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Some stadiums and teams had multiple names throughout their appearances in theMNF package in this era. All names listed were seen in the package at least once in this era.
First name listed is the current (or final if it does not exist anymore) name for each team and stadium.
Mall of America Field – Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome (technically, Mall of America Field only applies to the football playing field, making the full name Mall of America Field at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome)-Does not exist anymore
RingCentral Coliseum – Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, McAfee Coliseum, Network Associates Coliseum, O.co Coliseum - no longer an NFL stadium
SDCCU Stadium – Jack Murphy Stadium, Qualcomm Stadium - no longer an NFL stadium
Lumen Field – Seahawks Stadium, Qwest Field, CenturyLink Field
Highmark Stadium – Rich Stadium, Ralph Wilson Stadium, New Era Field, Bills Stadium
This marked the first season of Monday night games broadcast onESPN. The season began with the first-ever scheduled Monday nightdoubleheader. TheMinnesota Vikings and theWashington Redskins had the honor of playing ESPN's first ever telecast with the Vikings winning the game in a defensive battle. TheSan Diego Chargers shut out theOakland Raiders in the night cap and also marked Chargers quarterbackPhilip Rivers Monday Night Football debut.
The October 23 game between theNew York Giants and theDallas Cowboys became the highest-rated program in the history of cable television, being watched by over 16 million people, also this game marked the final NFL game forDrew Bledsoe.[1]
The October 29 game between theGreen Bay Packers and theDenver Broncos marked the Packers' first win in Denver after losing their previous 7 games. Also this was the finalMNF game forBrett Favre with the Packers.
The November 26Miami Dolphins–Pittsburgh Steelers contest was the lowest-scoring game inMonday Night Football's 38-year history; it threatened to become the first scoreless NFL game since1943 until just 17 seconds remaining, when Steelers kickerJeff Reed booted a 24-yard field goal to win it, 3–0. Both offenses were stymied by a heavy thunderstorm which delayed kickoff for about twenty minutes; also, local high school football championship games the preceding weekend left the field in less-than-desirable shape. (The game also marked the return of Dolphins linebackerJoey Porter to Pittsburgh where he won aSuper Bowl with the Steelers in2005.)
The September 15 game was the highest combined score in the 98 meetings between thePhiladelphia Eagles and theDallas Cowboys, and the second-highest score in the first half of anyMNF game. The game drew 18.6 million viewers, the most-watchedMNF game on ESPN and the most-watched cable television broadcast in history. The game was also the lastMNF game forTexas Stadium as the Cowboys would move intoCowboys Stadium the next season.
The December 1 game between theJacksonville Jaguars and theHouston Texans was the Texans' firstMNF game in franchise history and the firstMNF game in Houston since 1994.
The temperature at kickoff for the December 22 game between theGreen Bay Packers and theChicago Bears was 2 degrees, making it the coldest game in the history ofMonday Night Football and the coldest NFL game ever played in Chicago.[37] Before 2000, Monday night games in December or January were played in the South, the West Coast, or domed stadiums to avoid extreme cold.
The next week featured theMinnesota Vikings hosting theGreen Bay Packers marked the first time quarterbackBrett Favre faced his former team. Favre completed 24 of his 31 pass attempts for 271 yards and 3 touchdowns and became the first quarterback in NFL history to defeat all 32 current franchises. On defense, Vikings defensive endJared Allen had a career-best 4.5 sacks. On the business front, the game scored an overnight metered 14.2 Nielsen rating including a 58.3 rating inMinneapolis and a 49.7 rating inGreen Bay. In addition, the game averaged 21.8 million viewers which made the game the highest-rated program in cable television history, also was the finalMonday Night Football game played at theHubert H. Humphrey Metrodome. In second place was Week 12's hyped matchup between the undefeatedNew Orleans Saints andNew England Patriots which averaged 21.4 million viewers.[55][56]
The November 1 game between theHouston Texans and theIndianapolis Colts was the first Monday Night Game played atLucas Oil Stadium and the finalMNF game for Peyton Manning with the Indianapolis Colts.
The 59 points scored by thePhiladelphia Eagles against theWashington Redskins on November 15 are the most ever by one team onMonday Night Football and also that game marked the finalMonday Night Football appearance for Redskins quarterbackDonovan McNabb.
The latter half of the season opening doubleheader featured the first game to not be hosted by a team in the Pacific Time zone with theKansas City Chiefs hosting theSan Diego Chargers.
Late in theNew England Patriots–Miami Dolphins season opener,Ron Jaworski inadvertently uttered a profanity, for which he apologized later in the broadcast; whether or not it was related, it would eventually be Jaworski's final season in theMonday Night Football booth.
The first 20-25 minutes of theOakland Raiders–Denver Broncos season opener aired onESPN2 before switching to ESPN; ESPN would finish the broadcast. ESPN in-game graphics listedEd Werder as a sideline reporter, though it appears he made no on-air contributions to the broadcast. The local over-the-air affiliates in both media markets were unaffected.
The September 26 game between theWashington Redskins and theDallas Cowboys was the final appearance (until 2017) ofHank Williams, Jr.'s intro song "All My Rowdy Friends are Back for Monday Night (Are You Ready For Some Football)", as he would get fired from ESPN during Week 4 for comments aboutAdolf Hitler.
The October 10 game between theChicago Bears and theDetroit Lions was the firstMonday Night Football game atFord Field and the firstMonday Night Football game in Detroit since2001.
The December 19 game between thePittsburgh Steelers and theSan Francisco 49ers was delayed twice due to power outages, one taking place before the kickoff and another during the 2nd quarter; during which the 49ers led, 6–0.
The NFLlocked out its officials in June. As a result, the first three weeks of the season were played with replacement officials. The lack of regular officials came to a head in the Week 3 Monday night game between theGreen Bay Packers and theSeattle Seahawks. The game was a defensive affair as the Packers led 12–7 in the closing moments of the game. On thefinal play, Seahawks quarterbackRussell Wilson threw aHail Mary pass toward the end zone. Seahawks wide receiverGolden Tate and Packers defenderM. D. Jennings each grabbed hold of the ball. In the process, one official signaledtouchdown while another signaledtouchback. Simultaneous possession was the final ruling which gave Seattle the touchdown and the win. However, the nearby officials missed Tate pushing Packers cornerbackSam Shields with both hands and causing a pass interference penalty in the process. The game's aftermath included major discussion and focus on the play forcing the NFL to settle with the regular officials. The loss also hurt the Packers in the playoff race as the team finished 11–5 behind the 11–4–1San Francisco 49ers. The loss mattered as Green Bay had to travel to San Francisco in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. A win would have assured a first-round bye for Green Bay. The game was called the Fail Mary, also this game markedRussell Wilson'sMonday Night Football debut.
The September 17 game between theDenver Broncos and theAtlanta Falcons. marked Peyton Manning'sMonday Night Football debut with Broncos.
Controversy also hitMNF later in the season as theSan Diego Chargers were accused of using a banned substance during their October 15 game with theDenver Broncos. It was later revealed to beGorilla Glue, a legal substance later banned by the NFL.
The October 21 game between theMinnesota Vikings and theNew York Giants was notable because it featured quarterbackJosh Freeman scoring a 40.6 passer rating in the game. He was 20 for 53 passing with 190 yards and the only Vikings score came on a 1st quarter punt return touchdown. In contrast,Eli Manning had a good day for the Giants with a touchdown pass to cap a long 2nd quarter drive.
The December 2 game between theNew Orleans Saints and theSeattle Seahawks inSeattle was much-hyped because of the high-powered Saints offense led by quarterbackDrew Brees was taking the ferocious defense of the Seahawks with theLegion of Boom. The game, however, was a blowout, with the Seahawks winning 34–7.
ESPN employee and formerChicago Bears tight end and head coachMike Ditka had his number retired at halftime of the December 9 game versus theDallas Cowboys. Though the game was a blowout in favor of Chicago 45–28, it is more notable for its temperature which was 8 °F and featured a −12 degree wind chill.
With their September 15 win over theIndianapolis Colts, thePhiladelphia Eagles become the first team to start a season 2–0 after trailing 14–0 at halftime of their first two games. In the following week, Philadelphia would become the first team to start 3–0 after trailing more than 10 points in all three games.
The 700th game inMonday Night Football history featured theSan Francisco 49ers beating theSt. Louis Rams in Week 6. It was also the last Monday night game played in St. Louis.
This was the tenth season ofMonday Night Football onESPN. Also, the NFL Wild Card Playoff game on ESPN was simulcast on ABC, making it the first NFL game to be broadcast by ABC sinceSuper Bowl XL in 2006.[161][162][163]
The October 5 game between theDetroit Lions and theSeattle Seahawks featured a controversial call where Lions wide receiverCalvin Johnson fumble into the end zone andK.J. Wright batted the ball out of the end zone to prevent a Lions player from recovering the ball. This is a penalty by NFL rules, however no flag was thrown.
In addition to the Wild Card playoff game, the2018 Pro Bowl was also simulcast on ABC as well. This was the first time since2014 that the Pro Bowl was aired on broadcast television in any form.[202]
Starting in 2018, the NFL moved the start time ofMonday Night Football back, from 8:30 p.m. ET to 8:15 p.m. ET. For the second time in three seasons,Monday Night Football was supposed to make a trip to Mexico City, for theKansas City Chiefs-Los Angeles Ramscontest, as part of theNFL International Series, but the NFL deemed field conditions to be poor and moved the game to Los Angeles.[221] This was the firstMonday Night Football game in Los Angeles since 1991, as well as the highest scoring game inMNF history. The Wild Card game and the Pro Bowl were again simulcast on ABC.
This season marked the 50th season ofMonday Night Football. There was a rematch of the first MNF game, during Week 2, as the new-lookCleveland Browns facedLe'Veon Bell and theNew York Jets on September 16. In addition,MNF returned to Mexico City for the first time since 2016, with theKansas City Chiefs andLos Angeles Chargers renewing a classicAFC West rivalry. Also, the Wild Card Playoff, and the Pro Bowl, both shown on ESPN, were again simulcast on ABC.
2020 Pro Bowl, 3 p.m. Kickoff Joe Tessitore announces the first on-air confirmation of the death of former NBA playerKobe Bryant, as he, his daughter Gianna, and seven others werekilled in a helicopter crash. The game was simulcast onDisney XD, however, that network broke away from coverage and aired a Big City Greens marathon due to the nature of the breaking news.
