Week 3 blowout loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Thankfully, the Mannings aren’t taking three weeks off again like they did earlier this season. The duo will return in Week 10 on Nov. 15 when the Los Angeles Rams take on the San Francisco 49ers.

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We’re still a few weeks away from any announcement, but NBC might have a flex option for Sunday Night Football coming up.

The San Francisco 49ers are scheduled to take on the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL’s top primetime slot in Week 13 on Dec. 5. They both occupy the bottom of the NFC West at 3-5, and the 49ers looked particularly terrible Sunday, losing badly at home against an injury-depleted Arizona Cardinals.

The Seahawks should get quarterback Russell Wilson back before Week 13, but they have a tough schedule ahead, facing the Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers back-to-back.

So what games could the NFL turn to? Assuming Fox only choses to protect one of these games, Broncos-Chiefs or Buccaneers-Falcons seem like the top choices, with the league leaping at any chance to shine the spotlight on Patrick Mahomes or Brady. Chargers-Bengals could also be an intriguing option, with both teams over .500 and fighting for potential playoff spots.

Ravens-Steelers could also be a good choice, though CBS has likely protected that game and Baltimore is scheduled on Sunday Night Football the week before. The NFL definitely won’t be turning to Eagles-Jets to win over a primetime audience.

Last season, the NFL flexed out of two scheduled Sunday Night Football games. Since its inception in 2006, the league has flexed 26 primetime games.

The NFL wouldn’t have to announce the move until Nov. 24, 12 days ahead of the game. Here’s the remaining Sunday Night Football schedule, and each team’s current record: