NFL Monday Night Football Schedule 2025
Monday Night Football (often abbreviated as MNF) is the branding used for broadcasts of National Football League (NFL) games that air on Monday nights. It originally ran on ABC from 1970 to 2005, before moving exclusively to sister network ESPN from 2006 to 2019. While still airing on ESPN, MNF returned to ABC in 2020 beginning with select simulcasts, later expanding to select exclusive telecasts in 2022, and the bulk of games in simulcast with ESPN since 2023. In addition, ESPN2 features the Manningcast alternate telecast of select games, which was established in 2020, and since 2021, ESPN+ has served as the American streaming home of MNF.
During its initial run on ABC, MNF became one of the longest-running American television series, as well as one of the highest-rated, particularly among male viewers. Since 1993, it has been preceded by the ESPN 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 local games televised by a pay television network, the ESPN-exclusive games are also made available on an over-the-air station 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, 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
During the early 1960s, NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle envisioned the possibility of playing at least one game weekly during prime time that could be USA 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 USA football games, and in any event had been prohibited by the 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 USA game in prime time on CBS during the 1966 and 1967 seasons, and two contests during each of the next two years. NBC USA followed suit in 1968 and 1969 with games involving American Football League teams.
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.
Despite high ratings, ABC lost millions of dollars 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.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.
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. A ne
w 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 exclusive game on ESPN
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 USA 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 USA Football Playoff there were no Monday games scheduled for the final two weeks of the regular season.
“I definitely wanted to give a tribute to him on one of my touchdowns. It was just great to have it done in the first quarter and the first one,” Jefferson said about the Moss tribute while wearing his jersey after the game.“Definitely got to show that love to him. Grateful for what he has done for this game and what he has done for me as a kid, just watching him and being a fan of him. I always got to show love towards him.”The Vikings would go on to take a 13-0 halftime lead.In the second half, Minnesota added two one-yard touchdown runs, one by running back Aaron Jones in the third quarter and the other by running back Cam Akers in the fourth to stretch the lead to 27-6.
Darnold was 24-40 for 231 yards with a touchdown and interception. Jefferson had seven receptions for 73 yards and a touchdown.The Vikings improved to 12-2 and are in a three-way tie with the Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles for the best record in the NFC. The Bears dropped to 4-10.Next up: Minnesota travels to the Emerald City to take on the Seahawks while the Bears host the Lions on Sunday.
USA Falcons end four-game skid to remain in playoff hunt
The USA Atlanta Falcons held on late to USA defeat the Las Vegas Raiders 15-9 on Monday night to snap a four-game losing streak.
Led by a stingy Falcons defense that didn’t allow a touchdown until late in the USA fourth quarter, forced three turnovers and blocked two punts, Atlanta haunted its former starting quarterback Desmond Ridder and handed the Raiders a 10th straight loss.With the victory, the Falcons improved to 7-7 on the season to remain in second place in the USA NFC South, behind the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-6).As things stand, the Falcons have a 37% chance at securing a playoff berth, according to NFL.com. Their best chance at a playoff spot would be through the division, as the odds of clinching a wild-card berth are further out of reach.“For us to go out there and find a way to win. I think the most important thing when you come off a couple losses in a USA row. Particularly the Falcons, you want your Falcons fans to feel good about it. You got to find a way to win and you gain confidence through getting wins and I think that’s what our guys did today,” Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said after the game.Atlanta opened the scoring in the first quarter, when Kirk Cousins connected with receiver Drake London for a 30-yard touchdown to give the Falcons a 7-0 lead.
In a mostly defensive contest, both teams struggled to get much going in the first half.The Raiders opened the second half by forcing a turnover, after USA Robert Spillane picked off Cousins. The Falcons quarterback has struggled as of late, with turnovers being one of the main issues. Entering Monday night, Cousins had thrown eight interceptions and zero touchdowns during the four-game skid.However, the Falcons’ defense stepped up on the ensuing possession forcing the Raiders to a three-and-out and then blocked the punt attempt.
Las Vegas scored a touchdown with just under three minutes left to cut the deficit to 15-9, but the Raiders’ extra point attempt was blocked by the Falcons - the third blocked kick attempt of the night.Just as the game appeared to be over, the Raiders began to march down the field on the final possession of the game.In a battle against the game clock, Las Vegas had two shots to get into the endzone from the Falcons’ 35-yard line, but the second attempt was intercepted by Jessie Bates III as time expired.Next up: Atlanta will host the New York Giants while the Raiders will play the Jacksonville Jaguars in Las Vegas on USA Sunday.
If you, too, are feeling like a grab bag of emotions today, you might very well be a football fan like me who’s left questioning your decision to watch the NFL, your sanity, and the structural integrity of your couch.
I settled in yesterday for the first NFL Sunday of the 2025-26 season, feeling full of hope for both of my former teams: I played six seasons with the Buffalo Bills and three with the Atlanta Falcons.
In the early window, my Dirty Birds were down three to our arch-nemesis, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A nail-biter, classic divisional showdown. The Falcons were a field goal away from tying it with the clock winding down. It’s all on the leg of Younghoe Koo, the former Pro Bowler. Snap is good. Hold is perfect. WE GOT THIS!
we did not “got” this. Wide right. The pain. The agony! It’s that unique kind of hurt that only a sports fan knows. The kind that makes you want to throw your remote, but you don’t because it might cost you a small fortune. A crushing defeat.I was ready to call it a day, maybe take up yoga or knitting, but then I remembered … my other former team, the Bills, were facing the Baltimore Ravens in the prime-time game.
A chance for redemption in my day – but it was not going well. The Bills were getting hammered by the human battering ram, Derrick Henry: 169 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Lamar Jackson was making my Bills’ defenders look like they were running in quicksand with 70 yards on the ground of his own, 209 through the air and three total TDs.
He marches down the field and brings the Bills to within eight with a couple of minutes to go. But the Bills miss the two-point conversion. That’s it. That’s a wrap.
Like the thousands of Bills fans who left the stadium early, I was done too. I turn off the game, crushed. I have to wake up at 4 a.m. and I ask myself out loud, “Why do I put myself through this crap?” I consider smashing my TV, vowing to never to put myself through this torment again, until I remember that my fantasy football team still has a chance, and we have a Monday night game coming up between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings, so I don’t. Lights out.
My Bills pulled off a comeback of epic proportions. An incredible series of plays, a last-gasp effort, and the fortuitous foot of Matt Prater, the field goal kicker who’d been in Buffalo no more than 100 hours, booting a 32-yarder for the win. Dude doesn’t even know all of his teammates’ names yet.
My Bills scored 16 points in the final four minutes to pull off the un-Bill-eveable comeback. A scorigami win, first time in NFL history that a game ended 41-40. Afterwards, Josh Allen said, “There’s people that left the stadium, that’s OK, we’ll be fine. But have some faith next time.”
I felt like he was speaking directly into my soul. I should’ve never turned off my TV. I should’ve never doubted my team because that’s just not what we sick NFL fans do. I love you, Josh Allen. I needed that.
One day, two teams I played for, and I got to experience the full spectrum of emotions that all NFL fans go through. It ended in pure, unadulterated joy that made me forget all of my earlier misery.
I went from the depths of despair to peak exhilaration, all within a few hours. That’s the NFL in a nutshell. One moment, you’re getting your heart shattered and considering smashing your TV, and the next, your heart is mended by a magnificent moment that has you hugging your screen as you’re convinced your favorite players are able to feel your grateful embrace through the airwaves.
This league, man. The constant drama, the unpredictable nature of every single game. The fact that on any given Sunday, you can feel the lowest of lows and the highest of highs. It’s a roller coaster that we all willingly strap ourselves into, and we just can’t get enough of it. It’s what keeps us all coming back, week after week, season after season.
Posted on 2025/09/09 08:59 AM