The alternative NFL cast of “The Simpsons” entertained with a mix of football and fun: here were the highlights

If NFL fans ever imagined watching Homer Simpson throw passes to CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks for touch-diddly downs, all they had to look forward to was a Monday Night Football alternate lineup.

The “Simpsons” version of the duel between the Dallas Cowboys and the Cincinnati Bengals – which was streamed on ESPN+, Disney+ and NFL+ – featured animated versions of the players from both teams as well as all the stars from Fox’s famous series: Lisa Simpson gave the Bengals a lead – Game pep talk and scored the game-winning TD, Marge Simpson was visible in the crowd, Itchy and Scratchy were members of the chain gang, and Mr. Burns looked evil from the owner’s box – sitting next to an animated Jerry Jones.

It was a fun night of football in Springfield. (Where exactly is that? We’re still not sure.)

.@TheSimpsons The player performances were great 🤩

Simpsons Funday Football on Disney+ and ESPN+ | https://t.co/j7rQOkSpEr pic.twitter.com/lKcwicdXZx

– ESPN (@espn) December 10, 2024

Part of the fun was the mix of pre-written portions and live gameplay, although for anyone watching on two screens there was about a two-minute delay between the animated and real gameplay action. The animations were created in advance, which also meant that there was no flexibility in the game between the teams in the bottom half, although it was far from boring.

The Simpsons characters’ witty jokes, peppered with the show’s trademark edgy humor and peppered with analysis from ESPN’s Mina Kimes, Dan Orlovsky and Drew Carter, kept the game light-hearted, even as it came to a head Score was decided.

Other highlights of the alternative line-up included:

• Bart and Homer engaged in a father-son battle, with Homer playing for Dallas and Bart playing for Cincinnati. (“Eat! My! Shorts!” cheered the crowd at Atoms Stadium when the Bengals had the ball.)
• Setting up the game to take place in one of Homer’s dreams – something that ended up paying even more dividends when Scott Van Pelt woke up on his “SportsCenter” desk and claimed he was dreaming about Homer as Homer fell asleep . Maybe an “Inception” moment?
• A Simpsons-esque Peyton and Eli Manning appear alongside Homer before the game, while the brothers appeared in their own alternate lineup on ESPN2. What did Homer learn from his ManningCast debut? “Find a job where you only work three hours a week and not every week,” he said.
• Kimes hears boos in the stands and performs a classic gag: “Did they say ‘boo’ or ‘bur-row’?”
• Stephen A. Smith was also one of Simpson’s celebrity guests – the show is known for featuring stars from the sports world.
• Maggie operated a drone camera throughout the game and even took a nap in it near the end of the fourth quarter.
• Sideshow Bob steps on numerous rakes in the end zone.
• Spiderpig served as Ball in the fourth quarter. Before the game, Plopper also carried a sign that read, “The term pigskin is offensive.”

“Spider Pig is the ball!?” 🤣

Simpsons Funday Football on Disney+ and ESPN+ | https://t.co/OPmIo91QCw pic.twitter.com/O2kM5yNTP0

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 10, 2024

Monday’s alternate lineup wasn’t ESPN’s first (the network aired a “Toy Story”-themed NFL telecast last year), and ABC/ESPN aired a traditional version without cartoons. But for viewers looking for a crazy crossover, “The Simpsons” definitely delivered some great football.

Required reading

(Photo: ESPN / Disney)