ESPN+ Exclusive NFL Game Adds Intrigue to Shifting ‘MNF’ Slate

ESPN’s biggest—and wonkiest—NFL season ever continues with two games to close out Week 7, including the first exclusive streaming broadcast of Monday Night Football.

In the third of a record-four MNF doubleheaders this year, the Ravens and Buccaneers will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN, before Chargers-Cardinals will be shown solely on ESPN+, beginning at 9 p.m. 

ESPN+ is one of four streaming platforms to have exclusive NFL game broadcasts this season, and this marks the first prime-time game for the service, which has aired two exclusive Sunday morning game broadcasts from London in 2023 and 2022. Ratings for those games were not released, but last season’s Falcons-Jaguars contest was the most-watched ESPN+ event on record. It would not be a shocker for Los Angeles–Arizona to overtake that.

ManningCast is back Monday night on ESPN2, but viewers won’t get an NFL RedZone–style whiparound between the dueling games (even though Scott Hanson is scheduled to be one of the show’s guests!). The alternate telecast isn’t expected to show live game action of Chargers-Cardinals. Peyton and Eli Manning will focus primarily on the Ravens-Bucs matchup and could show highlights from the ESPN+ broadcast. After the game in Tampa concludes, the Mannings will transition to the ending of Los Angeles–Arizona—but only on ESPN+.

Baltimore–Tampa Bay is one of six MNF broadcasts recently added to ABC’s simulcasting schedule, which now includes 17 games. ABC and ESPN, both owned by Disney, will air a combined-record-25 NFL games this season, including two playoff matchups.