What is the NFL Monday Night Football Football schedule for the 2021 season? Where are the games televised? How can I watch Monday Night Football? Who are the MNF announcers? You have questions; we have the answers. Let’s begin straightaway with the schedule.
2021 Monday Night Football Schedule
Week 1: Baltimore Ravens at Las Vegas Raiders
2: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers
3: Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys
4: Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers
5: Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens
Week 6: Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans
7: New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks
8: New York Giants at Kansas City Chiefs
9: Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers
10: Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers
Week 11: New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
12: Seattle Seahawks at the Washington Football Team
13: New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills
14: Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals
15: Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears
16: Miami Dolphins at New Orleans Saints
Week 17: Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers
Where are Monday Night Football Televised?
All of the MNF games will be televised on ESPN.
How Can I Watch Monday Night Football Free Online?
Many live-streaming television services come with ESPN. ESPN is crucial because it’s the only way to watch the games’ complete Monday Night Football schedule. So, if you want to watch Monday Night Football Games for free, you’re going to want to find a live-streaming option that features ESPN. And look for a free trial.
Viewing Options For Free Monday Night Football Schedule
Here are a few to check:
Hulu + Live TV: Includes ESPN and a free trial. The cost is about $45 per month after the free trial expires.
PlayStation Vue: ESPN and NFL Network, and free trial. A great deal for fans of football. $45 per month after the trial ends.
AT&T Now: Includes ESPN. Typically this service has a free trial. After the trial expires, look to pay about $50 per month.
YouTube TV: Includes ESOB and Free Trial. $50 per month after the trial expires.
One more to check:
Sling TV: Includes ESPN. $25 per month, but you might not have a free trial.
Two Last Options
If these options don’t work, consider these as your last resorts:
1.) Contact a friend who is an ESPN subscriber.
2.) Call up a local bar or restaurant that might be showing the game and eat out.
Monday Night Football Announcers
The announcing crew for the 2021 Monday Night Football season features Steve Levy as the play-by-play announcer. He took over in the 2020 season from Joe Tessitore and is scheduled to continue in 2021.
The two-color commentators will be Brian Griese and Louis Riddick. Both Griese and Riddick are renewing their roles from the 2020 season. Lisa Salters is slated to be the sideline reporter once again. This is a role she’s filled since the 2012 season. The rules analyst will be John Parry, who retired from officiating NFL games in 2019.
MNF popularized the 3-man booth concept using it in 37 of the past 49 years.
Hall of Fame Fantasy Football Team Names Video
Steve Levy: Play-by-play Announcer
Levy has been with ESPN since 1993 and is perhaps best known for his work on Sports Center. He’s known not only for his football coverage but also for his work in the NHL. He earned the nickname “Mr. Extra Period” for having called three of the longest televised hockey games in NHL history.
Levy was born in New York City and attended the State University of New York at Oswego. He took over the Monday Night Football Schedule in 2020.
Brian Griese: Color Commentator
A former QB at the University of Michigan, Griese was drafted by the Broncos in the third round of the 1998 NFL Draft. He won a Super Bowl ring his rookie year with the Broncos. Griese went on to play for the Miami Dolphins (like his father Bob Griese) and then played for the Chicago Bears. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The 2021 Monday Night Football Schedule will be his second as a color commentator for MNF. He has also been a football analyst for ESPN at college football games.
Louise Riddick: Color Commentator
Riddick is a football commentator and a former safety in the NFL. He has played for the 49ers, Falcons, Browns, Raiders, the Sacramento Surge, and the Orlando Rage. His post-playing days include stints as a pro scout and director of pro personnel for the Washington Football Team.
He joined the MNF booth in 2020. Sources have reported that he has also interviewed for GM vacancies with a few NFL teams.
Lisa Salters: Sideline Reporter
Lisa Salters is a former collegiate basketball player and will continue as a sideline reporter for broadcasts. She joined the crew in 2012, replacing Suzy Kolber.
Before ESPN, Salters worked for ABC News and provided coverage on the Oklahoma City trials, the crash of TWA Flight 800, and the Matthew Shephard murder.
Salters graduated from Penn State University. At 5’2″ tall, she is the shortest player to compete for the women’s basketball team.
MNF Fun Facts
Are you ready for some ESPN’s Monday Night Football Fun Facts?
1.) Before MNF, most NFL broadcasts featured two announcers in the booth. The MNF telecast used three commentators.
2.) MNF debuted on September 21, 1970. The Cleveland Browns beat the New York Jets by a score of 31 – 21.
3.) What NFL legend set the rushing yards record for an MNF game with 221 yards?
Bo Jackson trampled over Brian Bosworth and the Seattle Seahawks. The Raiders, behind Bo, won 37 – 14.
4.) What was commentator Don Meredith’s nickname? Dandy Don.
5.) On December 8, 1980, Howard Cosell broke the news of Beatle John Lennon’s assassination to the MNF audience.
6.) MNF shifted from ABC to ESPN with the 2006 season. John Madden said at the December 26, 2005 game (the last played on ABC), “They can take football away from ABC on Monday nights, but they can’t take away the memories.”
The Spectacle of Monday Night Football
7.) The Miami Dolphins have made the most MNF appearances.
8.) MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL®, and ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL?® are registered trademarks of ABC Sports, Inc.
9.) Cowboys’ Tony Dorsett set the record in the NFL for the longest run from scrimmage in 1983 in a Monday Night Football game against the Minnesota Vikings. How far did he run? Answer: 99 yards.
10.) What NFL team holds the record for most consecutive MNF wins? The Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders won 14 games in a row from 1970 to 1999.
11.) What famous MNF broadcaster was a lawyer? Answer: Howard Cosell. Among his clients was Willie Mays, the baseball star. Cosell had a 14-year fun on Monday Night Football.
Monday Night Football Trivia
12.) What were some MNF innovations? ABC went with double the number of cameras to cover the game relative to other Sunday games, used instant replay to a much greater extent, and added a chair to the broadcast booth to bring the number of folks to three vs. the standard of two (play-by-play announcer and analyst).
13.) Cosell’s half-time recap of games played on Sunday was also a popular innovation. The first ongoing major sports production in prime time generated huge viewership numbers and was eventually copied by other sports.
14.) What NFL runner rushed for 221 yards in a Monday Night Football game against the Seahawks? Answer: Bo Jackson. The Raiders won the game 37 – 14.
15.) What two QB’s whose last name begins with the letter “K” threw for 5 TD’s each in an MNF game? Answer: David Krieg and Jim Kelly. Krieg did it in 1988, and Kelly did it in 1991.
Who played in the first Monday Night Football game?
The Cleveland Browns played the New York Jets in Cleveland, Ohio, on Monday, September 21, 1970, in the first MNF game. The original ABC crew in the booth in 1970 were Keith Jackson, Howard Cosell, and Don Meredith.
The Dream Team: Monday Night Football Announcers
For long-timers who have watched Monday Night Football since the beginning days, there’s really no contest regarding who the best broadcast team was for the franchise.
The team of Howard Cosell, Don Meredith, and Frank Gifford brought an energy and entertainment level to the games that have not been matched. The glory days brought the circus to town for every MNF game. Cosell was the Pied Piper, Meredith brought folksy humor, and Gifford brought NFL legitimacy.
Sports Entertainment
Cosell generated different feelings for viewers. Cosell, a man with a large vocabulary, was not afraid to show it off. One poll showed that at the same time, Cosell was both the most popular and least popular sportscaster in America. Viewers were passionate about Cosell – one way or another.
Meredith, the former Cowboys’ QB, seemed like the guy who would be fun to have a beer with. “Turn off the lights, the party’s over” was sung by Meredith when games were already decided on the scoreboard. “If ‘if’s and buts were candy and nuts, what a merry Christmas we’d have,” Dandy Don would chant if Howard or Frank began a sentence with ‘if.’
The interaction between Cosell and Dandy Don made for good TV. Gifford, a big-time NFL star with the NY Giants, prepared for each game with care, and it showed.
Together, this was the broadcasting team that put MNF on the map! The announcing team, at times, even shined brighter than the action on the field. On Tuesday morning, sports fans from around the country would be talking about the NFL action on the night before and the hijinks generated by these three.
The Best MNF Game in 2018
The highest-scoring game in MNF was in the 2018 season when the Los Angeles Rams outlasted the Kansas City Chiefs by 54 – 51. The 105 point total topped the score of the Green Bay Packers beat the Washington Redskins by 48 – 47 in 1983 at Lambeau Field.
Not only was it a high-scoring game on the field scoreboard, but it was also a rating smash hit. The game earned an overnight rating of 11.3, which was 57 percent higher than the comparable game from the previous year.
A game featuring the two best offenses in the league at the time was sure to draw some interest. It also happened to be the first game broadcast from Los Angeles, California, in 33 years.
If ESPN managed the scheduling completely, you’d think they be looking for more matchups exactly like this one.
MNF Song: “All My Rowdy Friends Are Here on Monday Night”
Hank Williams Jr.’s song, noting that all his rowdy friends were coming over to watch MNFgot start in 1989. It was a huge hit and became synonymous with the MNF experience.
ESPN unplugged it in the opening after Williams compared then-President, Barack Obama, golfing with then-House Speaker John Boehner to being like Adolph Hitler meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
But, after a 6-year cooling-off period, a variation of the song was brought back for the 2017 season. So, in total, the song has played for MNF for some 24 years.
1994 MNF Show Opening Featuring Hank Williams
That’s Frank Gifford with the lead-in before Hank Williams jumps into the song.
What Goes into the Television Production of an MNF Game?
ESPN essentially creates a small city when prepping for and broadcasting a game. A staff of 250 to 300 members does the heavy lifting to get the broadcast in peak form. These members will get to the stadium three days before kick-off with nine trucks of equipment.
The computers and technical equipment are powered by two 350,000-watt generators with twin 175,000-watt backup generators. If something goes down in the stadium, ESPN is prepared. With their own generators, ESPN is powered to send the video signal to the satellite and then to headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut.
Using about 30,000 feet of wire, the crew uses 28 cameras to get the best angle for every play. There are approximately 40 microphones strategically placed to capture the sounds of the game. The game’s director reviews over 120 screens to decide on the best shot and audio to use at any particular moment in the game. A separate truck is assigned to graphics and one to replay directors.
The traveling circus of MNF continues throughout the football season. The crew travels over 25,000 miles per year to bring the games to viewers.
Monday Night Football Quotes
The three words – Monday Night Football – resonate like no other.
Al Michaels
I was law and order.
Frank Gifford
Don’s thing is winning. He shows up, and good things happen.
NBC Chairman Bob Wright on MNF Producer Don Ohlmeyer
Monday Night Football. That was everything to me because you get a chance to show everybody what you’re capable of. It’s only two teams on that Monday night.
Jerry Rice – widely regarded as the best receiver to ever play the game.
As a kid, there are some things you looked forward to. You looked forward to Charlie Brown during Halloween, and you looked forward to Monday Night Football.
Nick Ferguson
Howard Cosell Quotes
He’s going to go all the way.
Howard Cosell
After all, is football a game or a religion?
Howard Cosell
An unspeakable tragedy confirmed to us by ABC News in New York City: John Lennon, outside of his apartment building on the West Side of New York City, the most famous, perhaps, of all the Beatles, shot twice in the back, rushed to Roosevelt Hospital, dead on arrival. Hard to go back to the game after that news flash, which we have to take in duty bound.
Howard Cosell
Funny MNF Quotations
With Browns’ ticket prices what they are, you just know that all those dads who brought the entire family to sit in the ‘dog pound’ are secretly calculating how much blood they’re going to have to sell next week to put groceries on the table.
Dennis Miller
I never graduated from the University of Iowa, but I was only there for two terms — Truman’s and Eisenhower’s.
Alex Karras
Don Meredith Quotes
Tom Laundry is a perfectionist. If he were married to Raquel Welch, he’d expect her to cook.
Don Meredith
Welcome to the Mile High City, and I really am.
Don Meredith
If “ifs” and “buts” were candy and nuts, what a Merry Christmas we’d have.
Don Meredith
Learn More about MNF
Check out these books to learn more about Monday Night Football:
1.) Monday Night Mayhem – The Inside Story of ABC’s MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL by Marc Gunther and Bill Carter.
2.) Kicking Off the Week: A History of Monday Night Football on ABC Television, 1970-2005 by Wesley Hyatt.
NFL MNF 2020 Season Recap
Note: All times are Central Standard Time (CST). Note: Dates are subject to change. Here’s your Monday Night Football Schedule for 2020.
Week 1
September 14, 2020, 6:15 PM (CST), Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants (ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
Steelers: 26
Giants: 16
September 14, 9:10 PM (CST), Tennessee Titans at Denver Broncos (ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
Titans: 16
Broncos: 14
Week 2
September. 21, 7:15 PM (CST), New Orleans Saints at Las Vegas Raiders (ESPN/ABC)
FINAL SCORE:
Raiders: 34
Saints: 24
Week 3
September 28, 7:15 PM (CST), Kansas City Chiefs at Baltimore Ravens (ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
Chiefs: 34
Ravens: 20
Week 4
October 5, 7:15 PM (CST), Atlanta Falcons at Green Bay Packers (ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
Packers: 30
Falcons: 16
Week 5
October 12, 7:15 PM (CST), Los Angeles Chargers at New Orleans Saints (ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
Saints: 30
Chargers: 27
Week 6
October 19, 7:15 PM (CST), Arizona Cardinals at Dallas Cowboys (ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
Cardinals: 38
Cowboys: 10
Week 7
October 26, 7:15 PM (CST), Chicago Bears at Los Angeles Rams (ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
Rams: 24
Bears: 10
Week 8
November 2, 7:15 PM (CST), Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Giants (ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
Buccaneers: 25
Giants: 23
Week 9
November 9, 7:15 PM (CST), New England Patriots at New York Jets (ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
Patriots: 30
Jets: 27
Week 10
November 16, 7:15 PM (CST), Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears (ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
Vikings: 19
Bears: 13
Week 11
November 23, 7:15 PM (CST), Los Angeles Rams at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
Rams: 27
Buccaneers: 24
Week 12
November 30, 7:15 PM (CST), Seattle Seahawks at Philadelphia Eagles (ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
Seahawks: 23
Eagles: 17
Week 13
December 7, 7:15 PM (CST), Buffalo Bills at San Francisco 49ers (ESPN)
FINAL SCORE:
Bills: 34
49ers: 24
Week 14
December 14, 7:15 PM (CST), Baltimore Ravens at Cleveland Browns (ESPN)
Week 15
December 21, 7:15 PM (CST), Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals (ESPN)
Week 16
December 28, 7:15 PM (CST), Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots (ESPN)
Monday Night Football 2019 Recap
Week 1 (Two Games!) – Regular Season
September 9, 7:10 pm: Houston Texans at New Orleans Saints (ESPN).
FINAL SCORE:
Saints 30
Texans 28
September 9, 10:20 pm: Denver Broncos at Oakland Raiders (ESPN).
FINAL SCORE
Raiders: 24
Broncos: 16
Week 2
September 16, 8:15 pm: Cleveland Browns at New York Jets (ESPN).
FINAL SCORE
Browns: 23
Jets: 3
Week 3
September 23, 8:15 pm: Chicago Bears at Washington Redskins (ESPN).
FINAL SCORE
Bears: 31
Washington: 15
Week 4
September 30, 8:15 PM: Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers (ESPN).
FINAL SCORE
Steelers: 27
Bengals: 3
Week 5
October 7, 8:15 pm: Cleveland Browns at San Francisco 49ers (ESPN).
FINAL SCORE
49ers: 31
Browns: 13
Week 6
October 14, 8:15 pm: Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers (ESPN).
FINAL SCORE
Packers: 23
Lions: 22
Week 7
October 21, 8:15 pm: New England Patriots at New York Jets (ESPN).
FINAL SCORE
Patriots: 33
Jets: 0
Week 8
October 28, 8:15 pm: Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers (ESPN).
FINAL SCORE
Steelers: 27
Dolphins: 14
Week 9
November 4, 8:15 pm: Dallas Cowboys at New York Giants (ESPN).
FINAL SCORE
Cowboys: 37
Giants: 18
Week 10
November 11, 8:15 pm: Seattle Seahawks at San Francisco 49ers (ESPN).
FINAL SCORE
Seahawks: 27
49ers: 24
Week 11
November 18, 8:15 pm: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers (in Mexico City, ESPN).
FINAL SCORE
Chiefs: 24
Chargers: 17
Week 12
November 25, 8:15 pm: Baltimore Ravens at Los Angeles Rams (ESPN).
FINAL SCORE
Ravens: 45
Rams: 6
Week 13
December 2, 8:15 pm: Minnesota Vikings at Seattle Seahawks (ESPN).
FINAL SCORE
Seahawks: 37
Vikings: 30
Week 14
December 9, 8:15 pm: New York Giants at Philadelphia Eagles (ESPN).
FINAL SCORE
Eagles: 23
Giants: 17
Week 15
December 16, 8:15 pm: Indianapolis Colts at New Orleans Saints (ESPN).
Week 16
December 23, 8:15 pm: Green Bay Packers at Minnesota Vikings (ESPN).
Past Announcers
Joe Tessitore: Play-By-Play Announcer – 2019 and 2020
As an ESPN Announcing Team Member for MNF, Tessitore has a rich history in sports announcing. Previously, he was the lead play-by-play announcer for ESPN’s Saturday Night College Football Primetime Game and the College Playoff.
Sports Illustrated honored his work with Broadcast Team of the Year in 2016. Before that, he called boxing fights for ESPN as part of Tuesday Night Fights and Friday Night Fights.
He produced Roll Tide, War Eagle for ESPN 30 for 30 Series, and contributed to the 30 For 30 on Bo Jackson. Tessitore hosted ESPN’s live New Year’s Eve specials for five years. He has also co-hosted the Battle of the Network Stars.
An Albany New York native, Tessitore attended Carroll School of Management at Boston College.
Booger McFarland: Color Analyst – 2019 and 2020
The new color analyst for MNF has some impressive player credentials with nine years in the NFL. He won two Super Bowls – one with the Buccaneers and one with the Colts. He played defensive tackle for Louisiana State University before being drafted by the Bucs in the 1999 NFL Draft.
Booger earned his nickname during his childhood from his mother for his bad behavior. Once, he nearly burned down the house playing with fire. But, his behavior improved as he grew older. But the name stuck.
McFarland started his broadcast career in the Tampa Bay area, co-hosting a radio program. Later, he joined the SEC network as a color analyst. He also made frequent appearances on the Mike & Mike morning program as a guest football analyst. Last year, he was a sideline analyst in a booth perched near the field (it was nicknamed “The Booger Mobile” for broadcasts.
So, there you have it – everything you need to know about Monday Night Football Schedule, announcers, and more.
By Mike O’Halloran
Mike is the founder and editor of Sports Feel Good Stories. He’s also worked as a contributing writer for USA Football, the youth arm of the NFL.
You’re on Monday Night Football Schedule for 2021.
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