How to watch the Arizona Cardinals and New England Patriots on MNF and ManningCast

How to watch the Arizona Cardinals vs. the New England Patriots on “Monday Night Football?”

By not watching on “Monday Night Football.”

Not the traditional broadcast, anyway. For the first time ever, the Cardinals will be on “Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli,” hosted by Peyton and Eli Manning. It’s an offbeat, loose show — certainly in comparison to the relative formality of other broadcasts — with guests who sometimes curse, sometimes ramble on and sometimes offer insight about the game, though that isn’t necessarily the priority.

The ManningCast, as it’s popularly known, airs on ESPN2 at 6:13 p.m. Arizona time on Monday. (Their broadcast doesn’t start till kickoff, resulting in the weird time. The regular broadcast, on ESPN, starts at 6 p.m.)

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Peyton Manning is the brains of the operation; Eli is the sneaky secret weapon

The Mannings' show is the first alternative broadcast of a major sporting event that has really worked, in large part because of the goofy chemistry between the brothers. Peyton, one of the greatest players in NFL history and a lock as a first-ballot NFL Hall of Fame selection, is the ostensible brains of the operation, the slightly more serious of the two. (Though he is not above, for instance, eating his food without chewing it while on camera.)

But it’s Eli — there’s a good case for him in the Hall of Fame, as well — who has emerged as the sneaky star, the low-key secret weapon. He’s genuinely funny and also able to make fun of his older brother for things like his word choice, game analysis or other behavior (see: eating food without chewing, above).

The show can drag a bit when it’s just the two of them talking about football — we can watch Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the traditional broadcast for that. But when the Mannings get a good guest, things really click.

Marshawn Lynch infamously dropped an F-bomb on live TV. It was hilarious. Steph Curry was funny on purpose. Charles Barkley is never anything but. Tom Brady, Peyton’s longtime rival, showed actual human personality. David Letterman has been on. So has Brad Paisley. And Jon Stewart.

And some Barack Obama guy. Seemed important.

Guests for the Cardinals-Patriots game will be announced Monday.

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The Cardinals and Patriots aren't exactly must-see TV lately

It’s a good thing the ManningCast doesn’t rely on football for the sole source of entertainment. “Monday Night Football” games have been OK this year — although better than the often-unwatchable Thursday night games.

Plus, let’s face it, the Cardinals are not exactly must-see TV at the moment. Nor, for that matter, are the Patriots. The Cardinals are 4-8 and have looked pretty miserable lately. The Patriots are 6-6.

A barn burner it’s not.

If you want to go the traditional route, it’s certainly available on Monday Night Football — and nothing is more traditional than Buck and Aikman.

Last season they worked for Fox; ESPN famously signed the duo in the off-season for star money. Buck reportedly gets paid $15 million a season (a dollar for every disparaging tweet about him, probably). If you think that’s too much, well, Aikman reportedly pulls down $18 million per season.

People hate on them, a lot. But in reality they’re more boring and straight-laced than anything else. Buck has a smug streak he can’t shake, and Aikman is the master of the bleeding obvious. They aren’t bad, per se. They just aren’t reason enough to watch a bad game.

And if the game gets bad Monday, they don’t have to be. We’ve got the ManningCast for that.

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How to watch New England Patriots at Arizona Cardinals

• "Monday Night Football": 6 p.m. Arizona time Monday, Dec. 12, on ESPN and Channel 5.

• "Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli": 6:13 p.m. Arizona time Monday, Dec. 12, on ESPN2.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How to watch Patriots-Cardinals on Monday Night Football, ManningCast