Monday Night Football Schedule 2025-26

NFC North rivalry will take the centerstage in week 1 MNF/ Source: Getty Images

As the 2025-26 NFL season gets underway in September, Monday Night Football (MNF) will give football fans an extended weekend to tune in to a game each week. While the MNF officially debuted in 1970, the experiment to televise an extra game on Monday started back in 1966. This idea of providing one extra game weekly on a prime time slot was pitched by then-NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle.

Monday Night Football TV Channel

The primary Monday Night Football Schedule Channel rights are with ESPN/ABC, which has been broadcasting these games since 2006. Previously, MNF games were broadcast by ESPN’s sister company, ABC. Some MNF games are simulcast on ABC even though most of the games still remain solely with ESPN.

The MNF commentator lineup for 2025 consists of former Cowboys legend Troy Aikman, accompanied by Joe Buck. 2025 will be their third year together after being paired for the first time during the 2023 NFL season. Reporting duty on the sidelines will be handled by Lisa Salters.

An alternate way to watch MNF games will be with the return of the Manningcast. Peyton and Eli Manning will return for a fifth season of fun during the games. They usually have guests join in for added entertainment as the legendary brothers commentate while watching the games.

Monday Night Football Kickoff Time

Mostly, Monday Night Football Kickoff time will be 8:15 p.m. ET (Eastern Time). However, there will be a few games whose timing would differ slightly from the one mentioned before. The MNF pregame (known as Monday Night Countdown) crew consists of Adam Schefter, Marcus Spears, Ryan Clark, Jason Kelce, and Michelle Beisner-Buck. Hosting duties are given to Scott Van Pelt.

Monday Night Football Key Matchups

Let’s look at some of the highly anticipated MNF games in 2025:

Week 1 - Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears

The MNF will start with a bang as the two NFC North foes, led by last year’s 1st round signal-callers, go toe-to-toe. This would be the first time Bears fans would be able to witness a new look offense as the Ben Johnson era gets underway in Chicago. On the other hand, this matchup would provide a litmus test for first-year starting quarterback J.J. McCarthy, as he will be going up against his 2024 NFL draft mate in Caleb Williams. After missing his entire rookie campaign due to an injury, Vikings fans would be eager to watch J.J. take the field for his first-ever pro game.

Week 3 - Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens

Lions, who had the highest scoring offense in the 2024 season, will meet another offensive juggernaut in the Ravens (3rd highest scoring offense in 2024) in this week 3 duel at M&T Bank (via FOX Sports). The last time these two teams met (in 2023), Baltimore crushed Detroit, 38-6. It would be fascinating to see how Lions match up against the top 10 defense from the 2024 season (via FOX Sports) without previous OC Ben Johnson calling offensive plays from the sidelines.

Week 7 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions

The top four scoring offenses from last season will go back and forth for a third consecutive year. Both teams have evenly split the last two contests in the regular season. Since the start of the 2023 season, Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield and Detroit’s signal caller Jared Goff rank top two in passing touchdowns, as per CBS Sports. According to FOX Sports, both offenses ranked inside the top 4 when it came to lighting up the scoreboard. However, it would be intriguing to watch whether both teams can maintain their high-powered offenses without their prior offensive coordinators in Ben Johnson and Liam Coen, who both got the head coaching gig in the offseason.

Week 8 - Washington Commanders at Kansas City Chiefs

When two marquee names like three-time Super Bowl champion Patrick Mahomes and 2024 Offensive Rookie of the Year Jayden Daniels go head-to-head, that alone warrants a fun game. However, unlike last year, the Commanders would not be taking any team by surprise, especially a team coached by Andy Reid. While the Chiefs have been a team that gets everyone's A game on a weekly basis, it would be the first time in a long time that the Commanders will experience what it looks like to be the 'Hunted' and not the 'Hunter'.