Peyton Manning, Luke Bryan Clown NY Jets With Taylor Swift Joke At CMAs

It took just seconds for Peyton Manning and Luke Bryan to talk about Taylor Swift during the CMAs on Wednesday ... and, unfortunately for New York fans, the reference led to a hilarious crack about how terrible the Jets have been this year.

The NFL Hall of Famer and the country music star hosted the annual awards show ... and as part of their roles as anchors, the two gave an opener full of jokes.

Of course, that meant there was definitely a mention of Swift and her new relationship with Travis Kelce ... which then turned into a jab at the 4-4 Jets.

"Luke," Manning said into the mic onstage, "you know the difference between Taylor Swift and the New York Jets?"

"Uh, Taylor can sell out a stadium?" Bryan responded ... before Manning cracked, "You nailed it!"

The barb was met with a mix of laughs and groans -- before Manning chuckled, "I had you do that punchline, Luke, so I wouldn't get in trouble."

The duo's opener also included Peyton singing some country music classics ... as well as a quip about Eli Manning getting a face tattoo in honor of Jelly Roll.