NFL fans will be treated to several significant showdowns this year on “Monday Night Football.” The schedule kicks off with the Jets traveling to San Francisco to face the 49ers in Week 1 and wraps up with a doubleheader in Week 18.
This year’s slate also features several showdowns between title-contending teams, including the Bengals facing the Cowboys in Dallas in Week 14 and a rematch of last year’s NFC title game when the Lions face the 49ers in Week 17. There are several doubleheaders on tap as well, starting in Week 3.
Here’s an entire rundown of the Monday night schedule. Each game can be seen on ESPN (unless noted otherwise), with select matchups also being shown on the “ManningCast,” which is aired on ESPN2 and on ESPN+. We’ve also included a ranking of the entire “Monday Night Football” schedule.
Week 1: Jets at 49ers
Week 2: Falcons at Eagles
Week 3: Jaguars at Bills/Commanders at Bengals (ABC exclusive)
Week 4: Titans at Dolphins/Seahawks at Lions (ABC exclusive)
Week 5: Saints at Chiefs
Week 6: Bills at Jets
Week 7: Ravens at Buccaneers/Chargers at Cardinals (ESPN+)
Week 8: Giants at Steelers
Week 9: Buccaneers at Chiefs
Week 10: Dolphins at Rams
Week 11: Texans at Cowboys
Week 12: Ravens at Chargers
Week 13: Browns at Broncos
Week 14: Bengals at Cowboys
Week 15: Bears at Vikings (ABC exclusive)/Falcons at Raiders
Week 16: Saints at Packers
Week 17: Lions at 49ers
Week 18: TBD doubleheader
Ranking every ‘Monday Night Football’ game
21. Browns at Broncos, Week 13
History-wise, this is a great matchup between two teams that faced off in back-to-back AFC title games in the late ’80s. Unfortunately, this matchup doesn’t offer much in 2024. That said, it’ll be fun to watch Bo Nix go against one of the NFL’s top pass rushers in Myles Garrett.
20. Falcons at Raiders, Week 15
I’ll be honest, there isn’t much that excites me about this game, outside of the fact that we get to watch Atlanta’s budding offensive weapons shine on prime time, especially second-year running back Bijan Robinson.
19. Giants at Steelers, Week 8
This should be an easy win for the Steelers, who have enjoyed a near perfect record on Monday night during Mike Tomlin’s nearly two-decade long run as head coach.
18. Chargers at Cardinals, Week 7
Alright, neither team had a winning record last year, and it’ll be hard for either team to post one in 2024. But this is a matchup between two exciting passers in Justin Herbert and Kyler Murray. Murray, in particular, has somewhat gone under the radar after injuries severely limited his availability each of the past two years. This game could be his chance to reintroduce himself to the masses.
17. Saints at Packers, Week 16
Jordan Love capped off his stellar first year as Green Bay’s starter with two excellent performances in the playoffs. He’ll get a chance to show his stuff on prime time in Week 16 against one of the NFL’s best defenses, led by veteran Pro Bowl linebacker Demario Davis.
16. Saints at Chiefs, Week 5
The Saints may have been the most boring 9-8 team in NFL history last season. Despite their blandness, New Orleans finished in the top 10 in scoring offense and defense last year. Given those numbers, New Orleans should put up a good fight against the two-time defending champs.
15. Titans at Dolphins, Week 4
Every Miami fan remembers last year when then-rookie quarterback Will Levis rallied the Titans to last-minute upset win in Miami in prime time. It’ll be interesting to see if Levis can duplicate that magic in South Beach in Week 4.
14. Ravens at Buccaneers, Week 7
Lamar Jackson gets to test his mettle in prime time against All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and the rest of Tampa’s stingy defense. If you like defensive matchups that have the possibility of some late-game fireworks, this is the game for you.
13. Seahawks at Lions, Week 4
Lions fans likely perked up when they saw this game on the schedule. Detroit’s faithful showed their fierce loyalty to their team by packing Ford Field during last year’s playoffs. Expect them to give Seattle a similar welcome on Sept. 30.
Environment aside, this should be a physical, throwback game between two teams that pride themselves on their toughness. This matchup includes three solid running backs in Detroit’s David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs and Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III.
12. Jaguars at Bills, Week 3
We’ve got a lot of good quarterback matchups on Monday night, but this one is truly unique in that it pits two of the NFL’s most versatile quarterbacks against one another in Buffalo’s Josh Allen and Jacksonville’s Trevor Lawrence. These are also two teams that are expected to compete for playoff spots (and possibly more) in 2024.
11. Falcons at Eagles, Week 2
Kirk Cousins and the Falcons are trying to move up the NFC’s pecking order in 2024, while Jalen Hurts and the Eagles are out to show that they still belong among the conference’s best teams. These narratives should make for a compelling game.
10. Commanders at Bengals, Week 3
This should be a sneaky good game. The Bengals aren’t sneaking up on anyone, but the Commanders might, led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and new head coach Dan Quinn. Who knows, this could very well be Daniels’ NFL coming out party.
9. Bills at Jets, Week 6
It’s no coincidence that the NFL made this a Monday night showdown a year after Aaron Rodgers‘ season abruptly ended against Buffalo on prime time in Week 1. Rodgers’ counterpart, Josh Allen, is out to prove that he can still play at an MVP level despite the offseason departure of wideout Stefon Diggs to Houston.
8. Buccaneers at Chiefs, Week 9
A rematch of Tampa’s 31-9 shellacking of Kansas City in Super Bowl LV. Tom Brady is no longer in uniform, but Baker Mayfield adds excitement to any game he plays in. This should be a fun game between two of the NFL’s upper echelon teams.
7. Bears at Vikings, Week 15
There’s one reason why this game cracked the top 10, and it’s the possibility of a rookie quarterback showdown between Chicago’s Caleb Williams and Minnesota’s J.J. McCarthy. The fact that both quarterbacks possess top-flight receiving corps doesn’t hurt, either.
6. Ravens at Chargers, Week 12
Once again, we’ve got an epic quarterback matchup here with Lamar Jackson and Justin Herbert. While both quarterbacks have enjoyed prolific careers so far, both are searching for more playoff success as their career progress. A win on this night could help one of these quarterbacks accomplish that goal in 2024.
5. Texans at Cowboys, Week 11
You really don’t have to say much about this one outside of the fact that this is the Battle of Texas. C.J. Stroud and new Texan Stefon Diggs will look to light up Micah Parsons and the rest of the Cowboys defense on prime time.
4. Dolphins at Rams, Week 10
Similarly to our No. 3 game, this one includes two top-flight quarterbacks in Tua Tagovailoa and Matthew Stafford. Both quarterbacks are flanked by elite receiving duos. Miami has Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle, and the Rams have Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua. This game has all the trimmings of a scoring fest.
3. Bengals at Cowboys, Week 14
Joe Burrow vs. Dak Prescott on prime time? Sign me up. This should be a high-scoring, highly entertaining game pitting two of the NFL’s top quarterbacks against each other. This game isn’t short on firepower, what with Prescott, Burrow and wideouts Ja’Marr Chase, CeeDee Lamb, Tee Higgins and Brandin Cooks slated to take center stage.
2. Lions at 49ers, Week 17
That’s right, the 49ers are included in each of my top two Monday night games. Four months after facing the Jets, the 49ers will host the Lions in a rematch of what was one of the wildest conference title games in recent memory. This game should be just as entertaining, as both Detroit and San Francisco’s rosters were largely kept intact this offseason.
1. Jets at 49ers, Week 1
I’m not going to overthink this one. This is a great game to start the Monday night slate, with Rodgers returning to the Bay Area to face his childhood team. Rest assured that both teams will be highly motivated to play well in front of a nationally televised audience.
