Week 1 of the NFL season comes to a close on Monday night as the Vikings travel to play the Bears in an NFC North battle.
Of course, ESPN is also bringing back the Manningcast for the 2025 season, which will also have its 2025 season debut on Monday night. Peyton and Eli Manning have found a role as a complement to the “Monday Night Football” broadcast for select weeks during the year.
This game has big implications to begin the year, since Minnesota and Chicago will jockey for positioning in the NFC North standings. Therefore, the Manningcast had to bring in a great group of compelling guests for such an important game.
Here’s a look at who will be joining Peyton and Eli on Monday night.
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Manningcast Vikings vs. Bears guests
- Actor Bill Murray
- Eagles running back Saquon Barkley
- ESPN analyst Randy Moss
Tonight. 8:13pm ET. ESPN2. With guests: Bill Murray, Saquon Barkley & Randy Moss. pic.twitter.com/VYx69BjsVP
— Omaha Productions (@OmahaProd) September 8, 2025
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Bill Murray
The most notable guest on this week’s Manningcast is Bill Murray, the famous actor and Bears fan. Murray, 74, was born and raised in the Chicago suburbs and is one of the city’s most famous fans, as he roots for the Cubs, Bears, Bulls and Blackhawks.
Murray’s appearance will likely be light on football and heavy on humor compared to the rest of the show. The trio will probably talk a lot about Chicago as well, since the Bears are hosting this game with so much hype entering the 2025 season.
MORE: Ranking the 17 greatest Bears players of all time
Saquon Barkley
The second guest of the night has less to do with the game and more to do with last season. Eagles running back Saquon Barkley will join the show fresh off his 2,000-yard performance in 2024 that ended in a Super Bowl victory, along with Philadelphia’s Week 1 win vs. the Cowboys.
Barkley doesn’t have any connection with either the Vikings or the Bears, but he was arguably the story of 2024 season. Therefore, Manningcast will have him on the show to probably talk about the Eagles Super Bowl win last year and their quest to repeat this year.
MORE: Ranking the 17 greatest Eagles players in history
Randy MossÂ
Closing out the show is ESPN analyst Randy Moss, who was a star wide receiver for the Vikings in his playing days. Moss spent 1998-2004 and 2010 in Minnesota, and is one of the best players in the history of the organization.
Besides being a Vikings great, Moss also fought bile duct cancer in the offseason, which required him to briefly step away from his role at ESPN. However, he returned to the network this season as he gets back to analyzing the NFL.
MORE: How Randy Moss beat cancer and returned to ‘NFL Countdown’
How to watch Vikings vs. Bears Manningcast
The Vikings-Bears Manningcast will run alongside the game’s broadcast on ESPN 2, with ESPN also offering a streaming option on ESPN+. Elsewhere, Fubo gives fans the chance to watch the show with a free trial.Â
MORE:Â Why did Dolphins bench Tua Tagovailoa?
Monday Night Football schedule 2025
| Week | Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | TV Channel | Manningcast |
| 1 | 9/8 | Vikings @ Bears | 8:15 p.m. | ABC, ESPN | Yes |
| 2 | 9/15 | Buccaneers @ Texans | 7:00 p.m. | ABC, ESPN | No |
| 2 | 9/15 | Chargers @ Raiders | 10:00 p.m. | ESPN | No |
| 3 | 9/22 | Lions @ Ravens | 8:15 p.m. | ABC, ESPN | Yes |
| 4 | 9/29 | Jets @ Dolphins | 7:15 p.m. | ESPN | No |
| 4 | 9/29 | Bengals @ Broncos | 8:15 p.m. | ABC | No |
| 5 | 10/6 | Chiefs @ Jaguars | 8:15 p.m. | ABC, ESPN | Yes |
| 6 | 10/13 | Bills @ Falcons | 7:15 p.m. | ESPN | No |
| 6 | 10/13 | Bears @ Commanders | 8:15 p.m. | ABC | No |
| 7 | 10/20 | Buccaneers @ Lions | 7:00 p.m. | ABC, ESPN | No |
| 7 | 10/20 | Texans @ Seahawks | 10:00 p.m. | ESPN | No |
| 8 | 10/27 | Commanders @ Chiefs | 8:15 p.m. | ABC, ESPN | Yes |
| 9 | 11/3 | Cardinals @ Cowboys | 8:15 p.m. | ABC, ESPN | Yes |
| 10 | 11/10 | Eagles @ Packers | 8:15 p.m. | ABC, ESPN | Yes |
| 11 | 11/17 | Cowboys @ Raiders | 8:15 p.m. | ABC, ESPN | Yes |
| 12 | 11/24 | Panthers @ 49ers | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN | Yes |
| 13 | 12/1 | Giants @ Patriots | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN | Yes |
| 14 | 12/8 | Eagles @ Chargers | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN | No |
| 15 | 12/15 | Dolphins @ Steelers | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN | Yes |
| 16 | 12/22 | 49ers @ Colts | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN | No |
| 17 | 12/29 | Rams @ Falcons | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN | No |
| 18 | 1/3 | TBD | TBD | TBD | Yes |
MORE:Â Josh Allen leads Bills to fourth quarter comeback over Ravens
