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Wikipedia

Monday Night Football

May 07, 2024

This article is about broadcasts of National Football League games on Mondays. For an overview of NFL telecasts on ESPN, see NFL on ESPN. For Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, see Manningcast. For overview of NFL telecasts on ABC, see NFL on ABC. For other uses, see Monday Night Football (disambiguation).

Monday Night Football (often abbreviated as MNF) is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that primarily broadcast on Monday nights. It was originally broadcast on ABC from 1970 to 2005, before moving exclusively to sister network ESPN in 2006, which remains the main channel for the broadcast. In 2020, MNF returned to ABC in select simulcasts with ESPN, and in 2022, it began featuring select exclusive ABC telecasts. In addition, ESPN2 has aired alternate telecasts of selected games since 2020 as the Manningcast, while ESPN+ has streamed MNF simulcasts in the United States since 2021.

Monday Night Football
Also known as
  • ABC Monday Night Football (1970–2005, 2016–present)
  • ESPN Monday Night Football (2006–present)
GenreNFL game telecasts
Created byRoone Arledge
Directed byChet Forte (1970–1986)
Larry Kamm (1987)
Craig Janoff (1988–1999)
Drew Esocoff (2000–2005)
Chip Dean (2006–2018)
Jimmy Platt (2019–2022)
Derek Mobley (2023–present)
Presented byCommentators:
Joe Buck
Troy Aikman
Chris Fowler (select games)
Louis Riddick (select games)
Dan Orlovsky (select games)
Peyton Manning and Eli Manning (ESPN2)
Reporters:
Lisa Salters (lead sideline)
Laura Rutledge (sideline, select games)
Michelle Beisner-Buck (feature)
Rules Analyst:
John Parry
Opening theme
Country of originUnited States
No. of seasons54 (NFL seasons)
No. of episodes718 (games)
Production
Executive producer
Producers
Production locationsVarious NFL stadiums (game telecasts)
ESPN Studios, Bristol, Connecticut (studio segments)[1]
Camera setupMulti-camera
Running time3–4 hours
Production companies
Original release
NetworkABC
ReleaseSeptember 21, 1970 (1970-09-21) –
February 5, 2006 (2006-02-05)
NetworkESPN
ReleaseSeptember 11, 2006 (2006-09-11) –
present (present)
Related
Monday Night Countdown
NFL on ABC

During its initial run on ABC, it became one of the longest continuously running American television series, and one of the highest-rated, particularly among male viewers. Since 1993, MNF has been preceded on ESPN by the pregame show Monday Night Countdown. Per an NFL broadcasting policy intended to allow those who do not subscribe to cable or satellite television to see games televised by a pay television network, games on ESPN are also made available on over-the-air television stations in each participating team's local market.

MNF is broadcast in Canada on TSN and RDS, in most of Australia on ESPN Australia, in Portugal on Eleven Sports, on TV 2 Sport in Denmark, on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom,[2] and in some other regions of the world outside the U.S. on ESPN International. A Spanish-language version airs on ESPN Deportes in the U.S. and on ESPN International in Latin America, while a Portuguese version airs on ESPN Brasil.[3]

Overview edit

History edit

Main article: History of Monday Night Football

During the early 1960s, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle envisioned the possibility of playing at least one game weekly during prime time that could be viewed by a greater television audience. An early bid by the league in 1964 to play on Friday nights was soundly defeated, with critics charging that such telecasts would damage the attendance at high school football games, and in any event had been prohibited by Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 for that very reason alongside Saturday games to protect college football. Two years later, Rozelle would build on this success as the NFL began a four-year experiment of playing on Monday night, scheduling one game in prime time on CBS during the 1966 and 1967 seasons, and two contests during each of the next two years. NBC followed suit in 1968 and 1969 with games involving American Football League teams.[4]

During negotiations on a new television contract that would begin in 1970 (coinciding with the completion of a merger between the NFL and AFL), Rozelle concentrated on signing a weekly Monday night deal with one of the three major networks. However, both NBC and CBS were reluctant to disturb their regular programming schedules. On the other hand, ABC was a distant third in prime time ratings and more willing to take any perceived risk, moreover, ABC's existing Monday night prime time lineup was a particular weak spot. As a result, Rozelle made a deal with ABC.[4]

Despite high ratings, ABC lost millions of dollars[5] on televising the games during the late 1990s and 2000s. The NFL also indicated that it wanted Sunday night to be the new night for its marquee game, because more people tend to watch television on Sundays, and games held on that night would be more conducive to flexible scheduling, a method by which some of the NFL's best games could be moved from the afternoon to the evening on Sunday on short notice.[4] Given these factors, as well as the rise of ABC's ratings on Sunday night, and the network's wish of protecting its TV series Desperate Housewives on that night, on April 18, 2005, ABC and the NFL announced the end of their 36-year partnership, with the Monday Night Football broadcasts being moved to ESPN starting with the 2006 season.[6]

In 2011, ESPN extended its MNF contract for an additional eight seasons, giving it rights to the broadcasts until 2021. The deal, valued around US$15 billion, also gave ESPN rights to expanded highlights, international, and streaming rights.[7] A new deal signed in 2021 sees ESPN retain these rights through 2033. Included with the new contract are the rights to two Super Bowls in 2027 and 2031, the introduction of flexible scheduling, three doubleheaders during the season with exclusive games on ABC, one divisional playoff game, and one Sunday morning game on ESPN+.[8]

After 54 seasons, there have been over 700 games televised by Monday Night Football.[citation needed]

Simulcasts on ABC edit

Main article: NFL on ABC § The NFL returns to ABC

Beginning with the 2020 season, select Monday Night Football games have been simulcast on ABC. In the 2020 season, three games were simulcast. In the 2021 season, three Monday Night Football games and the new Week 18 Saturday doubleheader were simulcast. After ESPN renewed its Monday Night Football contract, it was revealed that these simulcasts would expand starting with the 2022 season.[9] To accommodate the expanded simulcasts, ABC announced that Dancing with the Stars would move to Disney+ beginning with its 31st season.[10]

On September 18, 2023, amid the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, ABC announced that it would simulcast Monday Night Football during each week of the 2023 NFL season (Dancing with the Stars returned to ABC for its next season, but was moved to Tuesday nights ahead of the announcement).[11] The decision was made while the season was already underway, and therefore upset the league's other broadcasters. The move gave ABC an immediate financial benefit since the network could now charge higher commercial fees during those additional weeks since NFL games generally have higher ratings than most other programming.[12] Cable companies paying ESPN's retransmission fees also felt ripped off, since it added additional nights that the same programming would also be available for free over-the-air on ABC.[13]

Scheduling problems edit

See also: National Football League on television § Flexible scheduling

To avoid unfairness due to a Monday Night Football game where, just before the first playoff game, a team may have five days off and others six, and also to allow the league to have games with mutual playoff implications played at the same time, most games during the final week of the regular season are played on Sunday. Consequently, there is no Monday night game that week. From 2003 to 2005, one game was played on Thursday and another on Monday under the Monday Night Football banner. Starting in 2006, when the series moved to cable, two games are played on the opening Monday night to capitalize on fan interest during "NFL Kickoff Weekend".

Before 2023, the MNF schedule was set during each Spring before the regular season, which could not be changed. Thus, the league and network cannot guarantee that each late-season MNF matchup would have any significance or would be highly anticipated. The problem of having a national spotlight game which during the season's most critical weeks late in the year probably would not show the most important game of the week was long known by the league and network. As a result of this, the NFL wished to move the "Game of the Week" idea to Sunday nights to make flex scheduling possible, and they had long stated that it was only interested in having flex scheduling on Sundays, and not Mondays since it is easier logistically on relatively short notice to move kickoff times by hours instead of days. This became one of the major factors leading to the 2006 end of MNF on ABC, and NBC instead agreeing to air the "Game of the Week" with flex scheduling on Sunday Night Football. The NFL finally agreed to expand flex scheduling to MNF beginning in the 2023 season. That same season, in Week 15, the originally scheduled game between the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots became the first game to be flexed out of the MNF spot; it was replaced with a matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Seattle Seahawks. 2023 was also the first NFL season New Year's Day fell on a Monday in the penultimate week of the regular season, consequently to avoid a conflict with the College Football Playoff there were no Monday games scheduled for the final two weeks of the regular season.

Franchises with the most appearances edit

The franchise with the most Monday night appearances is the Dallas Cowboys. The Pittsburgh Steelers secured the all-time lead with most wins on November 28, 2022, at 52.

The most common Monday Night Football pairings are Broncos vs. Raiders (19 times as of 2019[a])[14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] and Commanders vs. Cowboys (17 match-ups as of 2015, most among NFC matchups).[30]

The defunct Candlestick Park in San Francisco holds the record for hosting the most Monday Night Football games, including its 36th and final Monday night game on December 23, 2013. Among the active stadiums following the conclusion of the 2017 season, Miami Gardens, Florida's Hard Rock Stadium had hosted the most games with 36.[31]

Eight new NFL stadiums have made their regular season debuts on Monday Night Football. Most recently, Allegiant Stadium in Paradise, Nevada, hosted its first NFL game on September 21, 2020, when the Las Vegas Raiders defeated the New Orleans Saints 34–24 on Monday Night Football.

As entertainment edit

Monday Night Football has continued to provide entertainment as sports throughout its run. In addition to the extra cameras, the program has also pioneered technological broadcast innovations, such as the use of enhanced slow motion replays and computerized graphics.

Celebrity guests – such as former Vice President Spiro Agnew, singers Plácido Domingo and former Beatle John Lennon, President Bill Clinton, and even Kermit the Frog – were often featured during the game to "liven up" the broadcast. The December 9, 1974 contest featured a rare instance of two celebrities entering the booth, with Lennon being interviewed by Howard Cosell and California governor Ronald Reagan speaking with Frank Gifford, with Reagan explaining the rules of American football (off-camera) to Lennon as the game went along. However, the late 1990s and early 2000s saw an even more increased reliance on the entertainment factor. Some halftime shows, featuring popular music stars, were broadcast in their entirety rather than being ignored in favor of analysis of the game by the commentators, as in previous seasons.

On December 8, 1980, one of the most memorable moments of MNF occurred when Cosell announced in a news flash that John Lennon had been shot and killed in New York City. Monday Night Football was the first national broadcast to announce his death.

An ABC advertisement for MNF featuring Nicollette Sheridan of Desperate Housewives dropping her towel in front of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens created some controversy, including at least 1,997 complaints being sent to the FCC and outrage from FCC chairman Michael Powell.[32]

The Walt Disney Company, owner of ABC and the majority owner of ESPN, has used Monday Night Football to promote its other properties, releasing a trailer for the 2015 film Star Wars: The Force Awakens during one broadcast and incorporating The Muppets into another.

2000s edit

2006 summary edit

For its 2006 debut on ESPN, Williams Jr. re-recorded the MNF opening theme with an all-star jam band that included among others Brian Setzer, Little Richard, Questlove, Joe Perry, Clarence Clemons, Rick Nielsen, Bootsy Collins, Charlie Daniels, and Steven Van Zandt. The 2006 telecast generally began with a cinematic tease produced by Rico Labbe, Michael Sciallis, and Jason Jobes. It was during one of these teases that Barack Obama spoofed his announcement for the 2008 Presidential candidacy in favor of his hometown Chicago Bears in their game against the St. Louis Rams.[33]

That year, the tease was followed by the show open produced by Los Angeles-based The Syndicate called "Transformation". It features computer-generated imagery showing a city being transformed into a football stadium and passers-by on the street turning into players, coaches, fans, and officials set to an updated orchestral treatment of the "Heavy Action" theme song. The sequence began every week with a different celebrity walking down the street, picking up a glowing football helmet with the ESPN logo on the side and saying, "I'm ready for some football! Are you?", thus beginning the transformation process. Celebrities for 2006 included Arnold Schwarzenegger, Matthew Fox, Hugh Hefner, Paris Hilton, Spike Lee, Ashton Kutcher, Samuel L. Jackson, Ludacris, Jack Black, Kiefer Sutherland, James Belushi, Ben Stiller, Tyra Banks, Carmen Electra, and Eva Longoria.

In addition, celebrities returned in full force to the booth, though this proved to be the major criticism of ESPN's first MNF season. On the opening weekend, Arnold Schwarzenegger, another celebrity-turned-California governor, was in the booth at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland, California; before that, Jamie Foxx appeared at FedExField in suburban Washington, D.C. Following them, celebrity appearances included NBA basketball superstar Dwyane Wade, Basketball Hall of Fame player Charles Barkley, NASCAR Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon, comedian Jimmy Kimmel (whose opening words to Joe Theismann were "how's the leg?"), actor Sylvester Stallone, film director Spike Lee, hip hop artist Jay-Z, and MNF theme singer Hank Williams Jr.

2007 summary edit

ESPN scaled back to only one opening tease for the 2007 season. Williams Jr. and the all-star band returned, only this time they played in a "juke joint" set on a country road. The lead singer arrives in a GMC Yukon truck (GMC paid for product placement) with the license plate "BOCEPHUS", which is Williams' nickname. The Syndicate's computer-generated tease was dropped and replaced by short pre-taped films focusing on a team or player in the game. Some of them have featured actor Jamie Foxx.

Joe Theismann did not return to the MNF booth after 1 season, and was replaced by Ron Jaworski.

The guest visits continued: Barkley returned to the booth on September 17 in Philadelphia. Other guests throughout the season included Kimmel (another returnee), Drew Carey, Miley Cyrus, Russell Crowe and Terry Bradshaw. In addition, Gordon was a halftime guest on the game just before the season-ending Ford 400 and was joined by teammate Jimmie Johnson.

At the end of each game, Williams returned to say, "See you in (city that is the site of the next week's game)." Both the open and close contain helmets of the participating teams, organized in the style of a concert poster.

2008 summary edit

Despite the de-emphasis on entertainment on the overall telecast, ESPN did bring back Hank Williams Jr. for his 20th season as part of the opening. This time, the opening sequence was set in a private residence. At the end of the song, Williams Jr. touched a foot pump, which supposedly contained the helmets of that night's participating teams. The helmets were launched from the home toward the stadium at which the game was held. Through computer-generated imagery, the helmets "land" at midfield during a live shot, and then explode. The "exploding helmets" gimmick was also used at various times in the 1980s and 1990s during the pre-game tease. Williams Jr. then appeared again at the end of the game to promote the next week's matchup.

ESPN also continued to promote upcoming albums through its use in bumper music. On September 29 (Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers), ESPN used "Another Way to Die", a duet between Alicia Keys and Jack White of the White Stripes – the song was part of the soundtrack for the 2008 film Quantum of Solace, then the latest in the James Bond series.

MNF celebrated its 600th game broadcast on October 20, 2008, in a game which the New England Patriots defeated the Denver Broncos, 41–7.

The 39th season of MNF ended on December 22, 2008, when the Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers, 20–17, in overtime at home at Soldier Field in Chicago.

2009 summary edit

The title sequence for the 40th season of MNF featured Hank Williams Jr. seen on the steps of a building (presumably a museum), surrounded by dancers, football fans, and statues/busts – which, along with everyone else in the scene, begin to move and dance – patterned after those at the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The transition to Williams Jr. is a book, with the chapter number (in Roman numerals, sequentially with each week) and a tag line about the game to be played that night.

At the end of the song, Williams Jr. plugged in the cords, thereby launching animated "helmets" into space, from the building toward the stadium at which the game was held (with the exception of October 5, 2009, when the helmets zoomed towards Brett Favre instead), passing the International Space Station. As with the previous season (as mentioned above), the helmets "land" at midfield during a live shot and then crashed into each other. Williams Jr. appeared again at the end of the telecast to promote the following week's matchup. After that, the picture was freezeframed and the shot zoomed out to the book, which showed the freezeframed picture as part of a page. As this happened, the NFL end-of-game bumper music was played and the book closed, revealing a golden NFL logo on the back cover and signifying the end of the "chapter", or game. The scene was filmed in the summer of 2009 at The Parthenon in Nashville, Tennessee.

Before Williams Jr. appears, Frank Gifford gave a short vignette about a memorable moment in the history of MNF featuring one or both of the teams playing that night's game.

Tony Kornheiser did not return to the booth after 3 seasons and was replaced by former Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden.

The 40th season of MNF ended on December 28, 2009, with the Minnesota Vikings–Chicago Bears game in Chicago, in which the Bears won in overtime, 36–30. The telecast ended with a vignette that featured Gifford taking a look back at highlights from the previous four decades – and the 40th season – of MNF, after which the book closed, signifying the end of the season. The 40th season had the highest season viewership for MNF since ESPN acquired the rights to the broadcast.[34] This was primarily due to the buffo ratings ESPN received for airing the October 5, 2009 game which featured Favre taking on his former team, the Green Bay Packers.

2010s edit

2010 summary edit

The opening for the 2010 season was identical to that used in 2009, except for the final scenes. This time, Williams Jr. turns a wheel filled with paint, with CGI colors blasting into the air, revealing the helmets containing logos of the participating teams – which stay on top of the building. In one other minor difference, the chapter numbers in the "book" were changed from Roman to Arabic numerals. Gifford provided new vignettes and the Parthenon scenes were repeated from the year before. The 2010 season marked Williams' 22nd as part of the telecast's open.

In an unusual coincidence, both games which had the New York Jets as a home team at New Meadowlands Stadium (now MetLife Stadium) were delayed because of heavy rain and lightning in the area. In the first instance, the September 13 game against the Baltimore Ravens, it was delayed 25 minutes; the second delay, prior to the October 11 contest against the Minnesota Vikings, lasted for 40 minutes. Prior to the September 13 game, the last ESPN telecast to encounter weather problems was on October 4, 1998 (a Sunday night) when lightning halted a game between the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter. The first delay forced ESPN to use ESPN2 for a game telecast, this time for the Chiefs' home opener against the San Diego Chargers. As in 2007, the broadcast was shifted to ESPN once the first game was over.

The game between the Jets and the Vikings was both Brett Favre's first game in East Rutherford since his only season there in 2008 and marked Randy Moss's return to the Vikings. Moss played only four games for Minnesota until he was waived on November 2.

2011 summary edit

The opening sequence for the 2011 season was set in a closed-studio setting, with Hank Williams Jr. (in his 23rd year) performing with a band with members such as Jimi K Bones from KIX and Blondie, The House Jacks, and Jenny Morrison (bass guitar), Chris King (trumpet), Clay Lucovich (trombone), and Florizel Dennis (baritone saxophone) from Orlando, Florida ska band Tef London, in front of a live audience with large video screens in the background. The end of the opening sequence featured the team logos of that night's participants transitioning into the new ESPN Monday Night Football logo before going to a live shot. On October 3, 2011, ESPN pulled the theme song after Williams appeared on the Fox News Channel program, Fox & Friends, where he compared a golf outing involving Barack Obama, John Boehner, Joe Biden and John Kasich to "Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu."[35][36] On October 6, 2011, it was announced that Williams would no longer be singing the theme song, and that "All My Rowdy Friends" would no longer be used as its theme, as Williams still owns the song. A statement from ESPN said that the network has "decided to part ways with Hank Williams Jr. We appreciate his contributions over the past years. The success of MNF has always been about the games and that will continue."[37] Williams commented on the matter: "After reading hundreds of e-mails, I have made my decision... By pulling my opening October 3, [ESPN] stepped on the toes of the First Amendment Freedom of Speech, so therefore me, my song, and All My Rowdy Friends are out of here. It's been a great run."[37] MNF did not have an opening sequence at all from Week 4 through the end of that season.

With Suzy Kolber reassigned to the new studio show NFL32, and Michele Tafoya having left ESPN for NBC Sunday Night Football, the sideline reporter position rotated between various reporters for the season.

For the second year in a row, and the third time overall, the beginning of the 10:15 p.m. Eastern Time game (Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos) was shown on ESPN2 as the game that began at 7:00 pm. Eastern Time (New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins) ran past the scheduled time period.

2012 summary edit

Lisa Salters was named the permanent solo sideline reporter for the 2012 season. In addition, color commentator Ron Jaworski did not return to the booth after 5 seasons. As a result, Jon Gruden became the solo color commentator, with MNF going back to a two-man booth for the first time since its final season on ABC (2005). MNF's opening graphic sequence, which showed the helmet logos of the game's two participating NFL teams and then the program's logo, was seen before the Monday Night Football Launch segment.

2013–14 summary edit

The opening animation sequence begins with an image of a 2014 GMC Sierra (GMC paid for product placement) and then goes into a timeline of historical events that occurred during the Monday Night Football era, including some highlights of MNF games from the previous 43 seasons up to 2012. At the end of the sequence, helmets featuring logos of that night's two participating teams are shown, followed by the various Monday Night Football logos used since the program's debut in 1970. The 80-second opening animation sequence, which also featured Pac-Man, Darth Vader and President Ronald Reagan, was created by actor/filmmaker Peter Berg.

A revision of the opening sequence was used for the 2014 season. Among the few changes, GMC's product placement promoted the automaker's line of Denali vehicles, while the sequence itself included some additional highlights of MNF games from the previous 44 seasons up to 2013.

2015 summary edit

A 3D opening animation sequence is used for the 2015 season (46th season overall and tenth on ESPN). GMC's product placement once again promoted the automaker's line of Denali vehicles, including the Yukon Denali that is seen at the beginning. Also among the many changes is the highlights of MNF games – this time, they are set inside a computer-generated stadium using 3D imagery – from the previous 45 seasons up to 2014.

This was Mike Tirico's final season as the play-by-play announcer for MNF, as he would join NBC Sports in June 2016.

2016 summary edit

After three years of using the timeline-themed open, MNF debuted a new 75-second, Hollywood-themed open on September 12, 2016, featuring ESPN's new MNF broadcast team – Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Jon Gruden (color) and Lisa Salters (sideline reporter) – and more than 20 active NFL stars and Pro Football Hall of Famers walking along a red carpet entrance lined by cheering fans and photographers taking pictures. It began with a shot of a downtown stadium surrounded by skyscrapers, with a 2017 GMC Acadia (product placement again provided by GMC) displaying the location for that week's MNF game on its navigation system. The Acadia then headed to a glitzy red carpet at the stadium's entrance, where McDonough, Gruden and Salters exit the car, followed on the carpet by a flood of NFL players representing the past and present of MNF. Players then posed for pictures and wave to the crowd as they reach the stadium entrance. Josh Norman (Redskins), Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals) and Rob Gronkowski (Patriots) were among the current players being represented in the open, with Franco Harris (Steelers), Jerry Rice (49ers), Barry Sanders (Lions) and Bruce Smith (Bills) among the past players being represented.

For the Spanish-language version of the Hollywood-themed open, it featured ESPN's Spanish-language MNF broadcast team – Álvaro Martín (play-by-play), Raúl Allegre (color) and John Sutcliffe (sideline reporter) as well as the current Hispanic NFL players and the team of the Latin American version of NFL Live led by Ciro Procuna.

2017 summary edit

MNF returned to two teases for the first time since its first season on ESPN (2006). The Hollywood-themed open was repeated from the previous season, this time with the 2018 GMC Terrain being used as the automaker's product placement.

Also, Hank Williams Jr. returned to MNF on September 11, 2017, with an all-new version of the iconic opening theme song, "All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night" (used from 1989 to Week 3 of the 2011 season) and it appeared just before that night's New Orleans Saints-Minnesota Vikings game. The new version, which is seen just before the kickoff of each game, is a collaboration of Williams Jr., country duo Florida Georgia Line, and R&B singer Jason Derulo.

The second game of the Week 1 MNF doubleheader between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos saw Beth Mowins become the first woman to call a nationally televised NFL game.

2018 summary edit

 
The 2018 season featured (from left) commentators Joe Tessitore & Jason Witten, and sideline analyst/consultant Booger McFarland.

2018 brought in a shakeup of the booth. Jon Gruden left MNF after 9 seasons and returned to coaching with the Oakland Raiders and was replaced by Jason Witten, formerly a tight end for the Dallas Cowboys.[38] Sean McDonough and Joe Tessitore traded places, with McDonough taking Tessitore's place in the college booth, and Tessitore taking McDonough's place in the MNF booth.[39][40] In addition, Booger McFarland, who has been a college football analyst for the network since 2014, joined the MNF team as field analyst and consultant.[41] Finally, rules analyst Gerald Austin left MNF to work as an adviser to Gruden and the Raiders and was replaced by recently retired referee Jeff Triplette.[42] Lisa Salters remained the sideline reporter.

Also, ESPN once again scaled back to only one opening tease for the 2018 season, as the Hollywood-themed open was dropped after two seasons. "All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night" featuring country music legend Hank Williams Jr., country music duo Florida-Georgia Line and R&B singer Jason Derulo returned from the previous season and is once again seen just before the opening kickoff. Due to the Thousand Oaks shooting, and the then-ongoing Northern California wildfires, the opening intro was not shown during the November 12 broadcast between Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and the New York Giants and Super Bowl-winning cornerback Richard Sherman and the San Francisco 49ers and also, the historic Kansas City Chiefs-Los Angeles Rams game the following week (November 19). In the case of the latter, it was originally scheduled to be played at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, but was moved to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (the Rams' home stadium at the time, which itself last hosted a Monday Night Football game in 1985) due to the poor field conditions at the former. The game would be the highest scoring game in MNF history, with the Rams defeating the Chiefs by a score of 54–51.

In addition, ESPN also added musical performances during the halftime segment, branded as the Genesis Halftime Show as part of a sponsorship deal. These performances typically aired at the end of the commercial-free halftime segments and, with the expectation of the Chiefs-Rams game in which there was a live performance, were typically prerecorded in various locations, usually around the city where that week's MNF game took place.[43]

2019 summary edit

ESPN underwent another broadcast booth shakeup, as Jason Witten left to return to the Dallas Cowboys, and rules analyst Jeff Triplette left after one season. Triplette was replaced with John Parry, who retired after Super Bowl LIII. Witten was not replaced, therefore making the 2019 broadcast team consist of Joe Tessitore (play-by-play), Booger McFarland (color commentator) and Lisa Salters (sideline reporter).

The network also brought back Hank Williams Jr. to perform "All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night", which for the first time since 2011, he performed solo, as Florida Georgia Line and Jason Derulo all departed after two seasons. The intro to Monday Night Football also celebrated the 50th season of the program with NFL Legends and Hall of Famers or current NFL players (Texans' J. J. Watt for the Playoffs) saying "Are you ready for some football?" before Williams Jr. begins playing.

The Genesis Halftime Show returned for another season and continued to feature prerecorded musical performances; however they were later dropped on October 28 due to poor reception from viewers and was replaced with additional game analysis although Genesis continued to sponsor the halftime show for the remainder of the season.[44]

2020s edit

2020 summary edit

After poor reviews and major criticism, the 2020 season saw another major revamp to ESPN's booth, with Steve Levy, Brian Griese, and Louis Riddick, who called one of ESPN's opening week doubleheader games the year before, replacing Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland. McFarland, however, would switch places with Riddick, taking over in the studio.[45] ESPN/ABC's lead college football commentary team of Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, and Maria Taylor called the first game of the Week 1 doubleheader (as Fowler and Taylor were already in the New York area handling the US Open (Fowler) and the NBA Playoffs (Taylor) respectively).[46] Fowler and Herbstreit were considered as the new MNF booth, if the 2020 college football season were to be canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. To formally celebrate the 50th anniversary of Monday Night Football, the Las Vegas Raiders' Week 2 home opener (their first after relocating from Oakland) was simulcast by ABC.[47] The game also featured a special Monday Night Megacast, hosted by Rece Davis and Herbstreit. This alternate broadcast aired on ESPN2, the first time it had aired an NFL game in its entirety. The Hank Williams Jr. MNF theme was once again dropped, being replaced by a cover of Little Richard's "Rip It Up" by Virginia-based band Butcher Brown.[48]

As the game was postponed to October 12 due to a player testing positive for COVID-19, the Week 5 game between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots was reassigned to ESPN as the first half of a rare in-season MNF doubleheader, with the game scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. ET kickoff. Fowler and Herbstreit were slated to return and call the game. This time, they would have been joined by Laura Rutledge, host of NFL Live and SEC Nation on SEC Network.[49][50] However, the game was ultimately postponed to the following Sunday as a Week 6 game due to further positive tests.[51][52] Rutledge would eventually fill in for Lisa Salters during the Week 16 MNF game in Foxborough, as Salters had been following ESPN's COVID-19 protocols.

ESPN announced on November 30 that two December Monday night games, both involving the Buffalo Bills, would be simulcast on ABC.[53] Also announced on November 30 was the debut of the NFL Playoff Megacast, which featured alternate feeds of the Baltimore Ravens-Tennessee Titans matchup on ESPN2, ESPN+, and Freeform.

The December 21 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals featured the Muppets and was themed as "Muppet Night Football." In the opening broadcast of the game, Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy served as announcers from the booth while Fozzie Bear reported from the sidelines.[54] After their appearance in the opening broadcast, the Muppets soon re-appeared with Rowlf the Dog, Scooter, Gonzo, Animal, Beaker, the Swedish Chef and others singing a football-themed rendition "Carol of the Bells".[55][56] As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the segments involving the Muppets were shot with puppeteers in front of a green screen at home.[57]

2021 summary edit

For the first time since 2005, there was no season-opening doubleheader as the opening game of Monday Night Football's 52nd season consisted only of the Baltimore Ravens-Las Vegas Raiders matchup, which was aired on ESPN and simulcast on ABC, ESPN2, and ESPN+, as part of the network's Megacast series. Also, Butcher Brown's cover of Little Richard's "Rip it Up" returned for the second consecutive year as the intro theme for MNF.

Like last season, two late-season games, both being NFC rivalries, were simulcast on ABC, as well as ESPN+. ABC and ESPN+ also simulcast the first ever Week 18 Saturday Doubleheader, a new addition to ESPN's schedule, which was part of the NFL expanding their regular season from 16 to 17 games, and to accommodate ESPN's new NFL media rights deal, which includes the Saturday Doubleheader, a Sunday International game for ESPN+ subscribers, more games on ABC, a Divisional playoff game, and Super Bowls LXI and LXV on ABC, along with rights for ESPN+ to simulcast every ESPN/ABC game, accommodate select games with alternate broadcasts, and flex scheduling beginning in 2023.

On July 19, ESPN announced an agreement with Omaha Productions, the production company of Peyton Manning, to produce alternate telecasts of Monday Night Football with Manning, his brother Eli, and guest celebrities for ten games each season on ESPN2 and ESPN+, from 2021 through 2023.[58] The Manningcast would also be a part of ESPN's first ever Monday Night Super Wild Card Megacast, which had alternate broadcasts of the game on ESPN2 and ESPN+, to accommodate the main broadcast on ESPN, ABC, and ESPN+. The success of the Manningcast's first season would lead to ESPN adding an extra year to their deal with Omaha Productions in the offseason.

2022 summary edit

This season, ESPN will be working under a new bridge deal to transition themselves into the next television contract. The 2022 season will see ESPN+ add a Sunday International game, an exclusive MNF game on ABC, and the continuation of the Week 18 Saturday Doubleheader. ESPN made a colossal change to the MNF booth, the fourth change since 2015, when the network hired Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, who were Fox's lead commentary team for the past 20 seasons, as the new announcers for MNF, replacing Levy, Griese (who eventually left ESPN to become the new quarterbacks coach of the San Francisco 49ers), and Riddick.[59] Levy and Riddick will continue to call doubleheaders as the #2 team, with Dan Orlovsky replacing Griese and Laura Rutledge serving as that team's sideline reporter.[60][61][62]

Butcher Brown's cover of "Rip it Up" did not return as the intro theme for MNF. Instead, a remix of "Heavy Action" was used, produced by EDM producer and DJ Marshmello.

2023 summary edit

For the 2023 season, ESPN aired two exclusive MNF games on ABC (Cleveland Browns vs Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2 and Philadelphia Eagles vs Tampa Bay Buccaneeers in Week 3). On September 18, 2023, as previously mentioned, ABC did simulcast 10 additional MNF games that were originally slated to air only on ESPN, starting with the Week 4 game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New York Giants, making this the first time since 2005 in which ABC will air Monday Night Football games all season long.

This was the first year in which flex scheduling would now apply to MNF games between Weeks 12 and 17, enabling ESPN to select more viable matchups in later weeks of the season. On November 30, 2023, the Week 15 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs at the New England Patriots was flexed out of Monday Night Football in favor of the Philadelphia Eagles at the Seattle Seahawks.[63]

Anthems edit

Hank Williams Jr. reworked his country music hit "All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight" to be included in the telecast's introduction as "All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night" (the original introduction music was an organ-based piece called "Score", written by Charles Fox and recorded by Bob's Band). In addition, Edd Kalehoff modernized the classic "Heavy Action" theme in 1989.

For ABC's last MNF game in 2005, Williams Jr.'s rendition of "Turn Out the Lights, The Party's Over", closed the broadcast.[64]

In 2018, ESPN brought back the classic "Heavy Action" theme as the main theme song for Monday Night Football.

In 2020, ESPN replaced Hank Williams Jr.'s MNF theme with a cover of Little Richard's "Rip It Up" by Virginia-based band Butcher Brown for the 2020 and 2021 seasons.[48] For the 2021–22 season, the theme sometimes played in reverse.

In 2022, ESPN added the remixed version of "Heavy Action" as the intro theme for MNF as a replacement for Butcher Brown's Rip It Up; the aforementioned original version of "Heavy Action" is still being used in the broadcast.

In 2023, ESPN debuted the official new opening song, "In the Air Tonight," a cover of the 1981 Phil Collins classic, featuring Chris Stapleton, Cindy Blackman Santana, and Snoop Dogg. The new opening song is co-produced by ESPN's Creative Content Unit and Grammy-winning musician David Cobb, with lyrics written by MK Asante.[65] The song will air before all Monday Night Football games as well as ESPN’s week 18 Saturday doubleheader, super wild card and first divisional playoff game.

Digital on-screen graphics edit

Prior to 1997, Monday Night Football had a limited graphics package. A CGI-based intro began being used in 1984, with on-screen graphics still limited to basic text.[66][67] In 1988, the entire graphics package was updated significantly to be more in line with the rest of ABC Sports' presentations. That year, it introduced the "clashing helmets" intro, with on-screen graphics consisting of italicized text underlined in red.[68] It was updated in 1994, the year the network hosted Super Bowl XXIX, with a more box-like design.[69] A permanent score bug would not be introduced until 1997.

1997–2005 edit

Monday Night Football began using a score bug in 1997, the second network to do so after Fox introduced the first regular on-screen scoring bug when it began airing NFL games in 1994. Prior to this, the graphics package was limited, but followed a basic "ketchup and mustard" color scheme of red and yellow. The first scorebug included team names, scores, time remaining, and displayed which quarter the game was in.[70] This design was used through the 1998 season.

ABC hosted Super Bowl XXXIV for 1999, and updated its graphics package to more closely resemble those of sister cable network ESPN. ABC began using extended abbreviations for team names (for example, "TENN", "VIKES", "PACK", and "FINS" instead of "TEN", "MIN", "GB", and "MIA"), as four-letter and five-letter abbreviations were used on ESPN coverage. The result was a larger scorebug with a more conventional font.[71] It was slightly modified in 2000 to have a border that was more in line with the red and yellow color scheme.[72]

The graphics for Monday Night Football were changed in the 2002 season, the year the network hosted Super Bowl XXXVII. The scorebug was a solid color, with a more rounded shape, and a horizontally compressed font. ESPN's graphics were no longer similar to those of ABC's (with ESPN instead using a gray and black design with rounded corners).[73] In 2005, the broadcast's final year on ABC, Monday Night Football began using a horizontal bar on the bottom of the screen rather than a scorebug, with all information being contained on a single line.[74]

2006–present edit

After MNF moved to ESPN in 2006 (around the same time that ABC Sports rebranded as ESPN on ABC), ESPN adopted new red and black graphics with heavier use of 3D elements and animations. These graphics would be subsequently implemented as a standard appearance for most major ESPN properties (including college football, the NBA, Major League Baseball, and NASCAR among others). For MNF, a "pod" scoreboard at the bottom-center of the screen was used.

For the 2008 season, a new graphics scheme was introduced, in which a scorebar and all lower thirds were confined to a dedicated "dashboard" area spanning across the bottom the screen. Lower third graphics replaced the scorebar when in use.[75] For 2009, an updated metallic silver design was introduced, dropping the "dashboard". The scheme would, again, be adopted by other major ESPN properties. In the 2011 season, MNF introduced a dedicated graphics package with a red and black metallic design and larger scoreboard, as well as a redesigned MNF shield logo.

For the 2015 season, ESPN introduced another overhaul of its MNF graphics, with a new scoreboard spanning the bottom of the screen, capable of being faded away when plays are in progress.[76] This design persisted through 2018, although with amendments in its final season (including a different, italicized font for the scoreboard and downs indicator, and the downs indicator now resembling an arrow, and alternating sides of the screen with the ESPN logo depending on the direction of play).[77]

In 2019, ESPN introduced a new graphics scheme its NFL programming (modeled upon branding used for the NFL Draft since 2018), incorporating refreshed logos, and a color scheme featuring black, white, and a lime color referred to internally as "venom".[78] The MNF scoreboard retained a similar layout to before, but with new fonts and only showing team logos.[79][80]

During the first game of ESPN's opening doubleheader, the network faced criticism from viewers for coloring the downage indicator on its scoreboard in the aforementioned "venom" color, which could be confused for a graphic indicating a penalty (typically colored in yellow to match the penalty flag; the flag graphic used a black rectangle with a venom-colored border and text). In response to the criticism, ESPN producers modified the graphic over halftime, changing the indicator to use a white, light-on-dark color scheme instead. Chicago Tribune media writer Phil Rosenthal described the briefly-used graphic as a "fluorescent-highlighter fever dream", and felt that "the quickness with which ESPN abandoned this unnecessary bit of flash probably speaks more to how misguided this latest supposed 'innovation' was than any increased sensitivity to the twitterati."[79][80] Despite the previous incident, ESPN faced similar criticism in January 2021 during the College Football Playoff semi-finals, where it used a gold-textured downs indicator.[81]

Starting with the 2023 XFL season, the graphics have been modified for XFL broadcasts to match the XFL's new look, while the score bug has been moved upwards to make room of the ESPN BottomLine.

Starting with the 2023 NFL season, ESPN debuted new graphics for its MNF broadcasts. The look is similar to its previous look with a more translucent background. The timeout indicator moved from under the team names to the side of the names. The down indicator changed from an arrow to a more standard box.[82]

For the Toy Story Funday Football broadcast on Disney+ and ESPN+, the graphics have been modified to match the film's visuals, such as sky wallpaper in Andy's Room.

Scoring records edit

See also: List of Monday Night Football results (1970–1989), List of Monday Night Football results (1990–2009), and List of Monday Night Football results (2010–present)

Most frequent matchups edit

Count Matchup Record Years Played Significance
20 Denver Broncos vs. Las Vegas Raiders Broncos, 10–9–1 1973, 1975, 1978, 1980, 1987, 1988, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2011, 2013, 2018, 2019 Broncos–Raiders rivalry
17 Dallas Cowboys vs. Washington Commanders Cowboys, 9–8 1973, 1978, 1980, 1983, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2014, 2015 Commanders–Cowboys rivalry
15 Los Angeles Rams vs. San Francisco 49ers 49ers, 11–4 1972, 1974, 1976, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1991, 2002, 2014, 2016, 2021, 2022 49ers–Rams rivalry
14 Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets Tied, 7–7 1974, 1980, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2011, 2014 Dolphins–Jets rivalry
13 Dallas Cowboys vs. New York Giants Cowboys, 10–3 1971, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2006, 2010, 2019, 2022 Cowboys–Giants rivalry
13 Dallas Cowboys vs. Philadelphia Eagles Cowboys, 9–4 1974, 1979, 1992, 1993, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2021(1), 2021(2) Cowboys–Eagles rivalry
12 Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots Tied, 6–6 1975, 1979, 1980, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1997, 1998, 2004, 2010, 2011, 2017 Dolphins–Patriots rivalry
12 Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers Steelers, 8-4 1970, 1977, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1992, 2010, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2020 Bengals–Steelers rivalry
11 Chicago Bears vs. Green Bay Packers Bears, 6–5 1974, 1985, 1986, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2010, 2013 Bears–Packers rivalry
11 Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins Bills, 6–5 1976, 1981, 1984, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999 Bills–Dolphins rivalry

Monday Night Football scheduling edit

From 1970 to 1997, ABC's Monday Night Football coverage began at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, with game kickoff typically occurring at seven minutes past the hour. Coverage was moved one hour earlier to 8 p.m. Eastern Time in 1998, with a pre-game show titled Monday Night Blast, hosted by Chris Berman from the ESPN Zone restaurant in Baltimore preceding the start of the game at 8:20 p.m. This was done mainly to address ABC's inability to find a suitable 8 p.m. lead-in program for MNF since MacGyver ended its run in 1992 (not even two other series from MacGyver's production company Paramount Television – The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and The Marshal – saw success, despite the former's ties to Paramount's Indiana Jones film series), and to allow stations to start their late local newscasts nearer to their regular times. Poor ratings caused this experiment to be dropped after one season, with MNF once again moving to 9 p.m. in 1999, though in many NFL markets, the 8 p.m. (Eastern Time) hour from 1999 to 2006 was replaced by affiliates with locally produced and programmed sports discussion and coaches shows, with ABC programming in that hour moved to late night or weekend slots; by the end of the ABC run, the 8 p.m. time-slot was filled with either news magazines and short-lived reality television programs which failed to make any ratings headways due to affiliate pre-emptions.

From 1970 to 1995, Fisher Broadcasting's ABC affiliates in Seattle (KOMO-TV) and Portland (KATU) aired MNF games on a one-hour tape delay starting at 7 p.m. Pacific Time (games normally started in the Pacific Time Zone at 6 p.m., corresponding to 9 p.m. Eastern) in order to accommodate local newscasts (unless the Seattle Seahawks were playing, in which case the game was shown live). The practice, long opposed by viewers and ABC, ended in 1996. KOMO then tried to accommodate having to air its local newscasts earlier than its local station competitors by marketing it as KOMO 4 News Primetime, touting it as a way to watch the news at a more convenient time than during evening rush hour. Additionally, this practice was done in Hawaii, where Honolulu ABC affiliate KITV delayed the game until 7 p.m. Hawaii-Aleutian Time. Thus, the game, which was broadcast live on local radio starting at 3 or 4 p.m., was almost over before it aired on television. In the case of Guam, KTGM, the ABC affiliate in that U.S. territory, aired MNF live on Tuesdays at 11 am-2:30 pm as Guam is a day ahead of the United States due to being located on the other side of International Date Line.

The demand to broadcast Monday Night Football games live across the United States over ABC was difficult to reconcile with other prime-time programming, which is usually set to begin at a certain local time regardless of time zone. On the East Coast, with MNF beginning at 9 p.m. Eastern Time, there was an hour of primetime in which to schedule regular programming. However, on the West Coast, the games lasted from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Pacific Time (or in the case of Seattle and Portland from 1970 to 1995, 7 to 10:30 p.m.), leaving little or no time for additional network programming on Monday. As a result, network programs scheduled for prime time on the East Coast were broadcast at various hours on the West Coast. Most affiliates pushed the network shows to immediately after the game; however, Los Angeles owned-and-operated station KABC-TV postponed them until 10 p.m. from at least the mid-1990s until 2005 to show trivia contests and other sports shows produced locally (the longest-tenured such show was Monday Night Live, hosted by sports anchor Todd Donoho). Meanwhile, KOMO, one of the stations that tape delayed MNF in most cases, broadcast new episodes of the sitcom Coach on Saturday afternoons (usually reserved, coincidentally enough, for college football telecasts; much of the series took place on a fictional college campus). Except for Seattle and Portland from 1970 to 1995, ABC World News Tonight was routinely preempted on most West Coast affiliates, though the ABC network-owned stations (e.g. Los Angeles) aired the program earlier in the afternoon.

Since ESPN took over the coverage in 2006, games normally had a kickoff time of 8:30 p.m. Eastern, which was later changed to 8:15 p.m. Eastern in 2018. However, when ESPN aired a doubleheader during the first week of the season until 2021, the games respectively started at 7 p.m. and 10:15 p.m. Eastern.

When ESPN took over MNF in 2006, the NFL mandated that games needed to be simulcast on a local station in each team's home market. Although they were officially determined via a syndication-like process, in most cases these local stations were ABC affiliates. This became a problem when ABC aired Dancing with the Stars on Monday nights. Whenever an ABC affiliate pre-empted the show to air the NFL, these stations would then broadcast Dancing with the Stars on tape delay immediately after their late-evening local newscasts, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Nightline. This resulted in the program's telephone and Internet voting coordinators keeping a late-night voting window open for the market(s) where Dancing with the Stars was pre-empted.

In some cases, the Dancing with the Stars was moved to a sister station of the ABC affiliate to air live instead (for example, until 2011 in the Minneapolis–St. Paul market, when NBC affiliate KARE took over as the local broadcaster of MNF games if the Minnesota Vikings were playing a game being simulcast on local ABC affiliate KSTP-TV, sister independent station KSTC-TV aired DWTS live). In 2016, for the opening week Monday night game (the second in a doubleheader) between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, the ABC-owned stations in both markets (KABC-TV and KGO-TV) would broadcast World News Tonight and DWTS in their live Eastern Time Zone slots, thus airing at 3:30 p.m. and 5 p.m. PT respectively (the WNT simulcast was later made permanent on both stations every weekday for ratings purposes).

In 2022, when ABC began airing select exclusive MNF telecasts, Dancing with the Stars was moved to Disney+ for at least that season.[10] ABC then scheduled Bachelor in Paradise and other programming on Monday nights instead, which were then preempted nationally during those weeks when the network aired its exclusive MNF games.[83] In May 2023, ABC announced that Dancing with the Stars would be moved back to ABC on Monday nights, and would thus again cause the same local market conflict during those weeks when MNF is nationally only on ESPN, in August, as a result of the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes, ABC announced that its Monday and Tuesday schedules were getting revised, with Dancing With the Stars scheduled to air on Tuesdays, once again, therefore resolving the conflict for this season.[84][85][86] Eventually, because of the strikes, ABC picked up the entire season of MNF, in addition to their four exclusive games, to fill their Monday schedule in the fall. This wound up being the first full season of MNF to air on ABC in any capacity since 2005.

Commentators edit

Main article: List of Monday Night Football commentators


Foreign-language versions edit

Spanish version edit

Since 2006, a Spanish-language telecast is also broadcast on ESPN Deportes, the Spanish version of ESPN and on ESPN Latin America, featuring NBA and NFL play-by-play announcer Álvaro Martín, Super Bowl winner Raul Allegre as color commentator and John Sutcliffe as the field reporter. This is the same crew of La NFL Dominical, the Spanish version of ESPN Sunday Night Football, until 2005. The announcers of the second game of the 2006 doubleheader were Eduardo Varela (play-by-play), Robert Abramowitz (color) and Georgina Ruiz Sandoval (field reporter). Preceding the game NFL Esta Noche (NFL Tonight), the 30-minute pre-game show, can be seen on both networks.

The four booth announcers called the 2007 season opening games from ESPN's Bristol, Connecticut headquarters while watching games on monitors. None of them traveled to the game sites and there were no sideline reporters in the early weeks. Sutcliffe would later report from the game sites. Allegre did not work the season finale between the Broncos and Chargers; he was replaced by Abramovitz.

In 2008, Martin and Allegre only travelled to the Cowboys-Eagles game, during the NFL's celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Month.

As part of ESPN's agreement to simulcast their Wild Card game on ABC, Martin and Allegre's Spanish-language commentary is carried over the SAP channel on ABC, equivalent to the rest of the NFL's over-the-air broadcast partners.

When CBS televised Super Bowls 50, LIII, and LV, ESPN sub-licensed the rights to air dedicated Spanish-language telecasts on ESPN Deportes, using the Monday Night Football commentary team and with surrounding coverage in the language. CBS did not have any sister Spanish-language cable or broadcast network like Fox and NBC, who have used Fox Deportes and Universo/Telemundo, respectively.[87][88][89][90][91][92] For Super Bowl LVIII, CBS sold its sub-license rights to TelevisaUnivision instead.[93]

In 2017 and 2018, ESPN2 simulcast ESPN Deportes' telecast, NFL Esta Noche, and the ESPN Latin America SportsCenter after the game, during the first nine weeks of the season (prior to the start of its Monday-night college basketball broadcasts). ESPN2 had previously scheduled lesser-viewed filler programming during the period.[94][95][96] In the 2020-21 playoffs, ESPN Deportes also aired an AFC Divisional Playoff game and the AFC Championship Game.[97]

For the 2023 season, ESPN Deportes introduced the new Monday Night Football team of Rebeca Landa on the play-by-play, with Sergio Dipp as analyst, and Katia Castorena as sideline reporter. John Sutcliffe will continue to be part of the team, providing reports from site.[98] On October 16, 2023, ESPN2 did simulcast ESPN Deportes’ Spanish-Language Presentation of Monday Night Football, featuring the Dallas Cowboys and the L.A. Chargers.[99]

Portuguese version edit

Since the 1990s, ESPN Latin America has a Portuguese language feed targeted to their viewers in Brazil. Ivan Zimmermann (play-by-play), André José Adler (play-by-play), Roberto Figueroa (color), and Marco Alfaro (color), among others, were the announcers broadcasting from ESPN's headquarters. Since 2006, the structure of the Brazilian feed has been merged with ESPN Brasil and the broadcasting is done from São Paulo. The current announcers are Fernando Nardini (play-by-play) and Paulo Antunes (color). Ari Aguiar (play-by-play) and Antony Curti (color) occasionally fill in.

Radio broadcasts edit

Main articles: NFL on Westwood One Sports and NFL on NBC Radio

Monday Night Football has also been carried on national radio networks over the years. The Mutual Broadcasting System aired the games initially, with Van Patrick (1972–1973), Lindsey Nelson (1974–1977) and Al Wester announcing. CBS Radio took over the rights in 1978 with Jack Buck and Hank Stram commentating. After a two-year stint (1985–1986) with Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy calling the games on NBC Radio, Buck and Stram resumed with CBS Radio in 1987. In 1996, Howard David and Matt Millen replaced Buck and Stram. Marv Albert and Boomer Esiason were the MNF radio voices from 2002 to 2009, with Kevin Harlan replacing Albert in 2010. Kurt Warner joined the crew in 2014 for games when Esiason was unavailable, taking over full-time in 2018.

In the 1990s, CBS Radio purchased a controlling stake in Westwood One, which in turn had bought out both the NBC and Mutual networks. As of 2008, Westwood One was no longer controlled by CBS, but the network retained its NFL broadcast rights. In 2011, Westwood One was purchased by Dial Global. Then in 2014, Dial Global, including Westwood One, was acquired by Cumulus Media.

The Spanish-language broadcast is carried on ESPN Deportes Radio.

As with other regular-season NFL games, Monday night games are also broadcast locally by the featured teams' own radio networks and announcers.

Nielsen ratings edit

Top-rated recent regular season games since 2014 edit

Rank Day Date Year Week Matchup Network(s) Viewers (millions) Significance Reference
1 Monday September 11 2023 1 Bills 16 Jets 22 (OT) ABC
ESPN
ESPN2 		22.64M 22nd anniversary of 9/11
Bills–Jets rivalry 		[100]
2 Saturday January 8 2022 18 Cowboys 51 Eagles 26 ABC
ESPN 		20.21M Cowboys–Eagles rivalry [101]
3 Monday September 12 2022 1 Broncos 16 Seahawks 17 ABC
ESPN
ESPN2 		19.84M Russell Wilson's return to Seattle
Broncos–Seahawks rivalry 		[102]
4 September 26 3 Cowboys 23 Giants 16 19.34M Cowboys–Giants rivalry [102]
5 Saturday January 8 2022 18 Chiefs 28 Broncos 24 ABC
ESPN 		19.10M Broncos–Chiefs rivalry [101]
6 January 7 2023 Titans 16 Jaguars 20 19.00M Jaguars won the AFC South as a result of the victory [102]
7 Monday October 27 2014 8 Redskins 20 (OT) Cowboys 17 ESPN 18.81M Redskins–Cowboys rivalry [103]
8 December 26 2016 16 Lions 21 Cowboys 42 18.60M [104]
9 Saturday January 7 2023 18 Chiefs 31 Raiders 13 ABC
ESPN 		17.76M Chiefs–Raiders rivalry [102]
10 Monday September 13 2021 1 Ravens 27 Raiders 33 (OT) ABC
ESPN
ESPN2 		16.97M [101]

Additional NFL game rights edit

Playoff games and Super Bowls edit

Main article: List of Super Bowl broadcasters

When ABC first acquired the rights to air MNF in 1970, it did not include any playoff games. The network was eventually allowed into the rotation of airing the Super Bowl, starting with Super Bowl XIX in January 1985. When the league expanded the playoffs from a 10-team to a 12-team tournament in 1990, ABC was then given the rights to air the first two Wild Card Playoff games. Originally, ABC's college football crews would call the first Wild Card Game.

Following The Walt Disney Company's purchase of both ESPN and ABC, the two network's sports departments merged in 1997. Beginning with the 1997 season, the ESPN Sunday Night Football crew called the first game, with the ABC MNF crew calling the second game. ESPN provided wraparound studio programming, with part of the pre and postgame airing on ABC, and ESPN's Ron Jaworski often appeared from the studio for extra analysis during the first game. This arrangement lasted from 1997 through 2005, except for 2002 when ESPN/ABC's college football crew did the early game. Super Bowls on ABC in this period were treated as ESPN events.

After MNF was awarded to ESPN and Sunday Night Football was acquired by NBC in 2006, the Wild Card doubleheader that had aired on ABC, as well as a share of the rotating rights to the Super Bowl, was also given to NBC.

On April 22, 2014, the NFL announced that it had exercised an option in ESPN's recent contract extension for Monday Night Football rights to air a first-round Wild Card playoff game on the channel after the conclusion of the 2014 season. This was the first time that an NFL playoff game was ever broadcast exclusively on cable television in the United States, in lieu of any of the league's broadcast network partners.[105][106][107] The MNF broadcast team of Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and sideline reporter Lisa Salters called the game, the first of the 2014–15 NFL playoffs. The NFC South Champion Carolina Panthers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27–16.[105][106] As with all MNF games, the matchup was simulcast on local affiliates WJZY (a Fox affiliate) in Charlotte and KASW (a CW affiliate) in Phoenix. This was because of the NFL's rule that requires local affiliates to allow viewers over-the-air access to the game.

However, the cable-only playoff game experiment would only last one season, as on May 11, 2015, it was announced that ABC would simulcast ESPN's Wild Card playoff game for the 2015 season.[108] This was the first NFL game broadcast nationally on ABC since MNF left the network at the end of the 2005 season. The game, announced by the broadcast team of Tirico, Gruden and Salters, was the first of the 2015–16 NFL playoffs. The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans 30–0. The ESPN/ABC simulcast has continued ever since.[109][110]

Additionally, ESPN Deportes picked up the rights to air Super Bowl 50, Super Bowl LIII and Super Bowl LV in Spanish (from Super Bowl LVIII on Univision picked up those rights), as CBS, who aired the game in English, does not have a Spanish language sports network. It will also air additional CBS playoff games in the 2021 playoffs and 2022 playoffs.

Starting with Super Bowl LIII, ESPN International has produced an English-language broadcast of the Super Bowl for ESPN Australia (as an alternative to the main world feed produced by NFL Network and the domestic U.S. feed), using the domestic broadcasters' camera feeds and the Monday Night Football commentary team. It also features additional pre-game coverage, augmenting ESPN's U.S. NFL studio programming. The video is also used by the Super Bowl telecast for ESPN Brasil, dubbed with Portuguese commentary.[111][112]

During the Baltimore Ravens-Tennessee Titans Wild Card game during the 2021 playoffs, not only did ESPN and ABC simulcast the game, but other ESPN and Disney-owned networks helped to broadcast the game for the first ever NFL Playoff Megacast. ESPN2, ESPN+, and Freeform all pitched in alternate feeds of the game. This was the first NFL Playoff game to get a Megacast treatment. The announcement of the Playoff Megacast went along with the announcement of ABC simulcasting two late-season MNF games that aired on ESPN (both games involving the Buffalo Bills).

With the new NFL TV contracts that begin during the 2023 season, ESPN/ABC's playoff coverage expands to include a game in the Divisional Round, to go along with the Wild Card Game. Both games will air on ESPN and ABC. The new contracts also see both networks re-enter the Super Bowl rotation, beginning with Super Bowl LXI in 2027.

Beginning with the 2022 playoffs, ESPN will begin a new 5-year deal that will see the ESPN networks and ABC Megacast the brand new "Monday Night Wild Card Game", as part of the NFL expanding Super Wild Card Weekend from two days to three days. ESPN and ABC will simulcast the main feed, with ESPN2, ESPN+, and other ESPN and Disney networks providing alternative options. The game features a matchup between a No. 4 and No. 5 seed to ensure that it is known which opponent the winner will play before kickoff. This arrangement ensures the NFL can release the divisional round schedule upon the completion of the other five wild card games, and the winner of Monday game always plays the following Sunday to ensure they receive six days' rest.[113]

Non-Monday games edit

See also: NFL on ABC

From 1974 to 1977, MNF aired on Saturday during the final week of the regular season instead of Monday. From 1978 to 1986, it broadcast selected Thursday and Sunday night games. And from 1983 to 1986, MNF also aired a Friday night game in the final week of the regular season, in addition to the normal Monday night game.[114]

From 2003 to 2005, MNF also aired the Thursday Night NFL Kickoff game during the first week of the regular season.[115]

As part of ESPN's new contract signed prior to the 2022, ESPN, simulcast on ABC and ESPN+, airs a Saturday NFL doubleheader during the final week of the regular season.[116]

In 2023, MNF aired a game on Saturday, December 30, to accommodate New Year's Day falling on a Monday.[117] The game featured the Detroit Lions at the Dallas Cowboys.

Pro Bowl edit

Main article: List of Pro Bowl broadcasters

ABC televised the Pro Bowl from 1975 to 1987, and again from 1995 to 2003.

As part of their 2011 rights agreement, ESPN was given the exclusive rights to the Pro Bowl from 2015 through 2022.[105] from 2018 on the game was simulcast on ABC.

See also edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ Does not include the game on December 3, 1978, which occurred on a Sunday, but was televised by ABC's Monday Night Football television crew.

References edit

  1. ^ "ESPN creates rooftop 'bubble' for NFL coverage in under a month". Newscast Studio. September 14, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2020.
  2. ^ "The NFL returns to Channel 5". NFL.com. Retrieved December 26, 2023.
  3. ^ Shapiro, Leonard; Maske, Mark (April 19, 2005). "'Monday Night Football' Changes the Channel". The Washington Post. p. A1.
  4. ^ a b c "A History of Monday Night Football". Bleacher Report. January 21, 2008. Retrieved September 23, 2023.
  5. ^ Miller, Shales, James Andrew, Tom. Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN (PDF). p. 547.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ Leonard Shapiro; Mark Maske (April 19, 2005). . The Washington Post. p. A1. Archived from the original on September 22, 2018.
  7. ^ "Updated: ESPN Kicks Off New Eight-Year, $14 Billion NFL Deal". Multichannel News. September 8, 2011.
  8. ^ "NFL announces new broadcast deals running through 2033 season". NFL.com. Retrieved March 18, 2021.
  9. ^ "NFL completes network/Amazon rights deals through 2033, bringing in $10 billion per year along the way". Awful Announcing. March 18, 2021. Retrieved December 14, 2021.
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Further reading edit

  • Gunther, Marc, and Bill Carter. (1988). Monday Night Mayhem: The Inside Story of ABC's Monday Night Football. New York: Beech Tree Books. ISBN 0-688-07553-3
  • Hyatt, Wesley. (2007). Kicking Off the Week: A History of Monday Night Football on ABC Television, 1970–2005. Jefferson, North Carolina: McFarland & Co. ISBN 0-786-42969-0.

External links edit

  • Monday Night Football at IMDb  
  • NFL Monday Night Football 2022 Schedule on ESPN

May 07, 2024
monday, night, football, this, article, about, broadcasts, national, football, league, games, mondays, overview, telecasts, espn, espn, with, peyton, manningcast, overview, telecasts, other, uses, disambiguation, often, abbreviated, branding, used, broadcasts,. This article is about broadcasts of National Football League games on Mondays For an overview of NFL telecasts on ESPN see NFL on ESPN For Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli see Manningcast For overview of NFL telecasts on ABC see NFL on ABC For other uses see Monday Night Football disambiguation Monday Night Football often abbreviated as MNF is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League NFL games that primarily broadcast on Monday nights It was originally broadcast on ABC from 1970 to 2005 before moving exclusively to sister network ESPN in 2006 which remains the main channel for the broadcast In 2020 MNF returned to ABC in select simulcasts with ESPN and in 2022 it began featuring select exclusive ABC telecasts In addition ESPN2 has aired alternate telecasts of selected games since 2020 as the Manningcast while ESPN has streamed MNF simulcasts in the United States since 2021 Monday Night FootballAlso known asABC Monday Night Football 1970 2005 2016 present ESPN Monday Night Football 2006 present GenreNFL game telecastsCreated byRoone ArledgeDirected byChet Forte 1970 1986 Larry Kamm 1987 Craig Janoff 1988 1999 Drew Esocoff 2000 2005 Chip Dean 2006 2018 Jimmy Platt 2019 2022 Derek Mobley 2023 present Presented byCommentators Joe BuckTroy AikmanChris Fowler select games Louis Riddick select games Dan Orlovsky select games Peyton Manning and Eli Manning ESPN2 Reporters Lisa Salters lead sideline Laura Rutledge sideline select games Michelle Beisner Buck feature Rules Analyst John ParryOpening theme Score by Bob s Band 1970 1975 All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night by Hank Williams Jr 1989 2010 2017 2019 Heavy Action by Johnny Pearson 1976 1988 2011 2017 2022 2023 used as secondary theme from 1989 to 2011 2017 2021 and 2023 present Rip It Up by Little Richard feat Butcher Brown 2019 2021 In The Air Tonight by Phil Collins feat Chris Stapleton Cindy Blackman Santana and Snoop Dogg 2023 present Country of originUnited StatesNo of seasons54 NFL seasons No of episodes718 games ProductionExecutive producerNorby Williamson 2006 present ProducersSteve Ackels Roger Lewin Jay Rothman Lisa SaltersProduction locationsVarious NFL stadiums game telecasts ESPN Studios Bristol Connecticut studio segments 1 Camera setupMulti cameraRunning time3 4 hoursProduction companiesNational Football League ABC Sports 1970 2005 ESPN 2006 present Original releaseNetworkABCReleaseSeptember 21 1970 1970 09 21 February 5 2006 2006 02 05 NetworkESPNReleaseSeptember 11 2006 2006 09 11 present present RelatedMonday Night CountdownNFL on ABC During its initial run on ABC it became one of the longest continuously running American television series and one of the highest rated particularly among male viewers Since 1993 MNF has been preceded on ESPN by the pregame show Monday Night Countdown Per an NFL broadcasting policy intended to allow those who do not subscribe to cable or satellite television to see games televised by a pay television network games on ESPN are also made available on over the air television stations in each participating team s local market MNF is broadcast in Canada on TSN and RDS in most of Australia on ESPN Australia in Portugal on Eleven Sports on TV 2 Sport in Denmark on Channel 5 in the United Kingdom 2 and in some other regions of the world outside the U S on ESPN International A Spanish language version airs on ESPN Deportes in the U S and on ESPN International in Latin America while a Portuguese version airs on ESPN Brasil 3 Contents 1 Overview 1 1 History 1 2 Simulcasts on ABC 1 3 Scheduling problems 1 4 Franchises with the most appearances 2 As entertainment 2 1 2000s 2 1 1 2006 summary 2 1 2 2007 summary 2 1 3 2008 summary 2 1 4 2009 summary 2 2 2010s 2 2 1 2010 summary 2 2 2 2011 summary 2 2 3 2012 summary 2 2 4 2013 14 summary 2 2 5 2015 summary 2 2 6 2016 summary 2 2 7 2017 summary 2 2 8 2018 summary 2 2 9 2019 summary 2 3 2020s 2 3 1 2020 summary 2 3 2 2021 summary 2 3 3 2022 summary 2 3 4 2023 summary 3 Anthems 4 Digital on screen graphics 4 1 1997 2005 4 2 2006 present 5 Scoring records 5 1 Most frequent matchups 6 Monday Night Football scheduling 7 Commentators 8 Foreign language versions 8 1 Spanish version 8 2 Portuguese version 9 Radio broadcasts 10 Nielsen ratings 10 1 Top rated recent regular season games since 2014 11 Additional NFL game rights 11 1 Playoff games and Super Bowls 11 2 Non Monday games 11 3 Pro Bowl 12 See also 13 Notes 14 References 15 Further reading 16 External linksOverview editHistory edit Main article History of Monday Night Football During the early 1960s NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle envisioned the possibility of playing at least one game weekly during prime time that could be viewed by a greater television audience An early bid by the league in 1964 to play on Friday nights was soundly defeated with critics charging that such telecasts would damage the attendance at high school football games and in any event had been prohibited by Sports Broadcasting Act of 1961 for that very reason alongside Saturday games to protect college football Two years later Rozelle would build on this success as the NFL began a four year experiment of playing on Monday night scheduling one game in prime time on CBS during the 1966 and 1967 seasons and two contests during each of the next two years NBC followed suit in 1968 and 1969 with games involving American Football League teams 4 During negotiations on a new television contract that would begin in 1970 coinciding with the completion of a merger between the NFL and AFL Rozelle concentrated on signing a weekly Monday night deal with one of the three major networks However both NBC and CBS were reluctant to disturb their regular programming schedules On the other hand ABC was a distant third in prime time ratings and more willing to take any perceived risk moreover ABC s existing Monday night prime time lineup was a particular weak spot As a result Rozelle made a deal with ABC 4 Despite high ratings ABC lost millions of dollars 5 on televising the games during the late 1990s and 2000s The NFL also indicated that it wanted Sunday night to be the new night for its marquee game because more people tend to watch television on Sundays and games held on that night would be more conducive to flexible scheduling a method by which some of the NFL s best games could be moved from the afternoon to the evening on Sunday on short notice 4 Given these factors as well as the rise of ABC s ratings on Sunday night and the network s wish of protecting its TV series Desperate Housewives on that night on April 18 2005 ABC and the NFL announced the end of their 36 year partnership with the Monday Night Football broadcasts being moved to ESPN starting with the 2006 season 6 In 2011 ESPN extended its MNF contract for an additional eight seasons giving it rights to the broadcasts until 2021 The deal valued around US 15 billion also gave ESPN rights to expanded highlights international and streaming rights 7 A new deal signed in 2021 sees ESPN retain these rights through 2033 Included with the new contract are the rights to two Super Bowls in 2027 and 2031 the introduction of flexible scheduling three doubleheaders during the season with exclusive games on ABC one divisional playoff game and one Sunday morning game on ESPN 8 After 54 seasons there have been over 700 games televised by Monday Night Football citation needed Simulcasts on ABC edit Main article NFL on ABC The NFL returns to ABC Beginning with the 2020 season select Monday Night Football games have been simulcast on ABC In the 2020 season three games were simulcast In the 2021 season three Monday Night Football games and the new Week 18 Saturday doubleheader were simulcast After ESPN renewed its Monday Night Football contract it was revealed that these simulcasts would expand starting with the 2022 season 9 To accommodate the expanded simulcasts ABC announced that Dancing with the Stars would move to Disney beginning with its 31st season 10 On September 18 2023 amid the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes ABC announced that it would simulcast Monday Night Football during each week of the 2023 NFL season Dancing with the Stars returned to ABC for its next season but was moved to Tuesday nights ahead of the announcement 11 The decision was made while the season was already underway and therefore upset the league s other broadcasters The move gave ABC an immediate financial benefit since the network could now charge higher commercial fees during those additional weeks since NFL games generally have higher ratings than most other programming 12 Cable companies paying ESPN s retransmission fees also felt ripped off since it added additional nights that the same programming would also be available for free over the air on ABC 13 Scheduling problems edit This section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed November 2018 Learn how and when to remove this message See also National Football League on television Flexible scheduling To avoid unfairness due to a Monday Night Football game where just before the first playoff game a team may have five days off and others six and also to allow the league to have games with mutual playoff implications played at the same time most games during the final week of the regular season are played on Sunday Consequently there is no Monday night game that week From 2003 to 2005 one game was played on Thursday and another on Monday under the Monday Night Football banner Starting in 2006 when the series moved to cable two games are played on the opening Monday night to capitalize on fan interest during NFL Kickoff Weekend Before 2023 the MNF schedule was set during each Spring before the regular season which could not be changed Thus the league and network cannot guarantee that each late season MNF matchup would have any significance or would be highly anticipated The problem of having a national spotlight game which during the season s most critical weeks late in the year probably would not show the most important game of the week was long known by the league and network As a result of this the NFL wished to move the Game of the Week idea to Sunday nights to make flex scheduling possible and they had long stated that it was only interested in having flex scheduling on Sundays and not Mondays since it is easier logistically on relatively short notice to move kickoff times by hours instead of days This became one of the major factors leading to the 2006 end of MNF on ABC and NBC instead agreeing to air the Game of the Week with flex scheduling on Sunday Night Football The NFL finally agreed to expand flex scheduling to MNF beginning in the 2023 season That same season in Week 15 the originally scheduled game between the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots became the first game to be flexed out of the MNF spot it was replaced with a matchup between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Seattle Seahawks 2023 was also the first NFL season New Year s Day fell on a Monday in the penultimate week of the regular season consequently to avoid a conflict with the College Football Playoff there were no Monday games scheduled for the final two weeks of the regular season Franchises with the most appearances edit The franchise with the most Monday night appearances is the Dallas Cowboys The Pittsburgh Steelers secured the all time lead with most wins on November 28 2022 at 52 The most common Monday Night Football pairings are Broncos vs Raiders 19 times as of 2019 a 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 and Commanders vs Cowboys 17 match ups as of 2015 most among NFC matchups 30 The defunct Candlestick Park in San Francisco holds the record for hosting the most Monday Night Football games including its 36th and final Monday night game on December 23 2013 Among the active stadiums following the conclusion of the 2017 season Miami Gardens Florida s Hard Rock Stadium had hosted the most games with 36 31 Eight new NFL stadiums have made their regular season debuts on Monday Night Football Most recently Allegiant Stadium in Paradise Nevada hosted its first NFL game on September 21 2020 when the Las Vegas Raiders defeated the New Orleans Saints 34 24 on Monday Night Football As entertainment editMonday Night Football has continued to provide entertainment as sports throughout its run In addition to the extra cameras the program has also pioneered technological broadcast innovations such as the use of enhanced slow motion replays and computerized graphics Celebrity guests such as former Vice President Spiro Agnew singers Placido Domingo and former Beatle John Lennon President Bill Clinton and even Kermit the Frog were often featured during the game to liven up the broadcast The December 9 1974 contest featured a rare instance of two celebrities entering the booth with Lennon being interviewed by Howard Cosell and California governor Ronald Reagan speaking with Frank Gifford with Reagan explaining the rules of American football off camera to Lennon as the game went along However the late 1990s and early 2000s saw an even more increased reliance on the entertainment factor Some halftime shows featuring popular music stars were broadcast in their entirety rather than being ignored in favor of analysis of the game by the commentators as in previous seasons On December 8 1980 one of the most memorable moments of MNF occurred when Cosell announced in a news flash that John Lennon had been shot and killed in New York City Monday Night Football was the first national broadcast to announce his death An ABC advertisement for MNF featuring Nicollette Sheridan of Desperate Housewives dropping her towel in front of Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Terrell Owens created some controversy including at least 1 997 complaints being sent to the FCC and outrage from FCC chairman Michael Powell 32 The Walt Disney Company owner of ABC and the majority owner of ESPN has used Monday Night Football to promote its other properties releasing a trailer for the 2015 film Star Wars The Force Awakens during one broadcast and incorporating The Muppets into another 2000s edit 2006 summary edit For its 2006 debut on ESPN Williams Jr re recorded the MNF opening theme with an all star jam band that included among others Brian Setzer Little Richard Questlove Joe Perry Clarence Clemons Rick Nielsen Bootsy Collins Charlie Daniels and Steven Van Zandt The 2006 telecast generally began with a cinematic tease produced by Rico Labbe Michael Sciallis and Jason Jobes It was during one of these teases that Barack Obama spoofed his announcement for the 2008 Presidential candidacy in favor of his hometown Chicago Bears in their game against the St Louis Rams 33 That year the tease was followed by the show open produced by Los Angeles based The Syndicate called Transformation It features computer generated imagery showing a city being transformed into a football stadium and passers by on the street turning into players coaches fans and officials set to an updated orchestral treatment of the Heavy Action theme song The sequence began every week with a different celebrity walking down the street picking up a glowing football helmet with the ESPN logo on the side and saying I m ready for some football Are you thus beginning the transformation process Celebrities for 2006 included Arnold Schwarzenegger Matthew Fox Hugh Hefner Paris Hilton Spike Lee Ashton Kutcher Samuel L Jackson Ludacris Jack Black Kiefer Sutherland James Belushi Ben Stiller Tyra Banks Carmen Electra and Eva Longoria In addition celebrities returned in full force to the booth though this proved to be the major criticism of ESPN s first MNF season On the opening weekend Arnold Schwarzenegger another celebrity turned California governor was in the booth at McAfee Coliseum in Oakland California before that Jamie Foxx appeared at FedExField in suburban Washington D C Following them celebrity appearances included NBA basketball superstar Dwyane Wade Basketball Hall of Fame player Charles Barkley NASCAR Cup Series driver Jeff Gordon comedian Jimmy Kimmel whose opening words to Joe Theismann were how s the leg actor Sylvester Stallone film director Spike Lee hip hop artist Jay Z and MNF theme singer Hank Williams Jr 2007 summary edit ESPN scaled back to only one opening tease for the 2007 season Williams Jr and the all star band returned only this time they played in a juke joint set on a country road The lead singer arrives in a GMC Yukon truck GMC paid for product placement with the license plate BOCEPHUS which is Williams nickname The Syndicate s computer generated tease was dropped and replaced by short pre taped films focusing on a team or player in the game Some of them have featured actor Jamie Foxx Joe Theismann did not return to the MNF booth after 1 season and was replaced by Ron Jaworski The guest visits continued Barkley returned to the booth on September 17 in Philadelphia Other guests throughout the season included Kimmel another returnee Drew Carey Miley Cyrus Russell Crowe and Terry Bradshaw In addition Gordon was a halftime guest on the game just before the season ending Ford 400 and was joined by teammate Jimmie Johnson At the end of each game Williams returned to say See you in city that is the site of the next week s game Both the open and close contain helmets of the participating teams organized in the style of a concert poster 2008 summary edit Despite the de emphasis on entertainment on the overall telecast ESPN did bring back Hank Williams Jr for his 20th season as part of the opening This time the opening sequence was set in a private residence At the end of the song Williams Jr touched a foot pump which supposedly contained the helmets of that night s participating teams The helmets were launched from the home toward the stadium at which the game was held Through computer generated imagery the helmets land at midfield during a live shot and then explode The exploding helmets gimmick was also used at various times in the 1980s and 1990s during the pre game tease Williams Jr then appeared again at the end of the game to promote the next week s matchup ESPN also continued to promote upcoming albums through its use in bumper music On September 29 Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers ESPN used Another Way to Die a duet between Alicia Keys and Jack White of the White Stripes the song was part of the soundtrack for the 2008 film Quantum of Solace then the latest in the James Bond series MNF celebrated its 600th game broadcast on October 20 2008 in a game which the New England Patriots defeated the Denver Broncos 41 7 The 39th season of MNF ended on December 22 2008 when the Chicago Bears beat the Green Bay Packers 20 17 in overtime at home at Soldier Field in Chicago 2009 summary edit The title sequence for the 40th season of MNF featured Hank Williams Jr seen on the steps of a building presumably a museum surrounded by dancers football fans and statues busts which along with everyone else in the scene begin to move and dance patterned after those at the Pro Football Hall of Fame The transition to Williams Jr is a book with the chapter number in Roman numerals sequentially with each week and a tag line about the game to be played that night At the end of the song Williams Jr plugged in the cords thereby launching animated helmets into space from the building toward the stadium at which the game was held with the exception of October 5 2009 when the helmets zoomed towards Brett Favre instead passing the International Space Station As with the previous season as mentioned above the helmets land at midfield during a live shot and then crashed into each other Williams Jr appeared again at the end of the telecast to promote the following week s matchup After that the picture was freezeframed and the shot zoomed out to the book which showed the freezeframed picture as part of a page As this happened the NFL end of game bumper music was played and the book closed revealing a golden NFL logo on the back cover and signifying the end of the chapter or game The scene was filmed in the summer of 2009 at The Parthenon in Nashville Tennessee Before Williams Jr appears Frank Gifford gave a short vignette about a memorable moment in the history of MNF featuring one or both of the teams playing that night s game Tony Kornheiser did not return to the booth after 3 seasons and was replaced by former Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Jon Gruden The 40th season of MNF ended on December 28 2009 with the Minnesota Vikings Chicago Bears game in Chicago in which the Bears won in overtime 36 30 The telecast ended with a vignette that featured Gifford taking a look back at highlights from the previous four decades and the 40th season of MNF after which the book closed signifying the end of the season The 40th season had the highest season viewership for MNF since ESPN acquired the rights to the broadcast 34 This was primarily due to the buffo ratings ESPN received for airing the October 5 2009 game which featured Favre taking on his former team the Green Bay Packers 2010s edit It has been suggested that details that should be irrelevant in a subsection of an As entertainment parent section be split out into another article titled History of Monday Night Football Discuss March 2020 2010 summary edit The opening for the 2010 season was identical to that used in 2009 except for the final scenes This time Williams Jr turns a wheel filled with paint with CGI colors blasting into the air revealing the helmets containing logos of the participating teams which stay on top of the building In one other minor difference the chapter numbers in the book were changed from Roman to Arabic numerals Gifford provided new vignettes and the Parthenon scenes were repeated from the year before The 2010 season marked Williams 22nd as part of the telecast s open In an unusual coincidence both games which had the New York Jets as a home team at New Meadowlands Stadium now MetLife Stadium were delayed because of heavy rain and lightning in the area In the first instance the September 13 game against the Baltimore Ravens it was delayed 25 minutes the second delay prior to the October 11 contest against the Minnesota Vikings lasted for 40 minutes Prior to the September 13 game the last ESPN telecast to encounter weather problems was on October 4 1998 a Sunday night when lightning halted a game between the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs during the second quarter The first delay forced ESPN to use ESPN2 for a game telecast this time for the Chiefs home opener against the San Diego Chargers As in 2007 the broadcast was shifted to ESPN once the first game was over The game between the Jets and the Vikings was both Brett Favre s first game in East Rutherford since his only season there in 2008 and marked Randy Moss s return to the Vikings Moss played only four games for Minnesota until he was waived on November 2 2011 summary edit The opening sequence for the 2011 season was set in a closed studio setting with Hank Williams Jr in his 23rd year performing with a band with members such as Jimi K Bones from KIX and Blondie The House Jacks and Jenny Morrison bass guitar Chris King trumpet Clay Lucovich trombone and Florizel Dennis baritone saxophone from Orlando Florida ska band Tef London in front of a live audience with large video screens in the background The end of the opening sequence featured the team logos of that night s participants transitioning into the new ESPN Monday Night Football logo before going to a live shot On October 3 2011 ESPN pulled the theme song after Williams appeared on the Fox News Channel program Fox amp Friends where he compared a golf outing involving Barack Obama John Boehner Joe Biden and John Kasich to Hitler playing golf with Netanyahu 35 36 On October 6 2011 it was announced that Williams would no longer be singing the theme song and that All My Rowdy Friends would no longer be used as its theme as Williams still owns the song A statement from ESPN said that the network has decided to part ways with Hank Williams Jr We appreciate his contributions over the past years The success of MNF has always been about the games and that will continue 37 Williams commented on the matter After reading hundreds of e mails I have made my decision By pulling my opening October 3 ESPN stepped on the toes of the First Amendment Freedom of Speech so therefore me my song and All My Rowdy Friends are out of here It s been a great run 37 MNF did not have an opening sequence at all from Week 4 through the end of that season With Suzy Kolber reassigned to the new studio show NFL32 and Michele Tafoya having left ESPN for NBC Sunday Night Football the sideline reporter position rotated between various reporters for the season For the second year in a row and the third time overall the beginning of the 10 15 p m Eastern Time game Oakland Raiders at Denver Broncos was shown on ESPN2 as the game that began at 7 00 pm Eastern Time New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins ran past the scheduled time period 2012 summary edit Lisa Salters was named the permanent solo sideline reporter for the 2012 season In addition color commentator Ron Jaworski did not return to the booth after 5 seasons As a result Jon Gruden became the solo color commentator with MNF going back to a two man booth for the first time since its final season on ABC 2005 MNF s opening graphic sequence which showed the helmet logos of the game s two participating NFL teams and then the program s logo was seen before the Monday Night Football Launch segment 2013 14 summary edit The opening animation sequence begins with an image of a 2014 GMC Sierra GMC paid for product placement and then goes into a timeline of historical events that occurred during the Monday Night Football era including some highlights of MNF games from the previous 43 seasons up to 2012 At the end of the sequence helmets featuring logos of that night s two participating teams are shown followed by the various Monday Night Football logos used since the program s debut in 1970 The 80 second opening animation sequence which also featured Pac Man Darth Vader and President Ronald Reagan was created by actor filmmaker Peter Berg A revision of the opening sequence was used for the 2014 season Among the few changes GMC s product placement promoted the automaker s line of Denali vehicles while the sequence itself included some additional highlights of MNF games from the previous 44 seasons up to 2013 2015 summary edit A 3D opening animation sequence is used for the 2015 season 46th season overall and tenth on ESPN GMC s product placement once again promoted the automaker s line of Denali vehicles including the Yukon Denali that is seen at the beginning Also among the many changes is the highlights of MNF games this time they are set inside a computer generated stadium using 3D imagery from the previous 45 seasons up to 2014 This was Mike Tirico s final season as the play by play announcer for MNF as he would join NBC Sports in June 2016 2016 summary edit After three years of using the timeline themed open MNF debuted a new 75 second Hollywood themed open on September 12 2016 featuring ESPN s new MNF broadcast team Sean McDonough play by play Jon Gruden color and Lisa Salters sideline reporter and more than 20 active NFL stars and Pro Football Hall of Famers walking along a red carpet entrance lined by cheering fans and photographers taking pictures It began with a shot of a downtown stadium surrounded by skyscrapers with a 2017 GMC Acadia product placement again provided by GMC displaying the location for that week s MNF game on its navigation system The Acadia then headed to a glitzy red carpet at the stadium s entrance where McDonough Gruden and Salters exit the car followed on the carpet by a flood of NFL players representing the past and present of MNF Players then posed for pictures and wave to the crowd as they reach the stadium entrance Josh Norman Redskins Larry Fitzgerald Cardinals and Rob Gronkowski Patriots were among the current players being represented in the open with Franco Harris Steelers Jerry Rice 49ers Barry Sanders Lions and Bruce Smith Bills among the past players being represented For the Spanish language version of the Hollywood themed open it featured ESPN s Spanish language MNF broadcast team Alvaro Martin play by play Raul Allegre color and John Sutcliffe sideline reporter as well as the current Hispanic NFL players and the team of the Latin American version of NFL Live led by Ciro Procuna 2017 summary edit MNF returned to two teases for the first time since its first season on ESPN 2006 The Hollywood themed open was repeated from the previous season this time with the 2018 GMC Terrain being used as the automaker s product placement Also Hank Williams Jr returned to MNF on September 11 2017 with an all new version of the iconic opening theme song All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night used from 1989 to Week 3 of the 2011 season and it appeared just before that night s New Orleans Saints Minnesota Vikings game The new version which is seen just before the kickoff of each game is a collaboration of Williams Jr country duo Florida Georgia Line and R amp B singer Jason Derulo The second game of the Week 1 MNF doubleheader between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Denver Broncos saw Beth Mowins become the first woman to call a nationally televised NFL game 2018 summary edit nbsp The 2018 season featured from left commentators Joe Tessitore amp Jason Witten and sideline analyst consultant Booger McFarland 2018 brought in a shakeup of the booth Jon Gruden left MNF after 9 seasons and returned to coaching with the Oakland Raiders and was replaced by Jason Witten formerly a tight end for the Dallas Cowboys 38 Sean McDonough and Joe Tessitore traded places with McDonough taking Tessitore s place in the college booth and Tessitore taking McDonough s place in the MNF booth 39 40 In addition Booger McFarland who has been a college football analyst for the network since 2014 joined the MNF team as field analyst and consultant 41 Finally rules analyst Gerald Austin left MNF to work as an adviser to Gruden and the Raiders and was replaced by recently retired referee Jeff Triplette 42 Lisa Salters remained the sideline reporter Also ESPN once again scaled back to only one opening tease for the 2018 season as the Hollywood themed open was dropped after two seasons All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night featuring country music legend Hank Williams Jr country music duo Florida Georgia Line and R amp B singer Jason Derulo returned from the previous season and is once again seen just before the opening kickoff Due to the Thousand Oaks shooting and the then ongoing Northern California wildfires the opening intro was not shown during the November 12 broadcast between Pro Bowl wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr and the New York Giants and Super Bowl winning cornerback Richard Sherman and the San Francisco 49ers and also the historic Kansas City Chiefs Los Angeles Rams game the following week November 19 In the case of the latter it was originally scheduled to be played at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City but was moved to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum the Rams home stadium at the time which itself last hosted a Monday Night Football game in 1985 due to the poor field conditions at the former The game would be the highest scoring game in MNF history with the Rams defeating the Chiefs by a score of 54 51 In addition ESPN also added musical performances during the halftime segment branded as the Genesis Halftime Show as part of a sponsorship deal These performances typically aired at the end of the commercial free halftime segments and with the expectation of the Chiefs Rams game in which there was a live performance were typically prerecorded in various locations usually around the city where that week s MNF game took place 43 2019 summary edit ESPN underwent another broadcast booth shakeup as Jason Witten left to return to the Dallas Cowboys and rules analyst Jeff Triplette left after one season Triplette was replaced with John Parry who retired after Super Bowl LIII Witten was not replaced therefore making the 2019 broadcast team consist of Joe Tessitore play by play Booger McFarland color commentator and Lisa Salters sideline reporter The network also brought back Hank Williams Jr to perform All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night which for the first time since 2011 he performed solo as Florida Georgia Line and Jason Derulo all departed after two seasons The intro to Monday Night Football also celebrated the 50th season of the program with NFL Legends and Hall of Famers or current NFL players Texans J J Watt for the Playoffs saying Are you ready for some football before Williams Jr begins playing The Genesis Halftime Show returned for another season and continued to feature prerecorded musical performances however they were later dropped on October 28 due to poor reception from viewers and was replaced with additional game analysis although Genesis continued to sponsor the halftime show for the remainder of the season 44 2020s edit 2020 summary edit After poor reviews and major criticism the 2020 season saw another major revamp to ESPN s booth with Steve Levy Brian Griese and Louis Riddick who called one of ESPN s opening week doubleheader games the year before replacing Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland McFarland however would switch places with Riddick taking over in the studio 45 ESPN ABC s lead college football commentary team of Chris Fowler Kirk Herbstreit and Maria Taylor called the first game of the Week 1 doubleheader as Fowler and Taylor were already in the New York area handling the US Open Fowler and the NBA Playoffs Taylor respectively 46 Fowler and Herbstreit were considered as the new MNF booth if the 2020 college football season were to be canceled due to the COVID 19 pandemic To formally celebrate the 50th anniversary of Monday Night Football the Las Vegas Raiders Week 2 home opener their first after relocating from Oakland was simulcast by ABC 47 The game also featured a special Monday Night Megacast hosted by Rece Davis and Herbstreit This alternate broadcast aired on ESPN2 the first time it had aired an NFL game in its entirety The Hank Williams Jr MNF theme was once again dropped being replaced by a cover of Little Richard s Rip It Up by Virginia based band Butcher Brown 48 As the game was postponed to October 12 due to a player testing positive for COVID 19 the Week 5 game between the Denver Broncos and New England Patriots was reassigned to ESPN as the first half of a rare in season MNF doubleheader with the game scheduled for a 5 00 p m ET kickoff Fowler and Herbstreit were slated to return and call the game This time they would have been joined by Laura Rutledge host of NFL Live and SEC Nation on SEC Network 49 50 However the game was ultimately postponed to the following Sunday as a Week 6 game due to further positive tests 51 52 Rutledge would eventually fill in for Lisa Salters during the Week 16 MNF game in Foxborough as Salters had been following ESPN s COVID 19 protocols ESPN announced on November 30 that two December Monday night games both involving the Buffalo Bills would be simulcast on ABC 53 Also announced on November 30 was the debut of the NFL Playoff Megacast which featured alternate feeds of the Baltimore Ravens Tennessee Titans matchup on ESPN2 ESPN and Freeform The December 21 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals featured the Muppets and was themed as Muppet Night Football In the opening broadcast of the game Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy served as announcers from the booth while Fozzie Bear reported from the sidelines 54 After their appearance in the opening broadcast the Muppets soon re appeared with Rowlf the Dog Scooter Gonzo Animal Beaker the Swedish Chef and others singing a football themed rendition Carol of the Bells 55 56 As a result of the COVID 19 pandemic the segments involving the Muppets were shot with puppeteers in front of a green screen at home 57 2021 summary edit For the first time since 2005 there was no season opening doubleheader as the opening game of Monday Night Football s 52nd season consisted only of the Baltimore Ravens Las Vegas Raiders matchup which was aired on ESPN and simulcast on ABC ESPN2 and ESPN as part of the network s Megacast series Also Butcher Brown s cover of Little Richard s Rip it Up returned for the second consecutive year as the intro theme for MNF Like last season two late season games both being NFC rivalries were simulcast on ABC as well as ESPN ABC and ESPN also simulcast the first ever Week 18 Saturday Doubleheader a new addition to ESPN s schedule which was part of the NFL expanding their regular season from 16 to 17 games and to accommodate ESPN s new NFL media rights deal which includes the Saturday Doubleheader a Sunday International game for ESPN subscribers more games on ABC a Divisional playoff game and Super Bowls LXI and LXV on ABC along with rights for ESPN to simulcast every ESPN ABC game accommodate select games with alternate broadcasts and flex scheduling beginning in 2023 On July 19 ESPN announced an agreement with Omaha Productions the production company of Peyton Manning to produce alternate telecasts of Monday Night Football with Manning his brother Eli and guest celebrities for ten games each season on ESPN2 and ESPN from 2021 through 2023 58 The Manningcast would also be a part of ESPN s first ever Monday Night Super Wild Card Megacast which had alternate broadcasts of the game on ESPN2 and ESPN to accommodate the main broadcast on ESPN ABC and ESPN The success of the Manningcast s first season would lead to ESPN adding an extra year to their deal with Omaha Productions in the offseason 2022 summary edit This season ESPN will be working under a new bridge deal to transition themselves into the next television contract The 2022 season will see ESPN add a Sunday International game an exclusive MNF game on ABC and the continuation of the Week 18 Saturday Doubleheader ESPN made a colossal change to the MNF booth the fourth change since 2015 when the network hired Joe Buck and Troy Aikman who were Fox s lead commentary team for the past 20 seasons as the new announcers for MNF replacing Levy Griese who eventually left ESPN to become the new quarterbacks coach of the San Francisco 49ers and Riddick 59 Levy and Riddick will continue to call doubleheaders as the 2 team with Dan Orlovsky replacing Griese and Laura Rutledge serving as that team s sideline reporter 60 61 62 Butcher Brown s cover of Rip it Up did not return as the intro theme for MNF Instead a remix of Heavy Action was used produced by EDM producer and DJ Marshmello 2023 summary edit For the 2023 season ESPN aired two exclusive MNF games on ABC Cleveland Browns vs Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 2 and Philadelphia Eagles vs Tampa Bay Buccaneeers in Week 3 On September 18 2023 as previously mentioned ABC did simulcast 10 additional MNF games that were originally slated to air only on ESPN starting with the Week 4 game between the Seattle Seahawks and the New York Giants making this the first time since 2005 in which ABC will air Monday Night Football games all season long This was the first year in which flex scheduling would now apply to MNF games between Weeks 12 and 17 enabling ESPN to select more viable matchups in later weeks of the season On November 30 2023 the Week 15 matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs at the New England Patriots was flexed out of Monday Night Football in favor of the Philadelphia Eagles at the Seattle Seahawks 63 Anthems editHank Williams Jr reworked his country music hit All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight to be included in the telecast s introduction as All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night the original introduction music was an organ based piece called Score written by Charles Fox and recorded by Bob s Band In addition Edd Kalehoff modernized the classic Heavy Action theme in 1989 For ABC s last MNF game in 2005 Williams Jr s rendition of Turn Out the Lights The Party s Over closed the broadcast 64 In 2018 ESPN brought back the classic Heavy Action theme as the main theme song for Monday Night Football In 2020 ESPN replaced Hank Williams Jr s MNF theme with a cover of Little Richard s Rip It Up by Virginia based band Butcher Brown for the 2020 and 2021 seasons 48 For the 2021 22 season the theme sometimes played in reverse In 2022 ESPN added the remixed version of Heavy Action as the intro theme for MNF as a replacement for Butcher Brown s Rip It Up the aforementioned original version of Heavy Action is still being used in the broadcast In 2023 ESPN debuted the official new opening song In the Air Tonight a cover of the 1981 Phil Collins classic featuring Chris Stapleton Cindy Blackman Santana and Snoop Dogg The new opening song is co produced by ESPN s Creative Content Unit and Grammy winning musician David Cobb with lyrics written by MK Asante 65 The song will air before all Monday Night Football games as well as ESPN s week 18 Saturday doubleheader super wild card and first divisional playoff game Digital on screen graphics editSome of this article s listed sources may not be reliable Please help improve this article by looking for better more reliable sources Unreliable citations may be challenged and removed September 2012 Learn how and when to remove this message Prior to 1997 Monday Night Football had a limited graphics package A CGI based intro began being used in 1984 with on screen graphics still limited to basic text 66 67 In 1988 the entire graphics package was updated significantly to be more in line with the rest of ABC Sports presentations That year it introduced the clashing helmets intro with on screen graphics consisting of italicized text underlined in red 68 It was updated in 1994 the year the network hosted Super Bowl XXIX with a more box like design 69 A permanent score bug would not be introduced until 1997 1997 2005 edit Monday Night Football began using a score bug in 1997 the second network to do so after Fox introduced the first regular on screen scoring bug when it began airing NFL games in 1994 Prior to this the graphics package was limited but followed a basic ketchup and mustard color scheme of red and yellow The first scorebug included team names scores time remaining and displayed which quarter the game was in 70 This design was used through the 1998 season ABC hosted Super Bowl XXXIV for 1999 and updated its graphics package to more closely resemble those of sister cable network ESPN ABC began using extended abbreviations for team names for example TENN VIKES PACK and FINS instead of TEN MIN GB and MIA as four letter and five letter abbreviations were used on ESPN coverage The result was a larger scorebug with a more conventional font 71 It was slightly modified in 2000 to have a border that was more in line with the red and yellow color scheme 72 The graphics for Monday Night Football were changed in the 2002 season the year the network hosted Super Bowl XXXVII The scorebug was a solid color with a more rounded shape and a horizontally compressed font ESPN s graphics were no longer similar to those of ABC s with ESPN instead using a gray and black design with rounded corners 73 In 2005 the broadcast s final year on ABC Monday Night Football began using a horizontal bar on the bottom of the screen rather than a scorebug with all information being contained on a single line 74 2006 present edit After MNF moved to ESPN in 2006 around the same time that ABC Sports rebranded as ESPN on ABC ESPN adopted new red and black graphics with heavier use of 3D elements and animations These graphics would be subsequently implemented as a standard appearance for most major ESPN properties including college football the NBA Major League Baseball and NASCAR among others For MNF a pod scoreboard at the bottom center of the screen was used For the 2008 season a new graphics scheme was introduced in which a scorebar and all lower thirds were confined to a dedicated dashboard area spanning across the bottom the screen Lower third graphics replaced the scorebar when in use 75 For 2009 an updated metallic silver design was introduced dropping the dashboard The scheme would again be adopted by other major ESPN properties In the 2011 season MNF introduced a dedicated graphics package with a red and black metallic design and larger scoreboard as well as a redesigned MNF shield logo For the 2015 season ESPN introduced another overhaul of its MNF graphics with a new scoreboard spanning the bottom of the screen capable of being faded away when plays are in progress 76 This design persisted through 2018 although with amendments in its final season including a different italicized font for the scoreboard and downs indicator and the downs indicator now resembling an arrow and alternating sides of the screen with the ESPN logo depending on the direction of play 77 In 2019 ESPN introduced a new graphics scheme its NFL programming modeled upon branding used for the NFL Draft since 2018 incorporating refreshed logos and a color scheme featuring black white and a lime color referred to internally as venom 78 The MNF scoreboard retained a similar layout to before but with new fonts and only showing team logos 79 80 During the first game of ESPN s opening doubleheader the network faced criticism from viewers for coloring the downage indicator on its scoreboard in the aforementioned venom color which could be confused for a graphic indicating a penalty typically colored in yellow to match the penalty flag the flag graphic used a black rectangle with a venom colored border and text In response to the criticism ESPN producers modified the graphic over halftime changing the indicator to use a white light on dark color scheme instead Chicago Tribune media writer Phil Rosenthal described the briefly used graphic as a fluorescent highlighter fever dream and felt that the quickness with which ESPN abandoned this unnecessary bit of flash probably speaks more to how misguided this latest supposed innovation was than any increased sensitivity to the twitterati 79 80 Despite the previous incident ESPN faced similar criticism in January 2021 during the College Football Playoff semi finals where it used a gold textured downs indicator 81 Starting with the 2023 XFL season the graphics have been modified for XFL broadcasts to match the XFL s new look while the score bug has been moved upwards to make room of the ESPN BottomLine Starting with the 2023 NFL season ESPN debuted new graphics for its MNF broadcasts The look is similar to its previous look with a more translucent background The timeout indicator moved from under the team names to the side of the names The down indicator changed from an arrow to a more standard box 82 For the Toy Story Funday Football broadcast on Disney and ESPN the graphics have been modified to match the film s visuals such as sky wallpaper in Andy s Room Scoring records editSee also List of Monday Night Football results 1970 1989 List of Monday Night Football results 1990 2009 and List of Monday Night Football results 2010 present Most points 59 Philadelphia Eagles November 15 2010 vs Washington Redskins 55 Indianapolis Colts October 31 1988 vs Denver Broncos 54 Los Angeles Rams November 19 2018 vs Kansas City Chiefs 52 San Francisco 49ers December 23 1991 vs Chicago Bears 51 New Orleans Saints November 24 2008 vs Green Bay Packers 51 Kansas City Chiefs November 19 2018 vs Los Angeles Rams most points scored by a losing team 50 San Diego Chargers December 20 1982 vs Cincinnati Bengals 49 Philadelphia Eagles November 15 2004 vs Dallas Cowboys 49 Kansas City Chiefs December 13 2004 vs Tennessee Titans 48 Detroit Lions October 19 1981 vs Chicago Bears 48 Green Bay Packers October 17 1983 vs Washington Redskins 48 Tennessee Titans October 11 2004 vs Green Bay Packers 48 Baltimore Ravens December 19 2005 vs Green Bay Packers 48 New York Jets September 10 2018 vs Detroit Lions Most one sided games 45 points Baltimore 48 Green Bay 3 December 19 2005 42 points Miami 45 N Y Jets 3 November 24 1986 42 points Seattle 42 Philadelphia 0 December 5 2005 largest margin of victory by an MNF road team 42 points New England 45 N Y Jets 3 December 6 2010 41 points San Francisco 41 Chicago 0 December 14 1987 39 points Los Angeles 42 Philadelphia 3 November 3 1975 39 points Baltimore 45 L A Rams 6 November 25 2019 38 points Green Bay 45 Minnesota 7 November 14 2011 38 points San Francisco 52 Chicago 14 December 23 1991 38 points San Francisco 41 Atlanta 3 November 9 1992 38 points St Louis 38 Dallas 0 November 16 1970 Highest scoring games 105 points L A Rams 54 Kansas City 51 November 19 2018 95 points Green Bay 48 Washington 47 October 17 1983 89 points Baltimore 47 Cleveland 42 December 14 2020 87 points Kansas City 49 Tennessee 38 December 13 2004 87 points Philadelphia 59 Washington 28 November 15 2010 86 points San Diego 52 Cincinnati 34 December 20 1982 82 points Dallas 43 Seattle 39 December 6 2004 80 points New Orleans 51 Green Bay 29 November 24 2008 80 points Green Bay 43 Atlanta 37 December 8 2014 79 points Oakland 45 Pittsburgh 34 October 20 1980 78 points L A Raiders 40 Dallas 38 October 23 1983 78 points Indianapolis 55 Denver 23 October 31 1988 78 points Dallas 41 Philadelphia 37 September 15 2008 Lowest scoring games 3 points Pittsburgh 3 Miami 0 November 26 2007 9 points Jacksonville 9 Pittsburgh 0 September 18 2006 10 points San Francisco 7 N Y Giants 3 December 3 1990 12 points Oakland 9 Denver 3 December 1 1980 13 points Los Angeles 10 Pittsburgh 3 December 20 1975 13 points Baltimore 10 Washington 3 November 7 1977 14 points Washington 9 Dallas 5 October 2 1978 15 points Houston 9 Miami 6 November 5 1979 15 points Detroit 13 Minnesota 2 December 5 1983 15 points Buffalo 9 Indianapolis 6 October 20 1997 Ties Detroit 14 Green Bay 14 November 1 1971 Oakland 23 Denver 23 October 22 1973 N Y Giants 20 St Louis 20 OT October 24 1983 Most frequent matchups edit Count Matchup Record Years Played Significance 20 Denver Broncos vs Las Vegas Raiders Broncos 10 9 1 1973 1975 1978 1980 1987 1988 1993 1995 1996 1997 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2008 2011 2013 2018 2019 Broncos Raiders rivalry 17 Dallas Cowboys vs Washington Commanders Cowboys 9 8 1973 1978 1980 1983 1985 1987 1991 1992 1993 1997 2000 2001 2004 2005 2011 2014 2015 Commanders Cowboys rivalry 15 Los Angeles Rams vs San Francisco 49ers 49ers 11 4 1972 1974 1976 1982 1984 1985 1986 1989 1990 1991 2002 2014 2016 2021 2022 49ers Rams rivalry 14 Miami Dolphins vs New York Jets Tied 7 7 1974 1980 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1999 2000 2004 2006 2009 2011 2014 Dolphins Jets rivalry 13 Dallas Cowboys vs New York Giants Cowboys 10 3 1971 1985 1986 1987 1994 1995 1998 1999 2003 2006 2010 2019 2022 Cowboys Giants rivalry 13 Dallas Cowboys vs Philadelphia Eagles Cowboys 9 4 1974 1979 1992 1993 1995 1996 1997 1998 2004 2005 2008 2021 1 2021 2 Cowboys Eagles rivalry 12 Miami Dolphins vs New England Patriots Tied 6 6 1975 1979 1980 1985 1986 1987 1997 1998 2004 2010 2011 2017 Dolphins Patriots rivalry 12 Cincinnati Bengals vs Pittsburgh Steelers Steelers 8 4 1970 1977 1983 1984 1985 1986 1992 2010 2013 2017 2019 2020 Bengals Steelers rivalry 11 Chicago Bears vs Green Bay Packers Bears 6 5 1974 1985 1986 1994 1995 1997 2002 2003 2008 2010 2013 Bears Packers rivalry 11 Buffalo Bills vs Miami Dolphins Bills 6 5 1976 1981 1984 1988 1991 1992 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 Bills Dolphins rivalryMonday Night Football scheduling editFrom 1970 to 1997 ABC s Monday Night Football coverage began at 9 p m Eastern Time with game kickoff typically occurring at seven minutes past the hour Coverage was moved one hour earlier to 8 p m Eastern Time in 1998 with a pre game show titled Monday Night Blast hosted by Chris Berman from the ESPN Zone restaurant in Baltimore preceding the start of the game at 8 20 p m This was done mainly to address ABC s inability to find a suitable 8 p m lead in program for MNF since MacGyver ended its run in 1992 not even two other series from MacGyver s production company Paramount Television The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and The Marshal saw success despite the former s ties to Paramount s Indiana Jones film series and to allow stations to start their late local newscasts nearer to their regular times Poor ratings caused this experiment to be dropped after one season with MNF once again moving to 9 p m in 1999 though in many NFL markets the 8 p m Eastern Time hour from 1999 to 2006 was replaced by affiliates with locally produced and programmed sports discussion and coaches shows with ABC programming in that hour moved to late night or weekend slots by the end of the ABC run the 8 p m time slot was filled with either news magazines and short lived reality television programs which failed to make any ratings headways due to affiliate pre emptions From 1970 to 1995 Fisher Broadcasting s ABC affiliates in Seattle KOMO TV and Portland KATU aired MNF games on a one hour tape delay starting at 7 p m Pacific Time games normally started in the Pacific Time Zone at 6 p m corresponding to 9 p m Eastern in order to accommodate local newscasts unless the Seattle Seahawks were playing in which case the game was shown live The practice long opposed by viewers and ABC ended in 1996 KOMO then tried to accommodate having to air its local newscasts earlier than its local station competitors by marketing it as KOMO 4 News Primetime touting it as a way to watch the news at a more convenient time than during evening rush hour Additionally this practice was done in Hawaii where Honolulu ABC affiliate KITV delayed the game until 7 p m Hawaii Aleutian Time Thus the game which was broadcast live on local radio starting at 3 or 4 p m was almost over before it aired on television In the case of Guam KTGM the ABC affiliate in that U S territory aired MNF live on Tuesdays at 11 am 2 30 pm as Guam is a day ahead of the United States due to being located on the other side of International Date Line The demand to broadcast Monday Night Football games live across the United States over ABC was difficult to reconcile with other prime time programming which is usually set to begin at a certain local time regardless of time zone On the East Coast with MNF beginning at 9 p m Eastern Time there was an hour of primetime in which to schedule regular programming However on the West Coast the games lasted from 6 to 9 30 p m Pacific Time or in the case of Seattle and Portland from 1970 to 1995 7 to 10 30 p m leaving little or no time for additional network programming on Monday As a result network programs scheduled for prime time on the East Coast were broadcast at various hours on the West Coast Most affiliates pushed the network shows to immediately after the game however Los Angeles owned and operated station KABC TV postponed them until 10 p m from at least the mid 1990s until 2005 to show trivia contests and other sports shows produced locally the longest tenured such show was Monday Night Live hosted by sports anchor Todd Donoho Meanwhile KOMO one of the stations that tape delayed MNF in most cases broadcast new episodes of the sitcom Coach on Saturday afternoons usually reserved coincidentally enough for college football telecasts much of the series took place on a fictional college campus Except for Seattle and Portland from 1970 to 1995 ABC World News Tonight was routinely preempted on most West Coast affiliates though the ABC network owned stations e g Los Angeles aired the program earlier in the afternoon Since ESPN took over the coverage in 2006 games normally had a kickoff time of 8 30 p m Eastern which was later changed to 8 15 p m Eastern in 2018 However when ESPN aired a doubleheader during the first week of the season until 2021 the games respectively started at 7 p m and 10 15 p m Eastern When ESPN took over MNF in 2006 the NFL mandated that games needed to be simulcast on a local station in each team s home market Although they were officially determined via a syndication like process in most cases these local stations were ABC affiliates This became a problem when ABC aired Dancing with the Stars on Monday nights Whenever an ABC affiliate pre empted the show to air the NFL these stations would then broadcast Dancing with the Stars on tape delay immediately after their late evening local newscasts Jimmy Kimmel Live and Nightline This resulted in the program s telephone and Internet voting coordinators keeping a late night voting window open for the market s where Dancing with the Stars was pre empted In some cases the Dancing with the Stars was moved to a sister station of the ABC affiliate to air live instead for example until 2011 in the Minneapolis St Paul market when NBC affiliate KARE took over as the local broadcaster of MNF games if the Minnesota Vikings were playing a game being simulcast on local ABC affiliate KSTP TV sister independent station KSTC TV aired DWTS live In 2016 for the opening week Monday night game the second in a doubleheader between the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers the ABC owned stations in both markets KABC TV and KGO TV would broadcast World News Tonight and DWTS in their live Eastern Time Zone slots thus airing at 3 30 p m and 5 p m PT respectively the WNT simulcast was later made permanent on both stations every weekday for ratings purposes In 2022 when ABC began airing select exclusive MNF telecasts Dancing with the Stars was moved to Disney for at least that season 10 ABC then scheduled Bachelor in Paradise and other programming on Monday nights instead which were then preempted nationally during those weeks when the network aired its exclusive MNF games 83 In May 2023 ABC announced that Dancing with the Stars would be moved back to ABC on Monday nights and would thus again cause the same local market conflict during those weeks when MNF is nationally only on ESPN in August as a result of the 2023 Hollywood labor disputes ABC announced that its Monday and Tuesday schedules were getting revised with Dancing With the Stars scheduled to air on Tuesdays once again therefore resolving the conflict for this season 84 85 86 Eventually because of the strikes ABC picked up the entire season of MNF in addition to their four exclusive games to fill their Monday schedule in the fall This wound up being the first full season of MNF to air on ABC in any capacity since 2005 Commentators editMain article List of Monday Night Football commentatorsForeign language versions editSpanish version edit Since 2006 a Spanish language telecast is also broadcast on ESPN Deportes the Spanish version of ESPN and on ESPN Latin America featuring NBA and NFL play by play announcer Alvaro Martin Super Bowl winner Raul Allegre as color commentator and John Sutcliffe as the field reporter This is the same crew of La NFL Dominical the Spanish version of ESPN Sunday Night Football until 2005 The announcers of the second game of the 2006 doubleheader were Eduardo Varela play by play Robert Abramowitz color and Georgina Ruiz Sandoval field reporter Preceding the game NFL Esta Noche NFL Tonight the 30 minute pre game show can be seen on both networks The four booth announcers called the 2007 season opening games from ESPN s Bristol Connecticut headquarters while watching games on monitors None of them traveled to the game sites and there were no sideline reporters in the early weeks Sutcliffe would later report from the game sites Allegre did not work the season finale between the Broncos and Chargers he was replaced by Abramovitz In 2008 Martin and Allegre only travelled to the Cowboys Eagles game during the NFL s celebrations of Hispanic Heritage Month As part of ESPN s agreement to simulcast their Wild Card game on ABC Martin and Allegre s Spanish language commentary is carried over the SAP channel on ABC equivalent to the rest of the NFL s over the air broadcast partners When CBS televised Super Bowls 50 LIII and LV ESPN sub licensed the rights to air dedicated Spanish language telecasts on ESPN Deportes using the Monday Night Football commentary team and with surrounding coverage in the language CBS did not have any sister Spanish language cable or broadcast network like Fox and NBC who have used Fox Deportes and Universo Telemundo respectively 87 88 89 90 91 92 For Super Bowl LVIII CBS sold its sub license rights to TelevisaUnivision instead 93 In 2017 and 2018 ESPN2 simulcast ESPN Deportes telecast NFL Esta Noche and the ESPN Latin America SportsCenter after the game during the first nine weeks of the season prior to the start of its Monday night college basketball broadcasts ESPN2 had previously scheduled lesser viewed filler programming during the period 94 95 96 In the 2020 21 playoffs ESPN Deportes also aired an AFC Divisional Playoff game and the AFC Championship Game 97 For the 2023 season ESPN Deportes introduced the new Monday Night Football team of Rebeca Landa on the play by play with Sergio Dipp as analyst and Katia Castorena as sideline reporter John Sutcliffe will continue to be part of the team providing reports from site 98 On October 16 2023 ESPN2 did simulcast ESPN Deportes Spanish Language Presentation of Monday Night Football featuring the Dallas Cowboys and the L A Chargers 99 Portuguese version edit Since the 1990s ESPN Latin America has a Portuguese language feed targeted to their viewers in Brazil Ivan Zimmermann play by play Andre Jose Adler play by play Roberto Figueroa color and Marco Alfaro color among others were the announcers broadcasting from ESPN s headquarters Since 2006 the structure of the Brazilian feed has been merged with ESPN Brasil and the broadcasting is done from Sao Paulo The current announcers are Fernando Nardini play by play and Paulo Antunes color Ari Aguiar play by play and Antony Curti color occasionally fill in Radio broadcasts editMain articles NFL on Westwood One Sports and NFL on NBC Radio Monday Night Football has also been carried on national radio networks over the years The Mutual Broadcasting System aired the games initially with Van Patrick 1972 1973 Lindsey Nelson 1974 1977 and Al Wester announcing CBS Radio took over the rights in 1978 with Jack Buck and Hank Stram commentating After a two year stint 1985 1986 with Don Criqui and Bob Trumpy calling the games on NBC Radio Buck and Stram resumed with CBS Radio in 1987 In 1996 Howard David and Matt Millen replaced Buck and Stram Marv Albert and Boomer Esiason were the MNF radio voices from 2002 to 2009 with Kevin Harlan replacing Albert in 2010 Kurt Warner joined the crew in 2014 for games when Esiason was unavailable taking over full time in 2018 In the 1990s CBS Radio purchased a controlling stake in Westwood One which in turn had bought out both the NBC and Mutual networks As of 2008 Westwood One was no longer controlled by CBS but the network retained its NFL broadcast rights In 2011 Westwood One was purchased by Dial Global Then in 2014 Dial Global including Westwood One was acquired by Cumulus Media The Spanish language broadcast is carried on ESPN Deportes Radio As with other regular season NFL games Monday night games are also broadcast locally by the featured teams own radio networks and announcers Nielsen ratings editTop rated recent regular season games since 2014 edit Rank Day Date Year Week Matchup Network s Viewers millions Significance Reference 1 Monday September 11 2023 1 Bills 16 Jets 22 OT ABCESPNESPN2 22 64M 22nd anniversary of 9 11Bills Jets rivalry 100 2 Saturday January 8 2022 18 Cowboys 51 Eagles 26 ABCESPN 20 21M Cowboys Eagles rivalry 101 3 Monday September 12 2022 1 Broncos 16 Seahawks 17 ABCESPNESPN2 19 84M Russell Wilson s return to SeattleBroncos Seahawks rivalry 102 4 September 26 3 Cowboys 23 Giants 16 19 34M Cowboys Giants rivalry 102 5 Saturday January 8 2022 18 Chiefs 28 Broncos 24 ABCESPN 19 10M Broncos Chiefs rivalry 101 6 January 7 2023 Titans 16 Jaguars 20 19 00M Jaguars won the AFC South as a result of the victory 102 7 Monday October 27 2014 8 Redskins 20 OT Cowboys 17 ESPN 18 81M Redskins Cowboys rivalry 103 8 December 26 2016 16 Lions 21 Cowboys 42 18 60M 104 9 Saturday January 7 2023 18 Chiefs 31 Raiders 13 ABCESPN 17 76M Chiefs Raiders rivalry 102 10 Monday September 13 2021 1 Ravens 27 Raiders 33 OT ABCESPNESPN2 16 97M 101 Additional NFL game rights editPlayoff games and Super Bowls edit Main article List of Super Bowl broadcasters When ABC first acquired the rights to air MNF in 1970 it did not include any playoff games The network was eventually allowed into the rotation of airing the Super Bowl starting with Super Bowl XIX in January 1985 When the league expanded the playoffs from a 10 team to a 12 team tournament in 1990 ABC was then given the rights to air the first two Wild Card Playoff games Originally ABC s college football crews would call the first Wild Card Game Following The Walt Disney Company s purchase of both ESPN and ABC the two network s sports departments merged in 1997 Beginning with the 1997 season the ESPN Sunday Night Football crew called the first game with the ABC MNF crew calling the second game ESPN provided wraparound studio programming with part of the pre and postgame airing on ABC and ESPN s Ron Jaworski often appeared from the studio for extra analysis during the first game This arrangement lasted from 1997 through 2005 except for 2002 when ESPN ABC s college football crew did the early game Super Bowls on ABC in this period were treated as ESPN events After MNF was awarded to ESPN and Sunday Night Football was acquired by NBC in 2006 the Wild Card doubleheader that had aired on ABC as well as a share of the rotating rights to the Super Bowl was also given to NBC On April 22 2014 the NFL announced that it had exercised an option in ESPN s recent contract extension for Monday Night Football rights to air a first round Wild Card playoff game on the channel after the conclusion of the 2014 season This was the first time that an NFL playoff game was ever broadcast exclusively on cable television in the United States in lieu of any of the league s broadcast network partners 105 106 107 The MNF broadcast team of Mike Tirico Jon Gruden and sideline reporter Lisa Salters called the game the first of the 2014 15 NFL playoffs The NFC South Champion Carolina Panthers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 27 16 105 106 As with all MNF games the matchup was simulcast on local affiliates WJZY a Fox affiliate in Charlotte and KASW a CW affiliate in Phoenix This was because of the NFL s rule that requires local affiliates to allow viewers over the air access to the game However the cable only playoff game experiment would only last one season as on May 11 2015 it was announced that ABC would simulcast ESPN s Wild Card playoff game for the 2015 season 108 This was the first NFL game broadcast nationally on ABC since MNF left the network at the end of the 2005 season The game announced by the broadcast team of Tirico Gruden and Salters was the first of the 2015 16 NFL playoffs The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Houston Texans 30 0 The ESPN ABC simulcast has continued ever since 109 110 Additionally ESPN Deportes picked up the rights to air Super Bowl 50 Super Bowl LIII and Super Bowl LV in Spanish from Super Bowl LVIII on Univision picked up those rights as CBS who aired the game in English does not have a Spanish language sports network It will also air additional CBS playoff games in the 2021 playoffs and 2022 playoffs Starting with Super Bowl LIII ESPN International has produced an English language broadcast of the Super Bowl for ESPN Australia as an alternative to the main world feed produced by NFL Network and the domestic U S feed using the domestic broadcasters camera feeds and the Monday Night Football commentary team It also features additional pre game coverage augmenting ESPN s U S NFL studio programming The video is also used by the Super Bowl telecast for ESPN Brasil dubbed with Portuguese commentary 111 112 During the Baltimore Ravens Tennessee Titans Wild Card game during the 2021 playoffs not only did ESPN and ABC simulcast the game but other ESPN and Disney owned networks helped to broadcast the game for the first ever NFL Playoff Megacast ESPN2 ESPN and Freeform all pitched in alternate feeds of the game This was the first NFL Playoff game to get a Megacast treatment The announcement of the Playoff Megacast went along with the announcement of ABC simulcasting two late season MNF games that aired on ESPN both games involving the Buffalo Bills With the new NFL TV contracts that begin during the 2023 season ESPN ABC s playoff coverage expands to include a game in the Divisional Round to go along with the Wild Card Game Both games will air on ESPN and ABC The new contracts also see both networks re enter the Super Bowl rotation beginning with Super Bowl LXI in 2027 Beginning with the 2022 playoffs ESPN will begin a new 5 year deal that will see the ESPN networks and ABC Megacast the brand new Monday Night Wild Card Game as part of the NFL expanding Super Wild Card Weekend from two days to three days ESPN and ABC will simulcast the main feed with ESPN2 ESPN and other ESPN and Disney networks providing alternative options The game features a matchup between a No 4 and No 5 seed to ensure that it is known which opponent the winner will play before kickoff This arrangement ensures the NFL can release the divisional round schedule upon the completion of the other five wild card games and the winner of Monday game always plays the following Sunday to ensure they receive six days rest 113 Non Monday games edit See also NFL on ABC From 1974 to 1977 MNF aired on Saturday during the final week of the regular season instead of Monday From 1978 to 1986 it broadcast selected Thursday and Sunday night games And from 1983 to 1986 MNF also aired a Friday night game in the final week of the regular season in addition to the normal Monday night game 114 From 2003 to 2005 MNF also aired the Thursday Night NFL Kickoff game during the first week of the regular season 115 As part of ESPN s new contract signed prior to the 2022 ESPN simulcast on ABC and ESPN airs a Saturday NFL doubleheader during the final week of the regular season 116 In 2023 MNF aired a game on Saturday December 30 to accommodate New Year s Day falling on a Monday 117 The game featured the Detroit Lions at the Dallas Cowboys Pro Bowl edit Main article List of Pro Bowl broadcasters ABC televised the Pro Bowl from 1975 to 1987 and again from 1995 to 2003 As part of their 2011 rights agreement ESPN was given the exclusive rights to the Pro Bowl from 2015 through 2022 105 from 2018 on the game was simulcast on ABC See also editNFL on CBS NFL on Fox NBC Sunday Night Football Monday Night Mayhem a 2002 television film about the origin of Monday Night FootballNotes edit Does not include the game on December 3 1978 which occurred on a Sunday but was televised by ABC s Monday Night Football television crew References edit ESPN creates rooftop bubble for NFL coverage in under a month Newscast Studio September 14 2020 Retrieved December 25 2020 The NFL returns to Channel 5 NFL com Retrieved December 26 2023 Shapiro Leonard Maske Mark April 19 2005 Monday Night Football Changes the Channel The Washington Post p A1 a b c A History of Monday Night Football Bleacher Report January 21 2008 Retrieved September 23 2023 Miller Shales James Andrew Tom Those Guys Have All the Fun Inside the World of ESPN PDF p 547 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Leonard Shapiro Mark Maske April 19 2005 Monday Night Football Changes the Channel The Washington Post p A1 Archived from the original on September 22 2018 Updated ESPN Kicks Off New Eight Year 14 Billion NFL Deal Multichannel News September 8 2011 NFL announces new broadcast deals running through 2033 season NFL com Retrieved March 18 2021 NFL completes network Amazon rights deals through 2033 bringing in 10 billion per year along the way Awful Announcing March 18 2021 Retrieved December 14 2021 a b Rice Lynette April 8 2022 Dancing With The Stars Moving To Disney In Stunning Move After 16 Years On ABC Deadline Hollywood Retrieved April 8 2022 ABC adds MNF simulcasts amid ongoing Hollywood writers strike Sports Business Journal September 18 2023 Retrieved September 18 2023 Network broadcasters furious with NFL for allowing ESPN ABC MNF simulcast Awful Announcing November 1 2023 Retrieved November 16 2023 Cable industry furious with ESPN ABC Monday Night Football simulcast Awful Announcing September 19 2023 Retrieved November 16 2023 Raiders vs Broncos A primetime rivalry Las Vegas Raiders Retrieved February 3 2024 Raiders vs Broncos At A Glance Las Vegas Raiders Retrieved February 19 2024 Writer Staff 1999 MNF schedule The Stockton Record Retrieved February 19 2024 ESPN com NFL 2000 NFL weekly schedule www espn com Retrieved February 19 2024 ESPN com NFL 2001 NFL weekly schedule www espn com Retrieved February 19 2024 ESPN com NFL 2002 NFL weekly schedule www espn com Retrieved February 19 2024 ESPN com NFL 2003 NFL weekly schedule www espn com Retrieved February 19 2024 2008 Monday Night Football Schedule Orlando Sentinel April 15 2008 Retrieved February 19 2024 Editor ESPN April 19 2011 ESPN s 2011 Monday Night Football Schedule ESPN Press Room U S Retrieved February 17 2024 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a last has generic name help Monday Night Football schedule 2011 ESPN com April 19 2011 Retrieved February 17 2024 Stoneberg Allie April 19 2013 ESPN s 2013 Monday Night Football Schedule ESPN Press Room U S Retrieved February 17 2024 Sando Mike April 19 2013 2013 Monday Night Football schedule ESPN com Retrieved February 19 2024 West Jenna April 19 2018 Monday Night Football 2018 games dates matchups Sports Illustrated Retrieved February 17 2024 Hofheimer Bill April 20 2018 Jon Gruden s Coaching Return and NFL in Mexico City Highlight ESPN s 2018 Monday Night Football Schedule ESPN Press Room U S Retrieved February 19 2024 Hofheimer Bill April 18 2019 Top NFL Rivalries Highlight Monday Night Football s 50th Season ESPN Press Room U S Retrieved February 3 2024 Staff S V G April 18 2019 NFL Schedule Roundup Major Networks Announce 2019 Slate of Games Sports Video Group Retrieved February 3 2024 Allen Scott November 28 2021 A brief history of all 16 Redskins Cowboys Monday Night Football games Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved February 19 2024 What to Look For A Look Back Week 5 PDF National Football League December 23 2013 Archived PDF from the original on December 24 2013 Retrieved April 1 2014 The racial undercurrent ESPN com February 3 2005 Retrieved November 21 2020 Goldfarb Zachary A December 17 2006 On Monday Night Football An Announcement From Obama The Washington Post Archived from the original on August 5 2011 Retrieved September 5 2017 ESPN s Highest Rated and Most Viewed Season of Monday Night Football The Futon Critic December 29 2009 Retrieved April 30 2013 Martinez Michael October 5 2011 Hank Williams Jr apologizes for Hitler Obama comparison CNN Retrieved October 7 2011 ESPN pulls Williams from MNF opening ESPN October 4 2011 Retrieved October 7 2011 a b Hank Williams Jr out on Monday Night Football Yahoo News Associated Press October 6 2011 Archer Todd May 4 2018 Cowboys TE Jason Witten retires joins Monday Night Football as analyst ESPN Retrieved May 8 2018 McDonough moving off MNF back to college football for ESPN Boston Globe March 9 2018 Retrieved May 8 2018 Lott Thomas March 9 2018 Joe Tessitore reportedly will be named new voice of MNF sportingnews com Retrieved May 8 2018 Hille Bob May 10 2018 New Monday Night Football broadcast team made official sportingnews com Retrieved June 2 2018 Filipe Cameron June 20 2018 Jeff Triplette to join ESPN broadcast booth as rules analyst Football Zebras Retrieved June 20 2018 Genesis Joins ESPN s Monday Night Football as Halftime Program Series Partner ESPN Press Room September 10 2018 Retrieved June 6 2021 ESPN is getting rid of musical performances during the MNF halftime show Awful Announcing October 28 2019 Retrieved June 6 2021 ESPN s new Monday Night Football booth is fine so maybe we can all move on Awful Announcing September 15 2020 Retrieved October 10 2020 ESPN s Chris Fowler Kirk Herbstreit shine in NFL debut Sports Illustrated TheMaven Authentic Brands Group Retrieved October 10 2020 Florio Mike May 7 2020 First regular season game in Las Vegas will be simulcast on ABC Profootballtalk com Archived from the original on May 12 2020 Retrieved May 8 2020 a b Grow Kory September 15 2020 With No Rowdy Fans ESPN Turns to Little Richard for Monday Night Football Theme Rolling Stone Retrieved October 10 2020 Sunday s Denver Broncos New England Patriots game moved to Monday at 5 ESPN com October 8 2020 Retrieved October 10 2020 Chris Fowler Kirk Herbstreit will call Broncos Patriots on Monday night Awful Announcing October 9 2020 Retrieved October 10 2020 Patriots get another positive COVID 19 test Week 5 now a bye game vs Broncos reportedly moved to Week 6 CBSSports com Retrieved December 3 2020 Pickman Ben Report Patriots Broncos Game Postponed Until Week 6 Sports Illustrated Retrieved December 3 2020 ABC will air 2 Monday Night Football games in December Washington Post Associated Press November 30 2020 Retrieved December 1 2020 Muppets to be part of Steelers Bengals Monday Night Football broadcast Pittsburgh Tribune Review December 21 2020 Retrieved December 23 2020 WATCH Kermit Piggy and the Gang Take Over Monday Night Football PRIMETIMER December 22 2020 Retrieved December 23 2020 Why Kermit Miss Piggy and the rest of The Muppets are on the Monday Night Football broadcast DraftKings December 21 2020 Retrieved December 23 2020 Watch Out Steelers And Bengals The Muppets Blitz Monday Night Football Tonight ESPN December 21 2020 Retrieved December 23 2020 Patra Kevin July 19 2021 Peyton Eli Manning to headline alternate Monday Night Football telecast NFL com Retrieved July 19 2021 Hipes Patrick March 16 2022 Joe Buck And Troy Aikman Officially Exit Fox For ESPN And Monday Night Football Deadline Hollywood Retrieved April 10 2022 McDaniel Mike Dan Orlovsky Taking On New Role at ESPN per Report Sports Illustrated Retrieved May 18 2022 Dan Orlovsky sticks with ESPN despite Fox pursuit Awful Announcing May 18 2022 Retrieved May 18 2022 ESPN reveals Monday Night Football doubleheader schedule called by Steve Levy Louis Riddick Dan Orlovsky and Laura Rutledge Awful Announcing July 12 2022 Retrieved July 14 2022 Week 15 Flex Scheduling Eagles Seahawks to Monday Night NFL Network Tripleheader on Saturday nflcommunications com Retrieved November 30 2023 Monday Night Football signs off after 36 years on ABC NBC Sports NBC Sports Group Archived from the original on October 12 2012 Snoop Dogg and Chris Stapleton Team Up to Cover Phil Collins In the Air Tonight for Monday Night Football Peoplemag 1983 Monday Night Football intro on YouTube 1984 Monday Night Football intro on YouTube 1988 Monday Night Football intro on YouTube Monday Night Football 1994 on YouTube Monday Night Football 1997 on YouTube Super Bowl XXXIV on YouTube Monday Night Football 2000 on YouTube Super Bowl XXXVII YouTube Archived from the original on September 1 2012 Super Bowl XL on YouTube ESPN Rethinks Lower Third Graphics for Monday Night Football Sports Video Group Retrieved September 5 2014 ESPN debuts sweet new Monday Night Football graphics Awful Announcing September 15 2015 Retrieved September 10 2019 ESPN s new Monday Night Football scorebug now includes down and distance arrow Awful Announcing September 11 2018 Retrieved September 10 2019 ESPN unites NFL programming under bold new look powered by venom NewscastStudio September 4 2019 Retrieved September 11 2019 a b Rosenthal Phil September 10 2019 ESPN introduced an ugly Monday Night Football graphic Viewers complained it was gone by halftime Chicago Tribune Retrieved September 10 2019 a b Thompson Chris September 9 2019 Dear ESPN Please Stop Using Yellow In Your Monday Night Football Down And Distance Graphic UPDATE It s Gone Deadspin Retrieved September 10 2019 ESPN s gold Rose Bowl scorebug is again making fans think there s a flag on every play Awful Announcing January 1 2021 Retrieved January 13 2021 Monday Night Football New Scorebug Awful Announcing September 11 2023 Retrieved September 23 2023 2022 23 ABC Schedule Deadline Hollywood May 9 2022 Retrieved May 3 2023 Rice Lynette May 2 2023 Dancing With The Stars Shocker Popular Show Is Moving Back To ABC From Disney Deadline Hollywood Retrieved May 3 2023 Breaking News ABC No 1 in Entertainment for Fourth Consecutive Season Announces 2023 2024 Fall Primetime Schedule Featuring Strong Slate of Fan Favorite Programming With Originals Debuting Every Night TheFutonCritic com www thefutoncritic com Retrieved May 16 2023 Rice Lynette September 12 2023 Dancing With The Stars Moves To Tuesdays This Fall Jamie Lynn Spears Latest Celebrity Set To Compete Deadline Retrieved September 12 2023 ESPN Deportes picks up Super Bowl Spanish language rights SportsPro Retrieved November 5 2018 ESPN Deportes to carry Spanish language telecast of Super Bowl 50 Los Angeles Times February 5 2016 Retrieved February 10 2016 CBS Goes Out of House Taps ESPN Deportes to Simulcast Super Bowl 50 Advertising Age Crain Communications December 29 2015 Retrieved January 17 2016 ESPN Deportes To Air Spanish Language Broadcast of Super Bowl 50 Deadline Hollywood December 29 2015 Retrieved December 29 2015 Super Bowl 50 CBS NFL Set Spanish Simulcast with ESPN Deportes Variety Penske Media Corporation December 29 2015 Retrieved January 13 2016 ESPN Deportes nabs Spanish language rights to Super Bowl AFC Championship in 2021 Awful Announcing October 12 2020 Retrieved October 13 2020 Hayes Dade May 16 2023 Super Bowl Spanish Language Rights Claimed By TelevisaUnivision In U S Company Tells Upfront Buyers Its Vix Streaming Service Has Passed 30 Million Users Deadline Hollywood Retrieved May 25 2023 Spanish language MNF coming to ESPN2 Sports Business Daily September 4 2017 Retrieved September 4 2017 ESPN Deportes picks up Super Bowl Spanish language rights SportsPro Retrieved November 5 2018 ESPN s Coverage of the 2018 19 NFL Season Allie Stoneberg 5 September 2018 ESPN Deportes nabs Spanish language rights to Super Bowl AFC Championship in 2021 Joe Lucia Awful Announcing 12 October 2020 Dwornik Ardi September 6 2023 ESPN Deportes Introduces New Voices for Monday Night Football Dwornik Ardi October 13 2023 ESPN2 to Simulcast ESPN Deportes Spanish Language Presentation of Monday Night Football on October 16th featuring the Dallas Cowboys and the L A Chargers NFL TV ratings 2023 season Sports Media Watch Retrieved September 14 2023 a b c 2021 NFL ratings page Sports Media Watch Retrieved September 14 2023 a b c d 2022 NFL ratings page Sports Media Watch Archived from the original on August 30 2023 Retrieved September 14 2023 2014 NFL ratings page Sports Media Watch Retrieved September 14 2023 2016 NFL ratings page Sports Media Watch Retrieved September 14 2023 a b c ESPN to air 1st NFL playoff game in 2015 ESPN April 22 2014 Retrieved April 22 2014 a b Chase Chris April 22 2014 ESPN to broadcast first ever NFL playoff game in 2015 USA Today Retrieved April 22 2014 Pro Bowl Television Coelho Ana Livia May 11 2015 NFL Wild Card Playoff Game Will Return to ESPN and Be Simulcast for the First Time on ABC Press release ESPN MediaZone Retrieved August 24 2015 Stoneberg Allie May 17 2016 NFL Wild Card Playoff Game Will Return to ESPN and ABC ESPN Media Zone Retrieved August 8 2016 Fang Ken May 17 2016 ESPN TO AGAIN SIMULCAST ITS NFL WILD CARD PLAYOFF GAME ON ABC Awful Announcing Retrieved May 17 2016 Director Ken Kerschbaumer Editorial February 2020 Live From Super Bowl LIV ESPN International Calls NEP EN2 Home for the Big Game Sports Video Group Retrieved February 9 2020 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint multiple names authors list link Mediaweek January 31 2019 Super Bowl LIII live on ESPN with broadcast for Australia amp NZ Mediaweek Retrieved February 9 2020 Pergament Alan January 13 2022 Alan Pergament Why Bills Patriots playoff game is scheduled for Saturday night Carroll Bob Gershman Michael Neft David Thorn John eds 1999 Total Football II Harper Collins Publishing ISBN 0 06 270174 6 ABC Sports Unveils MNF Schedule koat com April 3 2003 Retrieved November 27 2022 ESPN s Presentation of Monday Night Football Doubleheader Saturday in Week 18 Set to Debut Simulcast on ABC and ESPN espnpressroom com December 14 2021 Retrieved November 27 2022 NFL TV Schedule Sports Media Watch Retrieved May 24 2023 Further reading editGunther Marc and Bill Carter 1988 Monday Night Mayhem The Inside Story of ABC s Monday Night Football New York Beech Tree Books ISBN 0 688 07553 3 Hyatt Wesley 2007 Kicking Off the Week A History of Monday Night Football on ABC Television 1970 2005 Jefferson North Carolina McFarland amp Co ISBN 0 786 42969 0 External links editMonday Night Football at IMDb nbsp NFL Monday Night Football 2022 Schedule on ESPN Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Monday Night Football amp oldid 1222131493, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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