Eli Manning’s brother Peyton Manning may have emerged victorious all three times they competed against each other as NFL quarterbacks, but the New York Giants alum thinks the tides may have turned since then.
“[I] could take him now. I think I have a good shot,” Eli, 42, exclusively told Us Weekly earlier this month while promoting his partnership with Corona Extra for its Fine Life Playbook campaign. “He’s been retired for, like, eight years. I think I could take him now.”
Eli and Peyton, 47, who announced their retirements from the NFL in 2020 and 2016, respectively, went head to head during games in 2006, 2010 and 2013. Although the brothers never played in a Super Bowl together, their three encounters have been dubbed the “Manning Bowl” by fans.
Although viewers relished when the brothers faced off, Eli told Us that there was never too much sibling rivalry between the pair. “We were always rooting for one another. I think the fact that he’s five years older than me [helped]. We never really competed that much growing up,” he said. “We were never in high school together. We never played against opposing teams growing up. So, it wasn’t until the NFL that we actually played our first competitions against each other, and we played three games against each other. … So it’s really more of a support relationship.”
The athlete added that he tried to “enjoy just how unique it was” to play against his brother rather than stress about who would win.
“I tried to just have fun with it,” he said. “During the national anthem, I’m looking over at the other sideline and I see my big brother. … So, it was very special. I think it was stressful for my parents but it was a pretty neat moment when I look back on it.”
The athlete is now helping fans adopt a similar laidback attitude to football by teaming up with Corona Extra to coach fans on how to live the fine life. From August 28 to November 27, Eli will be accepting submissions for the Fine Life Playbook, a digital roundup of lighthearted activities that fans can do to savor game time viewing.
“[I’m] excited to be a part of team Fine Life. Being a sports fan can be stressful … but with a Corona, sports fans [can be] a little bit different. It’s more relaxed,” Eli told Us of the partnership, adding that it’s nice to enjoy football as a fan rather than an active participant.
“As a player, it’s so stressful,” he said. “Now, as just a fan of sports, you can watch a game, you can have a Corona. Win or lose, it doesn’t make a big difference, doesn’t ruin the day. You just have a great appreciation of the game [and] of the sport but a more casual attitude of the final outcome.”
As for what constitutes a fine life in Eli’s book, he said “just being with friends and being with family.” The Louisiana native shares four kids with wife Abby McGrew: daughters Ava, 12, Lucy, 10, and Caroline, 8, and son Charlie, 4.
Fans can submit to the Fine Life Playbook for the chance to win a Fine Life Team Kit complete with Corona merchandise, a signed Eli Manning jersey and more.
For more information on how to submit to the Fine Life Playbook, follow @CoronaUSA on Insstagram, X and Facebook.
