List of Monday Night Football results (1990–2009)
Beginning in the 1970 NFL season, the National Football League began scheduling a weekly regular season game on Monday night before a national television audience. From 1970–2005, the ABC television network carried these games, with the ESPN cable television network taking over beginning in September 2006. Listed below are games played from 1990 to 2009.
Overtime Result | Playoff game broadcast | Super Bowl broadcast | Pro Bowl broadcast |
Stadiums and teams appearing under different names[]
Some stadiums and teams had multiple names throughout their appearances in the MNF 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.
Stadiums[]
- Bank of America Stadium – Ericsson Stadium
- Candlestick Park – 3Com Park, Monster Park- Does not exist anymore
- The Dome at America's Center – Trans World Dome, Edward Jones Dome - no longer an NFL stadium
- TIAA Bank Field – Alltel Stadium, Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, Everbank Field
- FedExField – Jack Kent Cooke Stadium
- Nissan Stadium – Adelphia Coliseum, The Coliseum, LP Field
- M&T Bank Stadium – PSINet 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
- RCA Dome – Hoosier Dome-Does not exist anymore
- Empower Field at Mile High – Invesco Field at Mile High, Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Broncos Stadium at Mile High
- Hard Rock Stadium – Joe Robbie Stadium, Land Shark Stadium, Pro Player Stadium, Sun Life Stadium
Teams[]
- Oakland Raiders – Los Angeles Raiders
- St. Louis Rams – Los Angeles Rams
- Tennessee Titans – Houston Oilers
1990s[]
1990 NFL season[]
The November 12 game between the Washington Redskins and the Philadelphia Eagles is known as the infamous Body Bag Game, in which Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan promised a beating so severe, that the Redskins would have to be "hauled off in body bags." The Redskins had the last laugh, however, as these two teams met in the same stadium on the same network in the Wild Card playoffs – the first ever such game aired on ABC. The Redskins won 20-6.
With the 1990 season, a new practice was established which featured the defending Super Bowl champions playing the first Monday Night game of the season. The practice was maintained through 2003 (except for 1994, 1995, and 2001). In the 1990 MNF opener, San Francisco took on New Orleans on September 10 roughly seven months after defeating Denver in Super Bowl XXIV in exactly the same stadium, the Superdome.
The December 31 game started at 8:00 PM EST rather than 9:00 PM EST to allow New Year's Rockin' Eve to air as normal. The Superdome became the first, and remains the only, stadium to host both the MNF opener and finale in the same season. Besides the Saints, the only other teams to have played in both the MNF opener and finale in the same season have been the 49ers in 1977, 1991, and 1994; the Chargers in 1981; the Cowboys in 1982, 1983, 1984, and 1995; and the Packers in 2008. However, at least one of the games played by each of those other teams was on the road.
Super Bowl XXV is best remembered for its signature play – Scott Norwood of the Buffalo Bills missed what would have been the game-winning field goal, as it sailed wide right.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Home Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 10 | San Francisco 49ers | 13–12 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | |
Monday | September 17 | Kansas City Chiefs | 23–24 | Denver Broncos | Mile High Stadium | Broncos–Chiefs rivalry |
Monday | September 24 | Buffalo Bills | 30–7 | New York Jets | Giants Stadium | Bills–Jets rivalry |
Monday | October 1 | Cincinnati Bengals | 16–31 | Seattle Seahawks | Kingdome | |
Monday | October 8 | Cleveland Browns | 30–29 | Denver Broncos | Mile High Stadium | 1989 AFC Championship Game rematch |
Monday | October 15 | Minnesota Vikings | 24–32 | Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | |
Monday | October 22 | Cincinnati Bengals | 34–13 | Cleveland Browns | Cleveland Stadium | Bengals–Browns rivalry |
Monday | October 29 | Los Angeles Rams | 10–41 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Three Rivers Stadium | |
Monday | November 5 | New York Giants | 24–7 | Indianapolis Colts | Hoosier Dome | |
Monday | November 12 | Washington Redskins | 14–28 | Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | Eagles–Redskins rivalry Body Bag Game |
Monday | November 19 | Los Angeles Raiders | 13–10 | Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | |
Monday | November 26 | Buffalo Bills | 24–27 | Houston Oilers | Astrodome | |
Monday | December 3 | New York Giants | 3–7 | San Francisco 49ers | Candlestick Park | 49ers–Giants rivalry |
Monday | December 10 | Los Angeles Raiders | 38–31 | Detroit Lions | Pontiac Silverdome | |
Monday | December 17 | San Francisco 49ers | 26–10 | Los Angeles Rams | Anaheim Stadium | 49ers–Rams rivalry 1989 NFC Championship Game rematch |
Saturday | December 22 | Washington Redskins | 28–35 | Indianapolis Colts | Hoosier Dome | |
Monday | December 31 | Los Angeles Rams | 17–20 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | |
Wild Card Saturday | January 5 | Washington Redskins | 20–6 | Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | Eagles–Redskins rivalry NFC No. 5 vs NFC No. 4 matchup |
Kansas City Chiefs | 16–17 | Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | AFC No. 5 vs AFC No. 4 matchup | ||
Super Bowl XXV | January 27 | Buffalo Bills | 19–20 | New York Giants | Tampa Stadium | Wide Right |
1991 NFL season[]
The November 25 game was the last MNF game played in the Los Angeles area (until 2018), the last appearance for the Los Angeles Rams before moving to St. Louis in 1995, and the last MNF game played in Anaheim, California. The Rams dropped to 0-4 in home MNF games against the arch-rival San Francisco 49ers, with previous defeats coming in 1976, 1989, and 1990; they also lost a Thursday night home game to the 49ers in 1982.
The September 9 game between Washington and Dallas was the first Monday Night game for the Cowboys since the 1988 season, which was Tom Landry's final season.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Home Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 2 | San Francisco 49ers | 14–16 | New York Giants | Giants Stadium | 49ers–Giants rivalry 1990 NFC Championship Game rematch |
Monday | September 9 | Washington Redskins | 33–31 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | Cowboys–Redskins rivalry |
Monday | September 16 | Kansas City Chiefs | 7–17 | Houston Oilers | The Astrodome | |
Monday | September 23 | New York Jets | 13–19 | Chicago Bears | Soldier Field | |
Monday | September 30 | Philadelphia Eagles | 0–23 | Washington Redskins | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium | Eagles–Redskins rivalry 1990 NFC Wild Card playoff rematch |
Monday | October 7 | Buffalo Bills | 6–33 | Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | |
Monday | October 14 | New York Giants | 23–20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Three Rivers Stadium | |
Monday | October 21 | Cincinnati Bengals | 16–35 | Buffalo Bills | Rich Stadium | |
Monday | October 28 | Los Angeles Raiders | 21–24 | Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | Chiefs–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | November 4 | New York Giants | 7–30 | Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | Eagles–Giants rivalry |
Monday | November 11 | Chicago Bears | 34–17 | Minnesota Vikings | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | Bears–Vikings rivalry |
Monday | November 18 | Buffalo Bills | 41–27 | Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | Bills–Dolphins rivalry 1990 AFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | November 25 | San Francisco 49ers | 33–10 | Los Angeles Rams | Anaheim Stadium | 49ers–Rams rivalry |
Monday | December 2 | Philadelphia Eagles | 13–6 | Houston Oilers | The Astrodome | |
Monday | December 9 | Cincinnati Bengals | 13–37 | Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | |
Monday | December 16 | Los Angeles Raiders | 0–27 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | |
Monday | December 23 | Chicago Bears | 14–52 | San Francisco 49ers | Candlestick Park | |
Wild Card Saturday | December 28 | Los Angeles Raiders | 6–10 | Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | Chiefs–Raiders rivalry AFC No. 5 vs AFC No. 4 matchup |
Atlanta Falcons | 27–20 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | Falcons–Saints rivalry NFC No. 6 vs NFC No. 3 matchup |
1992 NFL season[]
Monday Night Football celebrated the 100th anniversary of nighttime football on September 28, 1992 with a game between the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.[1] The first recorded night football game was the 1892 Wyoming Seminary vs. Mansfield State Normal football game and ended at halftime with a 0-0 tie.[2]
The season opener on September 7 featured the defending champion facing off against the current season's champion. In this case it was Washington (winner of Super Bowl XXVI) versus eventual Super Bowl XXVII winner Dallas.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Home Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 7 | Washington Redskins | 10–23 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | Cowboys–Redskins rivalry |
Monday | September 14 | Miami Dolphins | 27–23 | Cleveland Browns | Cleveland Stadium | |
Monday | September 21 | New York Giants | 27–14 | Chicago Bears | Soldier Field | |
Monday | September 28 | Los Angeles Raiders | 7–27 | Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | Chiefs–Raiders rivalry 1991 AFC Wild Card playoff rematch |
Monday | October 5 | Dallas Cowboys | 7–31 | Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | Cowboys–Eagles rivalry |
Monday | October 12 | Denver Broncos | 3–34 | Washington Redskins | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium | |
Monday | October 19 | Cincinnati Bengals | 0–20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Three Rivers Stadium | Bengals–Steelers rivalry |
Monday | October 26 | Buffalo Bills | 24–20 | New York Jets | Giants Stadium | Bills–Jets rivalry |
Monday | November 2 | Minnesota Vikings | 38–10 | Chicago Bears | Soldier Field | Bears–Vikings rivalry |
Monday | November 9 | San Francisco 49ers | 41–3 | Atlanta Falcons | Georgia Dome | |
Monday | November 16 | Buffalo Bills | 26–20 | Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | Bills–Dolphins rivalry |
Monday | November 23 | Washington Redskins | 3–20 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | |
Monday | November 30 | Denver Broncos | 13–16 | Seattle Seahawks | Kingdome | |
Monday | December 7 | Chicago Bears | 7–24 | Houston Oilers | The Astrodome | |
Monday | December 14 | Los Angeles Raiders | 7–20 | Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | |
Monday | December 21 | Dallas Cowboys | 41–17 | Atlanta Falcons | Georgia Dome | |
Monday | December 28 | Detroit Lions | 6–24 | San Francisco 49ers | Candlestick Park | |
Wild Card Saturday | January 2 | Washington Redskins | 24–7 | Minnesota Vikings | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | NFC No. 6 vs NFC No. 3 matchup |
Kansas City Chiefs | 0–17 | San Diego Chargers | Jack Murphy Stadium | Chargers–Chiefs rivalry AFC No. 6 vs AFC No. 3 matchup |
1993 NFL season[]
The September 6 game marked the first time in 10 years that the Redskins hosted the Cowboys on MNF rather than visiting them. At the time, it was the most frequently seen match-up on the series, and it would be the last time these two teams played each other on MNF at RFK Stadium.
The September 13 game was the last win for the Cleveland Browns (who had won the very first MNF game in 1970) on the ABC program, and last win overall until 2008.
The October 18 game marked the first of nine meetings between the Raiders and Broncos on MNF over an 11-year span, seven of these games being played in Denver.
During the January 3 game, the Eagles missed a game-winning field goal as the overtime period expired, which would have left the game a tie. However, a penalty against the 49ers allowed a re-kick, and the Eagles were granted one untimed down. On the second attempt, the field goal was good and the deadlock was barely averted, preserving the fourth of what would eventually be seven consecutive tie-free seasons.
Both Wild Card playoff games featured a thrilling comeback victories by Green Bay and Kansas City after both being down 17-7 in the third quarter in their respective games.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Home Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 6 | Dallas Cowboys | 16–35 | Washington Redskins | Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Stadium | Cowboys–Redskins rivalry |
Monday | September 13 | San Francisco 49ers | 13–23 | Cleveland Browns | Cleveland Stadium | |
Monday | September 20 | Denver Broncos | 7–15 | Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | Broncos–Chiefs rivalry |
Monday | September 27 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 45–17 | Atlanta Falcons | Georgia Dome | |
Monday | October 4 | Washington Redskins | 10–17 | Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | |
Monday | October 11 | Houston Oilers | 7–35 | Buffalo Bills | Rich Stadium | 1992 AFC Wild Card playoff rematch (The Comeback) |
Monday | October 18 | Los Angeles Raiders | 23–20 | Denver Broncos | Mile High Stadium | Broncos–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | October 25 | Minnesota Vikings | 19–12 | Chicago Bears | Soldier Field | Bears–Vikings rivalry |
Monday | November 1 | Washington Redskins | 10–24 | Buffalo Bills | Rich Stadium | Super Bowl XXVI rematch |
Monday | November 8 | Green Bay Packers | 16–23 | Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | |
Monday | November 15 | Buffalo Bills | 0–23 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Three Rivers Stadium | 1992 AFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | November 22 | New Orleans Saints | 7–42 | San Francisco 49ers | Candlestick Park | |
Monday | November 29 | San Diego Chargers | 31–0 | Indianapolis Colts | Hoosier Dome | |
Monday | December 6 | Philadelphia Eagles | 17–23 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | Cowboys–Eagles rivalry 1992 NFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | December 13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 21–20 | Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | |
Monday | December 20 | New York Giants | 24–14 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | |
Monday | December 27 | Miami Dolphins | 20–45 | San Diego Chargers | Jack Murphy Stadium | 1992 AFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | January 3 | Philadelphia Eagles | 37–34 | San Francisco 49ers | Candlestick Park | |
Wild Card Saturday | January 8 | Green Bay Packers | 28–24 | Detroit Lions | Pontiac Silverdome | Lions–Packers rivalry NFC No. 6 vs NFC No. 3 matchup |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 24–27 | Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | AFC No. 6 vs AFC No. 3 matchup |
1994 NFL season[]
ABC was unable to air the opener of the Dallas Cowboys, the previous season's Super Bowl champion, after the NFL guaranteed Fox it would have the Cowboys' game at Pittsburgh for its main doubleheader game. It was Fox's first Sunday of televising NFL games after gaining the NFC package from CBS.
In the September 5 game, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice broke Jim Brown's touchdown record.
The first two-point conversion in MNF history came on September 12, when Chicago Bears quarterback Erik Kramer threw a pass to Curtis Conway.[3]
The October 17 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos featured a quarterback matchup between Joe Montana and John Elway. Montana led the Chiefs to a 75-yard game-winning drive with 8 seconds left.
The October 31 game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears was played in a driving rain with wind gusts up to 36 mph. Coincidentally, it also marked the 11th anniversary of the death of former Bears player, coach and owner George Halas. At halftime, the Bears retired the #51 jersey of legendary linebacker Dick Butkus. The game was played four hours after American Eagle Flight 4184, scheduled to land at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, crashed into a field in Roselawn, Indiana, killing all 64 passengers and four crew members aboard.
The November 7 game between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys included a fight between several players from both teams, including safety James Washington grabbing and swinging a cameraman's tripod.
The November 21 game was the first for Jeff Fisher as coach of the Houston Oilers. He would remain with the franchise through the end of the 2010 season, by which point they had become the Tennessee Titans. This was also the last MNF game for the Oilers before their move to Tennessee in 1997 and their name change to the Titans in 1999, and the last one in Houston until 2008.
The December 12 game would be re-matched later that month in the Wild Card playoffs in the same stadium, on the same network, and would be the last NFL appearance for Joe Montana.
The December 19 game between the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints was the first NFL start for Larry Allen, who replaced Erik Williams after he suffered season-ending injuries from an automobile accident. Allen provided a memorable play early in the game when Saints linebacker Darion Conner intercepted a Troy Aikman pass and looked to be on his way to a breakaway touchdown. However, the 325-pound Allen surprisingly ran Conner down from behind short of the end zone. Larry Allen would play 14 seasons in the NFL and is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The 49ers became the first, and remain the only, team to win the Super Bowl after losing the MNF season finale. Coincidentally, Super Bowl XXIX was also televised by ABC.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Home Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 5 | Los Angeles Raiders | 14–44 | San Francisco 49ers | Candlestick Park | 49ers–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | September 12 | Chicago Bears | 22–30 | Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | |
Monday | September 19 | Detroit Lions | 20–17 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | |
Monday | September 26 | Denver Broncos | 20–27 | Buffalo Bills | Rich Stadium | |
Monday | October 3 | Houston Oilers | 14–30 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Three Rivers Stadium | Oilers–Steelers rivalry |
Monday | October 10 | Minnesota Vikings | 27–10 | New York Giants | Giants Stadium | 1993 NFC Wild Card playoff rematch |
Monday | October 17 | Kansas City Chiefs | 31–28 | Denver Broncos | Mile High Stadium | Broncos–Chiefs rivalry |
Monday | October 24 | Houston Oilers | 6–21 | Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | |
Monday | October 31 | Green Bay Packers | 33–6 | Chicago Bears | Soldier Field | Bears–Packers rivalry, Halloween |
Monday | November 7 | New York Giants | 10–38 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | Cowboys–Giants rivalry |
Monday | November 14 | Buffalo Bills | 10–23 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Three Rivers Stadium | |
Monday | November 21 | New York Giants | 13–10 | Houston Oilers | The Astrodome | |
Monday | November 28 | San Francisco 49ers | 35–14 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | |
Monday | December 5 | Los Angeles Raiders | 24–17 | San Diego Chargers | Jack Murphy Stadium | Chargers–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | December 12 | Kansas City Chiefs | 28–45 | Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | |
Monday | December 19 | Dallas Cowboys | 24–16 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | |
Monday | December 26 | San Francisco 49ers | 14–21 | Minnesota Vikings | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | |
Wild Card Saturday | December 31 | Detroit Lions | 12–16 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | Lions–Packers rivalry 1993 NFC Wild Card playoff rematch NFC No. 5 vs NFC No. 4 matchup |
Kansas City Chiefs | 17–27 | Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | AFC No. 6 vs AFC No. 3 matchup | ||
Super Bowl XXIX | January 29 | San Diego Chargers | 26–49 | San Francisco 49ers | Joe Robbie Stadium | AFC No. 2 vs NFC No. 1 matchup |
1995 Pro Bowl | February 5 | AFC | 41–13 | NFC | Aloha Stadium |
1995 NFL season[]
In the September 11 game, Packers quarterback Brett Favre threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Robert Brooks. It was the eighth 99-yard touchdown pass in NFL history. The game also featured a death-defying leap when a fan caught a field goal after leaping off the side of the tunnel at Soldier Field.[4][5]
In the October 9 game, Chiefs kick returner Tamarick Vanover returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown to win the game for the Chiefs.
The November 13 game between the Browns and Steelers was played one week after Browns owner Art Modell announced that he would be moving the team to Baltimore for the 1996 season.
2 days after the November 20th game between the 49ers and the Dolphins, the world's first computer animated movie, Toy Story was released by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios.
Some portions of the December 25 Cowboys-Cardinals game were used in the 1996 film, Jerry Maguire. In that game, Dallas' Emmitt Smith scored his 25th rushing touchdown of this season, an NFL record.
The December 30 Wild Card game between the Lions and Eagles was the highest-scoring playoff game in league history until it was surpassed by a 51-45 overtime win for the Arizona Cardinals over the Green Bay Packers on January 10, 2010.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Home Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 4 | Dallas Cowboys | 35–0 | New York Giants | Giants Stadium | Cowboys–Giants rivalry |
Monday | September 11 | Green Bay Packers | 27–24 | Chicago Bears | Soldier Field | Bears–Packers rivalry |
Monday | September 18 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 10–23 | Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | |
Monday | September 25 | San Francisco 49ers | 24–27 | Detroit Lions | Pontiac Silverdome | |
Monday | October 2 | Buffalo Bills | 22–19 | Cleveland Browns | Cleveland Stadium | |
Monday | October 9 | San Diego Chargers | 23–29 | Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | Chargers–Chiefs rivalry |
Monday | October 16 | Oakland Raiders | 0–27 | Denver Broncos | Mile High Stadium | Broncos–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | October 23 | Buffalo Bills | 14–27 | New England Patriots | Foxboro Stadium | Bills–Patriots rivalry |
Monday | October 30 | Chicago Bears | 14–6 | Minnesota Vikings | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | Bears–Vikings rivalry 1994 NFC Wild Card playoff rematch |
Monday | November 6 | Philadelphia Eagles | 12–34 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | Cowboys–Eagles rivalry |
Monday | November 13 | Cleveland Browns | 3–20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Three Rivers Stadium | Browns–Steelers rivalry 1994 AFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | November 20 | San Francisco 49ers | 44–20 | Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | |
Monday | November 27 | Oakland Raiders | 6–12 | San Diego Chargers | Jack Murphy Stadium | Chargers–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | December 4 | Chicago Bears | 7–27 | Detroit Lions | Pontiac Silverdome | Bears–Lions rivalry |
Monday | December 11 | Kansas City Chiefs | 6–13 | Miami Dolphins | Joe Robbie Stadium | 1994 AFC Wild Card playoff rematch |
Monday | December 18 | Minnesota Vikings | 30–37 | San Francisco 49ers | 3Com Park | |
Monday | December 25 | Dallas Cowboys | 37–13 | Arizona Cardinals | Sun Devil Stadium | |
Wild Card Saturday | December 30 | Miami Dolphins | 22–37 | Buffalo Bills | Rich Stadium | Bills–Dolphins rivalry AFC No. 6 vs AFC No. 3 matchup |
Detroit Lions | 37–58 | Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | NFC No. 5 vs NFC No. 4 matchup | ||
1996 Pro Bowl | February 4 | NFC | 20–13 | AFC | Aloha Stadium |
1996 NFL season[]
Though the Oakland Raiders played two Monday Night games last season as well as one previous game this season, the November 4 matchup versus Denver marked the Raiders first home Monday Night game in Oakland since Monday December 7, 1981.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Home Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 2 | Dallas Cowboys | 6–22 | Chicago Bears | Soldier Field | |
Monday | September 9 | Philadelphia Eagles | 13–39 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | |
Monday | September 16 | Buffalo Bills | 6–24 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Three Rivers Stadium | 1995 AFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | September 23 | Miami Dolphins | 6–10 | Indianapolis Colts | RCA Dome | |
Monday | September 30 | Dallas Cowboys | 23–19 | Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | Cowboys–Eagles rivalry 1995 NFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | October 7 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 17–7 | Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | |
Monday | October 14 | San Francisco 49ers | 20–23 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | 1995 NFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | October 21 | Oakland Raiders | 23–14 | San Diego Chargers | Jack Murphy Stadium | Chargers–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | October 28 | Chicago Bears | 15–13 | Minnesota Vikings | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | Bears–Vikings rivalry |
Monday | November 4 | Denver Broncos | 22–21 | Oakland Raiders | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | Broncos–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | November 11 | Detroit Lions | 21–27 | San Diego Chargers | Jack Murphy Stadium | |
Monday | November 18 | Green Bay Packers | 6–21 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | Cowboys–Packers rivalry 1995 NFC Championship Game rematch |
Monday | November 25 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 24–17 | Miami Dolphins | Pro Player Stadium | |
Monday | December 2 | San Francisco 49ers | 34–10 | Atlanta Falcons | Georgia Dome | |
Monday | December 9 | Kansas City Chiefs | 7–26 | Oakland Raiders | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | Chiefs–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | December 16 | Buffalo Bills | 14–16 | Miami Dolphins | Pro Player Stadium | Bills–Dolphins rivalry 1995 AFC Wild Card playoff rematch |
Monday | December 23 | Detroit Lions | 14–24 | San Francisco 49ers | 3Com Park | |
Wild Card Saturday | December 28 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 30–27 | Buffalo Bills | Rich Stadium | AFC No. 5 vs AFC No. 4 matchup |
Minnesota Vikings | 15–40 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | NFC No. 6 vs NFC No. 3 matchup | ||
1997 Pro Bowl | February 2 | AFC | 26–23 | NFC | Aloha Stadium |
1997 NFL season[]
The September 22 game between the Steelers and the Jaguars (playing on Monday night for the first time in their short history) had one of the craziest endings in MNF history. The Jaguars were up 2 with almost no time left and Pittsburgh attempted a game-winning field goal. Jacksonville blocked it and Chris Hudson returned it the other way for a touchdown. During the return, Steelers head coach Bill Cowher cocked his fist back like he was going to throw a punch at Hudson when he was running down the Steelers sideline for the winning score. The extra point was finally kicked about 15 minutes after ABC signed off.
The October 27 game between the Bears and the Dolphins was rescheduled because Game 7 of the 1997 World Series, which featured the Florida Marlins, had to play at Pro Player Stadium on Sunday night, when the Dolphins originally were slated to host the Bears. Therefore, the game was moved to Monday night and was played simultaneously with the Packers-Patriots game (a rematch of Super Bowl XXXI, the only time MNF aired a rematch of a Super Bowl from the year before and the last Super Bowl rematch until the Broncos-Seahawks game in 2014). The Bears-Dolphins game, originally to be shown on Fox, was broadcast only in the Chicago and Miami areas as part of ABC's ''Monday Night Football.'' The rest of the country saw the previously scheduled game: a Super Bowl rematch between Green Bay and New England. After the conclusion of the Packer game, viewers were not taken to the conclusion of the close Bears win but instead went to local news. Because the Bears-Dolphins game was intended to be played Sunday on Fox (which aired Super Bowl XXXI, at the time the network's highest-rated program ever, and would have aired the Packers-Patriots game if it was played on Sunday afternoon as well), this marked a rare time in history where the Dolphins wore their white jerseys in a nighttime home game.
The November 10 game between the 49ers and the Eagles was the infamous game in which a fan had fired off a flare gun in Veterans Stadium, leading to the introduction of the court in the stadium.
The December 15 game between the 49ers and the Broncos is remembered for Jerry Rice's return from a torn ACL suffered in Week 1 against Tampa Bay, (however he suffer a cracked kneecap on a touchdown catch in the second quarter and missed the remainder of the season) and the jersey retirement ceremony for Joe Montana. The game is also well known for an incident where Broncos linebacker (and former 49er) Bill Romanowski spitting in the face of 49ers wide receiver J.J. Stokes.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Home Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 1 | Chicago Bears | 24–38 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | Bears–Packers rivalry |
Monday | September 8 | Kansas City Chiefs | 28–27 | Oakland Raiders | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | Chiefs–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | September 15 | Philadelphia Eagles | 20–21 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | Cowboys–Eagles rivalry |
Monday | September 22 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 21–30 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Alltel Stadium | |
Monday | September 29 | San Francisco 49ers | 34–21 | Carolina Panthers | Ericsson Stadium | |
Monday | October 6 | New England Patriots | 13–34 | Denver Broncos | Mile High Stadium | Broncos–Patriots rivalry |
Monday | October 13 | Dallas Cowboys | 16–21 | Washington Redskins | Jack Kent Cooke Stadium | Cowboys–Redskins rivalry |
Monday | October 20 | Buffalo Bills | 9–6 | Indianapolis Colts | RCA Dome | |
Monday | October 27 | Green Bay Packers | 28–10 | New England Patriots | Foxboro Stadium | Super Bowl XXXI rematch |
Chicago Bears | 36–33 | Miami Dolphins | Pro Player Stadium | |||
Monday | November 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 10–13 | Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | |
Monday | November 10 | San Francisco 49ers | 24–12 | Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | 1996 NFC Wild Card playoff rematch |
Monday | November 17 | Buffalo Bills | 13–30 | Miami Dolphins | Pro Player Stadium | Bills–Dolphins rivalry |
Monday | November 24 | Oakland Raiders | 3–31 | Denver Broncos | Mile High Stadium | Broncos–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | December 1 | Green Bay Packers | 27–11 | Minnesota Vikings | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | Packers–Vikings rivalry |
Monday | December 8 | Carolina Panthers | 23–13 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | 1996 NFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | December 15 | Denver Broncos | 17–34 | San Francisco 49ers | 3Com Park | Joe Montana’s jersey retirement night, and Jerry Rice’s much-anticipated return |
Monday | December 22 | New England Patriots | 14–12 | Miami Dolphins | Pro Player Stadium | Dolphins–Patriots rivalry |
Wild Card Saturday | December 27 | Minnesota Vikings | 23–22 | New York Giants | Giants Stadium | NFC No. 6 vs NFC No. 3 matchup |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 17–42 | Denver Broncos | Mile High Stadium | 1996 AFC Divisional playoff rematch AFC No. 5 vs AFC No. 4 matchup | ||
1998 Pro Bowl | February 1 | NFC | 24–29 | AFC | Aloha Stadium |
1998 NFL season[]
This season was notable because it featured the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the first time since 1983 when the team lost to the Green Bay Packers on December 12 of that year. The team played two Monday night games in 1998 losing to Detroit in Week 4 but beating Green Bay in Week 14. Ironically, the December 1983 game was the second and final Monday night game played at Tampa Stadium though ABC would air Super Bowl XXV played at the stadium. The December 7, 1998 game versus Green Bay was the first Monday night played at Raymond James Stadium and came just about 5 days shy of 15 years after the previous game hosted in Tampa.
The October 5th game between Minnesota and Green Bay proved to be the coming out moment for Wide Receiver Randy Moss. He caught 5 passes for 190 yards and 2 scores in the Minnesota victory.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Home Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 7 | New England Patriots | 21–27 | Denver Broncos | Mile High Stadium | Broncos–Patriots rivalry |
Monday | September 14 | San Francisco 49ers | 45–10 | Washington Redskins | Jack Kent Cooke Stadium | |
Monday | September 21 | Dallas Cowboys | 31–7 | New York Giants | Giants Stadium | Cowboys–Giants rivalry |
Monday | September 28 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 6–27 | Detroit Lions | Pontiac Silverdome | 1997 NFC Wild Card playoff rematch |
Monday | October 5 | Minnesota Vikings | 37–24 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | Packers–Vikings rivalry |
Monday | October 12 | Miami Dolphins | 21–28 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Alltel Stadium | |
Monday | October 19 | New York Jets | 24–14 | New England Patriots | Foxboro Stadium | Jets–Patriots rivalry |
Monday | October 26 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 20–13 | Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | |
Monday | November 2 | Dallas Cowboys | 34–0 | Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | Cowboys–Eagles rivalry |
Monday | November 9 | Green Bay Packers | 20–27 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Three Rivers Stadium | |
Monday | November 16 | Denver Broncos | 30–7 | Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | Broncos–Chiefs rivalry 1997 AFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | November 23 | Miami Dolphins | 23–26 | New England Patriots | Foxboro Stadium | Dolphins–Patriots rivalry 1997 AFC Wild Card playoff rematch |
Monday | November 30 | New York Giants | 7–31 | San Francisco 49ers | 3Com Park | 49ers–Giants rivalry |
Monday | December 7 | Green Bay Packers | 22–24 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Raymond James Stadium | 1997 NFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | December 14 | Detroit Lions | 13–34 | San Francisco 49ers | 3Com Park | |
Monday | December 21 | Denver Broncos | 21–31 | Miami Dolphins | Pro Player Stadium | |
Monday | December 28 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 3–20 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Alltel Stadium | |
Wild Card Saturday | January 2 | Buffalo Bills | 17–24 | Miami Dolphins | Pro Player Stadium | Bills–Dolphins rivalry AFC No. 5 vs AFC No. 4 matchup |
Arizona Cardinals | 20–7 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | NFC No. 6 vs NFC No. 3 matchup | ||
1999 Pro Bowl | February 7 | NFC | 10–23 | AFC | Aloha Stadium |
1999 NFL season[]
The September 27 game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Arizona Cardinals is remembered for Aeneas Williams' knockdown of Steve Young that resulted in a career-ending concussion.
The October 25 game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Pittsburgh Steelers was the last Monday night game played at Three Rivers Stadium.
2 days after the November 22nd game between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos, the world's first computer animated sequel, Toy Story 2 was released by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios.
The AFC Wild Card game on January 8 is remembered for a lateral on a kickoff return that gave the Titans the win. It is called the Music City Miracle.
Super Bowl XXXIV came down to the final play – Kevin Dyson of the Titans was stopped just short of the end zone, preserving the victory for the Rams.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Home Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 13 | Miami Dolphins | 38–21 | Denver Broncos | Mile High Stadium | 1998 AFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | September 20 | Atlanta Falcons | 7–24 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | |
Monday | September 27 | San Francisco 49ers | 24–10 | Arizona Cardinals | Sun Devil Stadium | |
Monday | October 4 | Buffalo Bills | 23–18 | Miami Dolphins | Pro Player Stadium | Bills–Dolphins rivalry 1998 AFC Wild Card playoff rematch |
Monday | October 11 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 16–6 | New York Jets | Giants Stadium | 1998 AFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | October 18 | Dallas Cowboys | 10–13 | New York Giants | Giants Stadium | Cowboys–Giants rivalry |
Monday | October 25 | Atlanta Falcons | 9–13 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Three Rivers Stadium | |
Monday | November 1 | Seattle Seahawks | 27–7 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | Packers–Seahawks rivalry |
Monday | November 8 | Dallas Cowboys | 17–27 | Minnesota Vikings | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | |
Monday | November 15 | New York Jets | 24–17 | New England Patriots | Foxboro Stadium | Jets–Patriots rivalry |
Monday | November 22 | Oakland Raiders | 21–27 | Denver Broncos | Mile High Stadium | Broncos–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | November 29 | Green Bay Packers | 20–3 | San Francisco 49ers | 3Com Park | 1998 NFC Wild Card playoff rematch |
Monday | December 6 | Minnesota Vikings | 17–24 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Raymond James Stadium | |
Monday | December 13 | Denver Broncos | 24–27 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Alltel Stadium | |
Monday | December 20 | Green Bay Packers | 20–24 | Minnesota Vikings | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | Packers–Vikings rivalry |
Monday | December 27 | New York Jets | 38–31 | Miami Dolphins | Pro Player Stadium | Dolphins–Jets rivalry |
Monday | January 3 | San Francisco 49ers | 29–34 | Atlanta Falcons | Georgia Dome | 1998 NFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Wild Card Saturday | January 8 | Buffalo Bills | 16–22 | Tennessee Titans | Adelphia Coliseum | AFC No. 5 vs AFC No. 4 matchup Music City Miracle |
Detroit Lions | 13–27 | Washington Redskins | Jack Kent Cooke Stadium | NFC No. 6 vs NFC No. 3 matchup | ||
Super Bowl XXXIV | January 30 | St. Louis Rams | 23–16 | Tennessee Titans | Georgia Dome | NFC No. 1 vs AFC No. 4 matchup |
2000 Pro Bowl | February 6 | NFC | 51–31 | AFC | Aloha Stadium |
2000s[]
2000 NFL season[]
The September 4 game marked the first MNF appearance for the previous season's Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams since moving from Los Angeles in 1995, and the first MNF game in St. Louis in fourteen years.
The week after that, the Jets hosted the Patriots – one full year before the September 11 attacks devastated New York City, among other places.
The September 25 game marked Colts quarterback Peyton Manning's debut in Monday Night Football.
The October 16 game was the first actual Monday night game in Nashville, making the Hank Williams Jr. opening theme even more appropriate as Nashville is a hotbed for country music, which Willams plays. This was also the first MNF game for the Titans since their move from Houston to Tennessee in 1997, at which time they were still known as the Oilers (they were renamed as the Titans in 1999).
The October 23 game between the Dolphins and the Jets featured "The Monday Night Miracle", when Vinny Testaverde led the Jets to 30 points in the fourth quarter to send the game to overtime. John Hall kicked the game-winning field goal, finishing the second-biggest comeback in NFL history.
In overtime of the November 6 game between the Vikings and the Packers, Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman slipped on the wet grass, while Vikings cornerback Cris Dishman deflected the pass at the 20-yard line. The ball bounced off Freeman's shoulder, he rolled over, and it fell into his chest and right hand without touching the ground. While Dishman agonized over what he thought should have been an interception, Freeman stood up and ran for the end zone, scoring the game-winning touchdown. The play was replayed and allowed. Al Michaels call on the game-winning play: "He did WHAT?"
The December 4 game between the Chiefs and Patriots at New England was the first Monday Night Football telecast at an outdoor Northern stadium after Thanksgiving. Previously, late-season prime time games were reserved for stadiums in the South or West Coast, or domed stadiums. Cold weather prime time telecasts became routine in later years.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Home Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 4 | Denver Broncos | 36–41 | St. Louis Rams | Trans World Dome | Last two Super Bowl Champions |
Monday | September 11 | New England Patriots | 19–20 | New York Jets | Giants Stadium | Jets–Patriots rivalry |
Monday | September 18 | Dallas Cowboys | 27–21 | Washington Redskins | FedExField | Cowboys–Redskins rivalry |
Monday | September 25 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 14–43 | Indianapolis Colts | RCA Dome | |
Monday | October 2 | Seattle Seahawks | 17–24 | Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | |
Monday | October 9 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 23–30 | Minnesota Vikings | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | |
Monday | October 16 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 13–27 | Tennessee Titans | Adelphia Coliseum | Jaguars–Titans rivalry 1999 AFC Championship Game rematch |
Monday | October 23 | Miami Dolphins | 37–40 | New York Jets | Giants Stadium | Dolphins–Jets rivalry Monday Night Miracle |
Monday | October 30 | Tennessee Titans | 27–21 | Washington Redskins | FedExField | |
Monday | November 6 | Minnesota Vikings | 20–26 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | Packers–Vikings rivalry |
Monday | November 13 | Oakland Raiders | 24–27 | Denver Broncos | Mile High Stadium | Broncos–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | November 20 | Washington Redskins | 33–20 | St. Louis Rams | Trans World Dome | |
Monday | November 27 | Green Bay Packers | 14–31 | Carolina Panthers | Ericsson Stadium | |
Monday | December 4 | Kansas City Chiefs | 24–30 | New England Patriots | Foxboro Stadium | |
Monday | December 11 | Buffalo Bills | 20–44 | Indianapolis Colts | RCA Dome | |
Monday | December 18 | St. Louis Rams | 35–38 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Raymond James Stadium | 1999 NFC Championship Game rematch |
Monday | December 25 | Dallas Cowboys | 0–31 | Tennessee Titans | Adelphia Coliseum | |
Wild Card Saturday | December 30 | Indianapolis Colts | 17–23 | Miami Dolphins | Pro Player Stadium | AFC No. 6 vs AFC No. 3 matchup |
St. Louis Rams | 28–31 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | NFC No. 6 vs NFC No. 3 matchup | ||
2001 Pro Bowl | February 4 | NFC | 17–38 | AFC | Aloha Stadium |
2001 NFL season[]
The September 17 game between the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens (what would have been the Ravens' first appearance on MNF and the first Monday night game to take place in the city of Baltimore since 1978) was rescheduled to January 7 as the entire slate of week 2 games were postponed after the September 11 terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and The Pentagon.
Coincidentally, the New York Giants played the Denver Broncos on the last game prior to the attacks, and that game was credited for saving lives since it ended after midnight in New York City.
The September 24 game was not only the first MNF game since the attacks, it was also a rematch of one of the most significant games in the program's history – 18 years before at Lambeau Field, the Redskins and Packers combined for 95 points, more than any other Monday night game before or since (the Packers won 48-47, on a last second Jan Stenerud field goal).
The October 1 game was the first Monday night game in the New York area since the attacks. A tribute to the rescue workers at the World Trade Center site was held before the game.
The October 29 game was the first Monday night game ever played at Heinz Field.
Denver Broncos kicker Jason Elam recorded the 20,000th point scored in MNF history when he kicked a field goal in the Broncos' 38-28 loss to the Oakland Raiders.
Due to Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve falling on Mondays in 2001, the NFL did not schedule games for those days. Instead, ABC aired Saturday night games on those weekends. The former weekend also had games on CBS and Fox that Saturday, marking one of the few times (until 2006) that three different over-the-air networks aired NFL games on the same day. In future seasons when Christmas Eve fell on a Monday, the matchup would feature two teams on the west coast.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Host Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 10 | New York Giants | 20–31 | Denver Broncos | Invesco Field at Mile High | |
Monday | September 24 | Washington Redskins | 0–37 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | |
Monday | October 1 | San Francisco 49ers | 19–17 | New York Jets | Giants Stadium | |
Monday | October 8 | St. Louis Rams | 35–0 | Detroit Lions | Pontiac Silverdome | |
Monday | October 15 | Washington Redskins | 7–9 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | Cowboys–Redskins rivalry |
Monday | October 22 | Philadelphia Eagles | 10–9 | New York Giants | Giants Stadium | Eagles–Giants rivalry 2000 NFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | October 29 | Tennessee Titans | 7–34 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Heinz Field | Steelers–Titans rivalry |
Monday | November 5 | Denver Broncos | 28–38 | Oakland Raiders | Network Associates Coliseum | Broncos–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | November 12 | Baltimore Ravens | 16–10 | Tennessee Titans | Adelphia Coliseum | Ravens–Titans rivalry 2000 AFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | November 19 | New York Giants | 16–28 | Minnesota Vikings | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | 2000 NFC Championship Game rematch |
Monday | November 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 24–17 | St. Louis Rams | Edward Jones Dome | |
Monday | December 3 | Green Bay Packers | 28–21 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Alltel Stadium | |
Monday | December 10 | Indianapolis Colts | 6–41 | Miami Dolphins | Pro Player Stadium | 2000 AFC Wild Card playoff rematch |
Monday | December 17 | St. Louis Rams | 34–21 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | 2000 NFC Wild Card playoff rematch |
Saturday | December 22 | Tennessee Titans | 13–10 | Oakland Raiders | Network Associates Coliseum | |
Saturday | December 29 | Baltimore Ravens | 10–22 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Raymond James Stadium | |
Monday | January 7 | Minnesota Vikings | 3–19 | Baltimore Ravens | PSINet Stadium | |
Wild Card Saturday | January 12 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 9–31 | Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | 2000 NFC Wild Card playoff rematch NFC No. 6 vs NFC No. 3 matchup |
New York Jets | 24–38 | Oakland Raiders | Network Associates Coliseum | AFC No. 6 vs AFC No. 3 matchup | ||
2002 Pro Bowl | February 9 | AFC | 38–30 | NFC | Aloha Stadium |
2002 NFL season[]
During the October 14 game between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, wide receiver Terrell Owens pulled out a Sharpie following a touchdown and autographed the football.
At halftime of the October 28 game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles, the last of the fourteen clues from the television series Push, Nevada was revealed. By taking the appropriate letters (5th, 1st, 9th, 1st, 5th, 7th, 4th, 1st, 2nd, 7th, 5th, and 2nd) from twelve of those clues, the world "VONGEYELNAIL" was formed. Replacing the 5th, 6th, and 7th letters in the word would change it to "VONGILNAIL", translating it into the phone number 1 (866) 445-6245. The first person to call that number, Mark Nakamoto, won the grand prize of $1,045,000.
The November 11 game between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos marked the 500th Monday Night game. In commemoration, ABC used various themes and images of varied opens during commercial bumpers.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Host Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 9 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 14–30 | New England Patriots | Gillette Stadium | 2001 AFC Championship Game rematch |
Monday | September 16 | Philadelphia Eagles | 37–7 | Washington Redskins | FedExField | Eagles–Redskins rivalry |
Monday | September 23 | St. Louis Rams | 14–26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Raymond James Stadium | |
Monday | September 30 | Denver Broncos | 23–34 | Baltimore Ravens | M&T Bank Stadium | |
Monday | October 7 | Green Bay Packers | 34–21 | Chicago Bears | Memorial Stadium | Bears–Packers rivalry |
Monday | October 14 | San Francisco 49ers | 28–21 | Seattle Seahawks | Seahawks Stadium | 49ers–Seahawks rivalry |
Monday | October 21 | Indianapolis Colts | 10–28 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Heinz Field | |
Monday | October 28 | New York Giants | 3–17 | Philadelphia Eagles | Veterans Stadium | Eagles–Giants rivalry |
Monday | November 4 | Miami Dolphins | 10–24 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | |
Monday | November 11 | Oakland Raiders | 34–10 | Denver Broncos | Invesco Field at Mile High | Broncos–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | November 18 | Chicago Bears | 16–21 | St. Louis Rams | Edward Jones Dome | |
Monday | November 25 | Philadelphia Eagles | 38–17 | San Francisco 49ers | 3Com Park | |
Monday | December 2 | New York Jets | 20–26 | Oakland Raiders | Network Associates Coliseum | 2001 AFC Wild Card playoff rematch |
Monday | December 9 | Chicago Bears | 9–27 | Miami Dolphins | Pro Player Stadium | |
Monday | December 16 | New England Patriots | 7–24 | Tennessee Titans | Adelphia Coliseum | |
Monday | December 23 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 17–7 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Raymond James Stadium | |
Monday | December 30 | San Francisco 49ers | 20–31 | St. Louis Rams | Edward Jones Dome | 49ers–Rams rivalry |
Wild Card Saturday | January 4 | Indianapolis Colts | 0–41 | New York Jets | Giants Stadium | AFC No. 5 vs AFC No. 4 matchup |
Atlanta Falcons | 27–7 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | NFC No. 6 vs NFC No. 3 matchup | ||
Super Bowl XXXVII | January 26 | Oakland Raiders | 21–48 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Qualcomm Stadium | AFC No. 1 vs NFC No. 2 matchup |
2003 Pro Bowl | February 4 | NFC | 20–45 | AFC | Aloha Stadium |
2003 NFL season[]
Under a new NFL policy, the NFL officially adopted a Thursday night game to open the season (something that was done for the first time the previous season), and no Monday night game in Week 17. The change was designed to maximize opportunities for scheduling between Week 17 and the opening week of the playoffs; in this way, no team could be disadvantaged by potentially having only four days between their final regular season game and a playoff game. Also, the ratings for the last game of the regular season were often low, and the game usually had no playoff meaning (the most likely reason for the scheduling move). To compensate for losing the opening night game (which was successful enough to be upgraded from cable to network television after only one year), ESPN got the Week 17 game that used to be on Monday Night, and aired it on Saturday.
The season saw two improbable comebacks occur. The Giants led their game with the Cowboys 32-29 with 10 seconds left. An out-of-bounds kickoff allowed Dallas to quickly get into field goal position and force overtime. Dallas' Billy Cundiff tied an NFL record with seven field goals as the Cowboys won 35-32. Three weeks later, Indianapolis trailed Tampa Bay 35-14 with 3:43 remaining. They scored three touchdowns in the closing minutes and won 38-35 in overtime after an unsportsmanlike "leaping" call negated a field goal miss by the Colts. Ironically, Simeon Rice, the player charged with "leaping", would later play for the Colts in 2007.
The Buccaneers-Eagles game was the very first regular season game at Lincoln Financial Field, the third straight year that MNF opened with a stadium's first ever regular season game (following Invesco Field in 2001 and Gillette Stadium in 2002).
The Packers—Bears game was the first played at newly-renovated Soldier Field in 20 months, since a divisional playoff game on January 19, 2002, when the Bears lost to the Eagles. The Bears played their 2002 season in Champaign, Illinois.
The Dolphins–Chargers game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona because the Cedar Fire in California forced evacuees to Qualcomm Stadium. Ironically, this was supposed to be the homecoming for former Chargers linebacker Junior Seau, who was playing for Miami at the time.
All AFC West teams appeared on the program in a span of three weeks: the Chiefs played at the Raiders on October 20, the aforementioned Dolphins-Chargers game, and the Patriots-Broncos game on November 3. It was the first time since the realignment that MNF featured all of a division's teams in a 3-week span.
The Packers–Raiders game was played the day after the death of the father of quarterback Brett Favre. In an inspiring performance, Favre threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns in the Packers' rout.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Host Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thursday | September 4 | New York Jets | 13–16 | Washington Redskins | FedExField | |
Monday | September 8 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 17–0 | Philadelphia Eagles | Lincoln Financial Field | 2002 NFC Championship Game rematch |
Monday | September 15 | Dallas Cowboys | 35–32 | New York Giants | Giants Stadium | Cowboys–Giants rivalry |
Monday | September 22 | Oakland Raiders | 10–31 | Denver Broncos | Invesco Field at Mile High | Broncos–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | September 29 | Green Bay Packers | 38–23 | Chicago Bears | Soldier Field | Bears–Packers rivalry |
Monday | October 6 | Indianapolis Colts | 38–35 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Raymond James Stadium | |
Monday | October 13 | Atlanta Falcons | 0–36 | St. Louis Rams | Edward Jones Dome | |
Monday | October 20 | Kansas City Chiefs | 17–10 | Oakland Raiders | McAfee Coliseum | Chiefs–Raiders rivalry |
Monday | October 27 | Miami Dolphins | 26–10 | San Diego Chargers | Sun Devil Stadium | |
Monday | November 3 | New England Patriots | 30–26 | Denver Broncos | Invesco Field at Mile High | Broncos–Patriots rivalry |
Monday | November 10 | Philadelphia Eagles | 17–14 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | |
Monday | November 17 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 14–30 | San Francisco 49ers | 3Com Park | |
Monday | November 24 | New York Giants | 13–19 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Raymond James Stadium | |
Monday | December 1 | Tennessee Titans | 17–24 | New York Jets | Giants Stadium | |
Monday | December 8 | St. Louis Rams | 26–20 | Cleveland Browns | Cleveland Browns Stadium | |
Monday | December 15 | Philadelphia Eagles | 34–27 | Miami Dolphins | Pro Player Stadium | |
Monday | December 22 | Green Bay Packers | 41–7 | Oakland Raiders | McAfee Coliseum | |
Wild Card Saturday | January 3 | Tennessee Titans | 20–17 | Baltimore Ravens | M&T Bank Stadium | Ravens–Titans rivalry AFC No. 5 vs AFC No. 4 matchup |
Dallas Cowboys | 10–29 | Carolina Panthers | Ericsson Stadium | NFC No. 6 vs NFC No. 3 matchup |
2004 NFL season[]
The Eagles–Cowboys game drew controversy when ABC aired a risqué pregame skit featuring Eagles receiver Terrell Owens and Desperate Housewives actress Nicollette Sheridan. Owens caught three touchdowns in the game.
The Cincinnati Bengals played their first MNF game since 1992.
The Miami Dolphins pulled off a classic upset over the New England Patriots on December 20. Trailing 17-28 with 3:59 left, the Dolphins drove 68 yards to score on Sammy Morris' 1-yard run with 2:07 remaining, and then on a third down play, Tom Brady threw as he was being sacked by Jason Taylor. The ill-advised, off-balance pass sailed directly to linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, giving Miami a first down at the Patriots' 21 with 1:45 to go. Three plays later, A. J. Feeley threw for the game-winning score, a 21-yard pass to Derrius Thompson on fourth-and-10 with 1:23 left. The Dolphins wore orange jerseys for only the second time in team history.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Host Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thursday | September 9 | Indianapolis Colts | 24–27 | New England Patriots | Gillette Stadium | Colts–Patriots rivalry Tom Brady–Peyton Manning rivalry 2003 AFC Championship Game rematch |
Monday | September 13 | Green Bay Packers | 24–14 | Carolina Panthers | Bank of America Stadium | |
Monday | September 20 | Minnesota Vikings | 16–27 | Philadelphia Eagles | Lincoln Financial Field | |
Monday | September 27 | Dallas Cowboys | 21–18 | Washington Redskins | FedExField | Cowboys–Redskins rivalry |
Monday | October 4 | Kansas City Chiefs | 27–24 | Baltimore Ravens | M&T Bank Stadium | |
Monday | October 11 | Tennessee Titans | 48–27 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | |
Monday | October 18 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 21–28 | St. Louis Rams | Edward Jones Dome | |
Monday | October 25 | Denver Broncos | 10–23 | Cincinnati Bengals | Paul Brown Stadium | |
Monday | November 1 | Miami Dolphins | 14–41 | New York Jets | Giants Stadium | Dolphins–Jets rivalry |
Monday | November 8 | Minnesota Vikings | 28–31 | Indianapolis Colts | RCA Dome | |
Monday | November 15 | Philadelphia Eagles | 49–21 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | Cowboys–Eagles rivalry |
Monday | November 22 | New England Patriots | 27–19 | Kansas City Chiefs | Arrowhead Stadium | |
Monday | November 29 | St. Louis Rams | 17–45 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | |
Monday | December 6 | Dallas Cowboys | 43–39 | Seattle Seahawks | Qwest Field | |
Monday | December 13 | Kansas City Chiefs | 49–38 | Tennessee Titans | Adelphia Coliseum | |
Monday | December 20 | New England Patriots | 28–29 | Miami Dolphins | Pro Player Stadium | Dolphins–Patriots rivalry |
Monday | December 27 | Philadelphia Eagles | 7–20 | St. Louis Rams | Edward Jones Dome | |
Wild Card Saturday | January 8 | St. Louis Rams | 27–20 | Seattle Seahawks | Qwest Field | NFC No. 5 vs NFC No. 4 matchup |
New York Jets | 20–17 | San Diego Chargers | Qualcomm Stadium | AFC No. 5 vs AFC No. 4 matchup |
2005 NFL season[]
This marked the final season for Monday Night Football on ABC. An impromptu doubleheader was scheduled on September 19 when the New Orleans Saints scheduled Sunday home opener with the New York Giants was rescheduled due to Hurricane Katrina's extensive damage to the Louisiana Superdome. The game was moved to the Giants' home field at Giants Stadium for Monday night with a special start time of 7:30 P.M. EDT, though the Giants were still the road team. (Usually, the only time the Giants are the road team in their own stadium is when they play the New York Jets.) ABC held a telethon to raise money for victims of the hurricane during the broadcast. At 9:00 P.M., ABC viewers outside New York and New Orleans moved to the Redskins-Cowboys game, while the Giants-Saints game aired on ESPN (the inverse was true for the New York and New Orleans markets). This could be considered the pilot episode of the ESPN series as well. When the Giants-Saints game was over, the New York and New Orleans markets were switched to the Redskins-Cowboys for the conclusion of that game.
The record for largest Monday Night victory was tied and later broken during the season. The Seattle Seahawks 42-0 win over Philadelphia tied the record set in the Miami Dolphins' 45-3 victory over the New York Jets in 1986. Two weeks later, the Baltimore Ravens bested the margin in their win over the Green Bay Packers, crushing them 48-3. The Seattle win over Philadelphia was in the midst of a bad season for the Eagles and ended up leading to NBC getting flexible scheduling built into its Sunday Night Football schedules.
The Atlanta Falcons became the first team to win three home games on Monday night, beating the Eagles, Jets, and Saints. The final Monday Night Football game on ABC saw the New England Patriots beat the Jets 31-21; this was the same score the Jets were defeated by in the very first MNF telecast, when they played the Cleveland Browns.
ABC's final NFL broadcast, Super Bowl XL, was plagued by controversial calls made by officials. The calls later reviewed by the NFL were all found to have merit; therefore not changing the outcome of the game. Had the Seahawks won, they would have been one of a handful of teams to beat both Pennsylvania-based NFL teams on ABC in the same season.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Host Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Thursday | September 8 | Oakland Raiders | 20–30 | New England Patriots | Gillette Stadium | |
Monday | September 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | 10–14 | Atlanta Falcons | Georgia Dome | 2004 NFC Championship Game rematch |
Monday | September 19 | New York Giants | 27–10 | New Orleans Saints | Giants Stadium | |
Washington Redskins | 14–13 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | Cowboys–Redskins rivalry | ||
Monday | September 26 | Kansas City Chiefs | 10–30 | Denver Broncos | Invesco Field at Mile High | Broncos–Chiefs rivalry |
Monday | October 3 | Green Bay Packers | 29–32 | Carolina Panthers | Bank of America Stadium | |
Monday | October 10 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 24–22 | San Diego Chargers | Qualcomm Stadium | |
Monday | October 17 | St. Louis Rams | 28–45 | Indianapolis Colts | RCA Dome | |
Monday | October 24 | New York Jets | 14–27 | Atlanta Falcons | Georgia Dome | |
Monday | October 31 | Baltimore Ravens | 19–20 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Heinz Field | Ravens–Steelers rivalry |
Monday | November 7 | Indianapolis Colts | 40–21 | New England Patriots | Gillette Stadium | Colts–Patriots rivalry Tom Brady–Peyton Manning rivalry 2004 AFC Divisional playoff rematch |
Monday | November 14 | Dallas Cowboys | 21–20 | Philadelphia Eagles | Lincoln Financial Field | Cowboys–Eagles rivalry |
Monday | November 21 | Minnesota Vikings | 20–17 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | Packers–Vikings rivalry 2004 NFC Wild Card playoff rematch |
Monday | November 28 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 7–26 | Indianapolis Colts | RCA Dome | |
Monday | December 5 | Seattle Seahawks | 42–0 | Philadelphia Eagles | Lincoln Financial Field | |
Monday | December 12 | New Orleans Saints | 17–36 | Atlanta Falcons | Georgia Dome | Falcons–Saints rivalry |
Monday | December 19 | Green Bay Packers | 3–48 | Baltimore Ravens | M&T Bank Stadium | |
Monday | December 26 | New England Patriots | 31–21 | New York Jets | Giants Stadium | Jets–Patriots rivalry |
Wild Card Saturday | January 7 | Washington Redskins | 17–10 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Raymond James Stadium | NFC No. 6 vs NFC No. 3 matchup |
Jacksonville Jaguars | 3–28 | New England Patriots | Gillette Stadium | AFC No. 5 vs AFC No. 4 matchup | ||
Super Bowl XL | February 5 | Seattle Seahawks | 10–21 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Ford Field | NFC No. 1 vs AFC No. 6 matchup |
2006 NFL season[]
This marked the first season of Monday night games broadcast on ESPN. The season began with the first-ever scheduled Monday night doubleheader. The Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Redskins had the honor of playing ESPN's first ever telecast with the Vikings winning the game in a defensive battle. San Diego shutout the Oakland Raiders in the night cap.
September 25 saw the New Orleans Saints return to the Louisiana Superdome for the first time since Hurricane Katrina. The game was preceded by musical performances by the Goo Goo Dolls, Green Day, and U2.
The October 23 game between the Giants and Cowboys became the highest-rated program in the history of cable television, being watched by over 16 million people.[6]
The December 25 match between the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins was the second game of the day as NBC aired a game between Dallas and Philadelphia. This marked the first time since 1997 both networks aired a game on the same day.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Host Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 11 | Minnesota Vikings | 19–16 | Washington Redskins | FedExField | |
San Diego Chargers | 27–0 | Oakland Raiders | McAfee Coliseum | Chargers–Raiders rivalry | ||
Monday | September 18 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 0–9 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Alltel Stadium | |
Monday | September 25 | Atlanta Falcons | 3–23 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | Falcons–Saints rivalry |
Monday | October 2 | Green Bay Packers | 9–31 | Philadelphia Eagles | Lincoln Financial Field | |
Monday | October 9 | Baltimore Ravens | 3–13 | Denver Broncos | Invesco Field at Mile High | |
Monday | October 16 | Chicago Bears | 24–23 | Arizona Cardinals | University of Phoenix Stadium | |
Monday | October 23 | New York Giants | 36–22 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | Cowboys–Giants rivalry |
Monday | October 30 | New England Patriots | 31–7 | Minnesota Vikings | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | |
Monday | November 6 | Oakland Raiders | 0–16 | Seattle Seahawks | Qwest Field | |
Monday | November 13 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 10–24 | Carolina Panthers | Bank of America Stadium | Buccaneers–Panthers rivalry |
Monday | November 20 | New York Giants | 10–26 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Alltel Stadium | |
Monday | November 27 | Green Bay Packers | 24–34 | Seattle Seahawks | Qwest Field | Packers–Seahawks rivalry |
Monday | December 4 | Carolina Panthers | 24–27 | Philadelphia Eagles | Lincoln Financial Field | |
Monday | December 11 | Chicago Bears | 42–27 | St. Louis Rams | Edward Jones Dome | |
Monday | December 18 | Cincinnati Bengals | 16–34 | Indianapolis Colts | RCA Dome | |
Monday | December 25 | New York Jets | 13–10 | Miami Dolphins | Dolphin Stadium | Dolphins–Jets rivalry |
U.S. television ratings[]
Viewer numbers (based on average total viewers per episode) of Monday Night Football on ESPN. All times Eastern.
With the exception of the September 11, 2006 Chargers–Raiders game, Monday Night Football was the most-watched program on cable until the premiere of High School Musical 2 which had 17 million viewers, breaking Monday Night Football's record of 16 million. The "It would have ranked..." column indicated what Monday Night Football would have ranked in the respective weekly viewer rankings, if it were ranked among the programs that aired on the main broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and The CW).
Date | Timeslot | Score | Viewers Total (in millions) |
It would have ranked... |
---|---|---|---|---|
September 11, 2006 | Monday 7:00PM | Minnesota Vikings 19 Washington Redskins 16 |
12.6[7] | #10 |
Monday 10:22PM | San Diego Chargers 27 Oakland Raiders 0 |
10.5[7] | #14 | |
September 18, 2006 | Monday 8:30PM | Pittsburgh Steelers 0 Jacksonville Jaguars 9 |
13.3[8] | #21 |
September 25, 2006 | Atlanta Falcons 3 New Orleans Saints 23 |
14.9[9] | #14 | |
October 2, 2006 | Green Bay Packers 9 Philadelphia Eagles 31 |
12.9[10] | #27 | |
October 9, 2006 | Baltimore Ravens 3 Denver Broncos 13 |
12.5[11] | #27 | |
October 16, 2006 | Chicago Bears 24 Arizona Cardinals 23 |
14.2[12] | #19 | |
October 23, 2006 | New York Giants 36 Dallas Cowboys 22 |
16.0[6] | #14 | |
October 30, 2006 | New England Patriots 31 Minnesota Vikings 7 |
11.9[13] | #29 | |
November 6, 2006 | Oakland Raiders 0 Seattle Seahawks 16 |
9.9[14] | #39 | |
November 13, 2006 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10 Carolina Panthers 24 |
9.6 | #39 | |
November 20, 2006 | New York Giants 10 Jacksonville Jaguars 26 |
11.0 | #31 | |
November 27, 2006 | Green Bay Packers 24 Seattle Seahawks 34 |
12.7 | #24 | |
December 4, 2006 | Carolina Panthers 24 Philadelphia Eagles 27 |
10.5 | #25 | |
December 11, 2006 | Chicago Bears 42 St. Louis Rams 27 |
11.2 | #20 | |
December 18, 2006 | Cincinnati Bengals 16 Indianapolis Colts 34 |
14.2 | #3 | |
December 25, 2006 | New York Jets 13 Miami Dolphins 10 |
11.1 | #7 |
According to ESPN.com news services, ESPN's telecast of the New York Giants' 36-22 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday, October 23, 2006 was viewed by the largest audience in cable history.
The game, featuring two of the NFL's biggest rivals, was seen in an average of 11,807,000 homes, based on a 12.8 rating. That translates to 16,028,000 viewers (a cable ratings point represents 923,000 households).
The previous record for cable television was the debate over the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in November 1993, between then-vice president Al Gore and Ross Perot, [which aired on CNN's Larry King Live]."[6]
We've never believed the acronyms NAFTA and MNF belonged in the same sentence, and we're thrilled to have established MNF as the home of cable's biggest audience ever, said Norby! Williamson, ESPN executive vice president for studio and remote production. "That fans have responded with the record is very rewarding and a vivid reminder of the power of Monday Night Football."[6]
The nine most-watched programs ever on ESPN (as well as being 9 of the top 10 most-watched programs ever on cable, excluding breaking news[6]) are:
- the aforementioned October 23 game between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys (16.028 million viewers),[6]
- the September 25 game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints (14.9 million viewers),[9]
- the October 16 game between the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals (14.23 million viewers),[12]
- the December 16 game between the Cincinnati Bengals and the Indianapolis Colts (14.22 million viewers),
- the September 18 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Jacksonville Jaguars (13.3 million viewers),[8]
- the October 2 game between the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles (12.9 million viewers),[10]
- the November 27 game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks (12.7 million viewers),
- the first ever Monday Night Football game on ESPN – the September 11 game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Redskins (12.6 million viewers).[7]
- and, the October 9 game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos (12.5 million viewers),[11] which attracted more viewers, during the television week of October 9–15, 2006, than NBC's Sunday Night Football Raiders–Broncos matchup on October 15, 2006.[15]
2007 NFL season[]
The November 26 Miami Dolphins–Pittsburgh Steelers contest was the lowest-scoring game in Monday Night Football's 38-year history; it threatened to become the first scoreless NFL game since 1943 until just 17 seconds remaining, when Steelers kicker Jeff 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 linebacker Joey Porter to Pittsburgh where he won a Super Bowl with the Steelers in 2005.)
The December 3 New England Patriots–Baltimore Ravens game finished with 17.5 million viewers, topping the debut of corporate sibling Disney Channel's premiere of the High School Musical 2 movie as the highest-rated cable television program of all-time.
The October 29 game marked the Packers' first win in Denver after losing their previous 7 games.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Host Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 10 | Baltimore Ravens | 20–27 | Cincinnati Bengals | Paul Brown Stadium | Bengals–Ravens rivalry |
Arizona Cardinals | 17–20 | San Francisco 49ers | Monster Park | |||
Monday | September 17 | Washington Redskins | 20–12 | Philadelphia Eagles | Lincoln Financial Field | Eagles–Redskins rivalry |
Monday | September 24 | Tennessee Titans | 31–14 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | |
Monday | October 1 | New England Patriots | 34–13 | Cincinnati Bengals | Paul Brown Stadium | |
Monday | October 8 | Dallas Cowboys | 25–24 | Buffalo Bills | Ralph Wilson Stadium | |
Monday | October 15 | New York Giants | 31–10 | Atlanta Falcons | Georgia Dome | |
Monday | October 22 | Indianapolis Colts | 29–7 | Jacksonville Jaguars | Jacksonville Municipal Stadium | |
Monday | October 29 | Green Bay Packers | 19–13 | Denver Broncos | Invesco Field at Mile High | Super Bowl XXXII rematch |
Monday | November 5 | Baltimore Ravens | 7–38 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Heinz Field | Ravens–Steelers rivalry |
Monday | November 12 | San Francisco 49ers | 0–24 | Seattle Seahawks | Qwest Field | 49ers–Seahawks rivalry |
Monday | November 19 | Tennessee Titans | 20–34 | Denver Broncos | Invesco Field at Mile High | |
Monday | November 26 | Miami Dolphins | 0–3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Heinz Field | |
Monday | December 3 | New England Patriots | 27–24 | Baltimore Ravens | M&T Bank Stadium | Patriots–Ravens rivalry |
Monday | December 10 | New Orleans Saints | 34–14 | Atlanta Falcons | Georgia Dome | Falcons–Saints rivalry |
Monday | December 17 | Chicago Bears | 13–20 | Minnesota Vikings | Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome | Bears–Vikings rivalry |
Monday | December 24 | Denver Broncos | 3–23 | San Diego Chargers | Qualcomm Stadium | Broncos–Chargers rivalry |
2008 NFL season[]
On September 8, Aaron Rodgers debuted as the starting quarterback for the Packers in their victory over the Vikings. It was the first game since September 20, 1992 in which Brett Favre was not the team's starter.
The September 15 game was the highest combined score in the 98 meetings between the Eagles and Cowboys, and the second-highest score in the first half of any MNF game. The game drew 18.6 million viewers, the most-watched MNF game on ESPN and the most-watched cable television broadcast in history. The game was also the last MNF game for Texas Stadium as the Cowboys would move into Cowboys Stadium the next season.
The December 1 game was the Texans' first MNF game in franchise history and the first MNF game in Houston since 1994.
The temperature at kickoff for the December 22 game was 2 degrees, making it the coldest game in the history of Monday Night Football and the coldest NFL game ever played in Chicago.[16] Before 2000, Monday night games in December or January were played in the South, the West Coast, or domed stadiums to avoid extreme cold.
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Host Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 8 | Minnesota Vikings | 19–24 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | Packers–Vikings rivalry |
Denver Broncos | 41–14 | Oakland Raiders | McAfee Coliseum | Broncos–Raiders rivalry | ||
Monday | September 15 | Philadelphia Eagles | 37–41 | Dallas Cowboys | Texas Stadium | Cowboys–Eagles rivalry |
Monday | September 22 | New York Jets | 29–48 | San Diego Chargers | Qualcomm Stadium | |
Monday | September 29 | Baltimore Ravens | 20–23 | Pittsburgh Steelers | Heinz Field | Ravens–Steelers rivalry |
Monday | October 6 | Minnesota Vikings | 30–27 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | |
Monday | October 13 | New York Giants | 14–35 | Cleveland Browns | Cleveland Browns Stadium | |
Monday | October 20 | Denver Broncos | 7–41 | New England Patriots | Gillette Stadium | Broncos–Patriots rivalry |
Monday | October 27 | Indianapolis Colts | 21–31 | Tennessee Titans | LP Field | |
Monday | November 3 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 23–6 | Washington Redskins | FedExField | |
Monday | November 10 | San Francisco 49ers | 24–29 | Arizona Cardinals | University of Phoenix Stadium | |
Monday | November 17 | Cleveland Browns | 29–27 | Buffalo Bills | Ralph Wilson Stadium | |
Monday | November 24 | Green Bay Packers | 29–51 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | |
Monday | December 1 | Jacksonville Jaguars | 13–30 | Houston Texans | Reliant Stadium | |
Monday | December 8 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 23–38 | Carolina Panthers | Bank of America Stadium | Buccaneers–Panthers rivalry |
Monday | December 15 | Cleveland Browns | 10–30 | Philadelphia Eagles | Lincoln Financial Field | |
Monday | December 22 | Green Bay Packers | 17–20 | Chicago Bears | Soldier Field | Bears–Packers rivalry |
2009 NFL season[]
The September 28 game between the Carolina Panthers and the Dallas Cowboys was the first time Cowboys Stadium (now AT&T Stadium) hosted a Monday night game.
The next week featured the Minnesota Vikings hosting the Green Bay Packers marked the first time quarterback Brett 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 end Jared 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 in Minneapolis and a 49.7 rating in Green Bay. In addition, the game averaged 21.8 million viewers which made the game the highest rated program in cable television history. In second place was Week 12's hyped matchup between the undefeated New Orleans Saints and New England Patriots which averaged 21.4 million viewers.[17][18]
Day | Date | Visiting Team | Final Score | Host Team | Stadium | Significance |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Monday | September 14 | Buffalo Bills | 24–25 | New England Patriots | Gillette Stadium | Bills–Patriots rivalry |
San Diego Chargers | 24–20 | Oakland Raiders | Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum | Chargers–Raiders rivalry | ||
Monday | September 21 | Indianapolis Colts | 27–23 | Miami Dolphins | Land Shark Stadium | |
Monday | September 28 | Carolina Panthers | 7–21 | Dallas Cowboys | Cowboys Stadium | |
Monday | October 5 | Green Bay Packers | 23–30 | Minnesota Vikings | Mall of America Field | Packers–Vikings rivalry |
Monday | October 12 | New York Jets | 27–31 | Miami Dolphins | Land Shark Stadium | Dolphins–Jets rivalry |
Monday | October 19 | Denver Broncos | 34–23 | San Diego Chargers | Qualcomm Stadium | Broncos–Chargers rivalry |
Monday | October 26 | Philadelphia Eagles | 27–17 | Washington Redskins | FedExField | Eagles–Redskins rivalry |
Monday | November 2 | Atlanta Falcons | 27–35 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | Falcons–Saints rivalry |
Monday | November 9 | Pittsburgh Steelers | 28–10 | Denver Broncos | Invesco Field at Mile High | |
Monday | November 16 | Baltimore Ravens | 16–0 | Cleveland Browns | Cleveland Browns Stadium | Browns–Ravens rivalry |
Monday | November 23 | Tennessee Titans | 20–17 | Houston Texans | Reliant Stadium | Texans–Titans rivalry |
Monday | November 30 | New England Patriots | 17–38 | New Orleans Saints | Louisiana Superdome | |
Monday | December 7 | Baltimore Ravens | 14–27 | Green Bay Packers | Lambeau Field | |
Monday | December 14 | Arizona Cardinals | 9–24 | San Francisco 49ers | Candlestick Park | |
Monday | December 21 | New York Giants | 45–12 | Washington Redskins | FedExField | Giants–Redskins rivalry |
Monday | December 28 | Minnesota Vikings | 30–36 | Chicago Bears | Soldier Field | Bears–Vikings rivalry |
Team Standings (1990–2009)[]
The postseason games, though covered by the ABC Monday Night Football team, are excluded from the standings.
Team | Games | Won | Lost | Pct. |
---|---|---|---|---|
Indianapolis Colts | 19 | 12 | 7 | .632 |
Kansas City Chiefs | 24 | 13 | 11 | .542 |
Pittsburgh Steelers | 33 | 24 | 9 | .727 |
New York Jets | 19 | 8 | 11 | .421 |
San Diego Chargers | 14 | 8 | 6 | .571 |
Dallas Cowboys | 36 | 23 | 13 | .639 |
Philadelphia Eagles | 35 | 20 | 15 | .571 |
New York Giants | 26 | 11 | 15 | .423 |
San Francisco 49ers | 38 | 26 | 12 | .684 |
Denver Broncos | 37 | 16 | 21 | .432 |
Atlanta Falcons | 15 | 4 | 11 | .267 |
Chicago Bears | 25 | 10 | 15 | .400 |
Seattle Seahawks | 10 | 7 | 3 | .700 |
Green Bay Packers | 38 | 20 | 18 | .526 |
Arizona Cardinals | 6 | 1 | 5 | .167 |
Washington Redskins | 26 | 9 | 17 | .346 |
New England Patriots | 25 | 15 | 10 | .600 |
Miami Dolphins | 37 | 16 | 21 | .432 |
Oakland Raiders[a] | 30 | 9 | 21 | .300 |
Cleveland Browns | 11 | 4 | 7 | .364 |
Cincinnati Bengals | 9 | 3 | 6 | .333 |
Tennessee Titans[b] | 22 | 12 | 10 | .545 |
New Orleans Saints | 18 | 8 | 10 | .444 |
Buffalo Bills | 23 | 11 | 12 | .478 |
St. Louis Rams[c] | 20 | 9 | 11 | .450 |
Minnesota Vikings | 28 | 14 | 14 | .500 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 15 | 8 | 7 | .533 |
Detroit Lions | 10 | 4 | 6 | .400 |
Carolina Panthers[d] | 9 | 5 | 4 | .556 |
Jacksonville Jaguars[e] | 12 | 7 | 5 | .583 |
Baltimore Ravens[f] | 14 | 5 | 9 | .357 |
Houston Texans[g] | 2 | 1 | 1 | .500 |
See also[]
- Monday Night Football results (1970–1989)
- Monday Night Football results (2010–present)
- NBC Sunday Night Football results (2006–present)
- NFL Network Run to the Playoffs results (2006–present)
References[]
- Total Football II,, Edited by Bob Carroll, Michael Gershman, David Neft and John Thorn, Harper Collins Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-06-270174-6.
- ^ Kansas City Chiefs Archived 2008-05-30 at the Wayback Machine Year-by-year record
- ^ Mansfield, Pennsylvania – It happened one night – First Football under lights – Mansfield PA 1892
- ^ https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199409120phi.htm
- ^ http://milwaukeerecord.com/sports/man-catches-extra-point-mike-pantazis-story/
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sDBB9WPAnCs
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e f "Giants-Cowboys draws largest cable audience". ESPN. October 25, 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-26.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c Crupi, Anthony (September 19, 2006). "NFL Coverage Lifts ESPN to Top". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2006.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Crupi, Anthony (September 19, 2006). "Steelers vs. Jaguars Tops ESPN's Ratings". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2006.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Consoli, John (September 27, 2006). "Saints Opener Draws ESPN's Largest Audience". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2006.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Crupi, Anthony (October 10, 2006). "ESPN Beats TNT in Weekly Ratings". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on October 13, 2006. Retrieved October 14, 2006.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Crupi, Anthony (October 17, 2006). "MNF Lifts ESPN to Top of Cable Ratings Heap". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007. Retrieved October 18, 2006.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Crupi, Anthony (October 24, 2006). "Disney Beats ESPN to Lead Cable Ratings". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2006-10-26.
- ^ Crupi, Anthony (November 8, 2006). "ESPN Leads the Cable Ratings Pack". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on October 8, 2007. Retrieved 2006-11-15.
- ^ "ESPN Holds Top Spot in Weekly Cable Ratings". Mediaweek. November 14, 2006. Retrieved 2006-11-15.[dead link]
- ^ Berman, Marc (October 18, 2006). "The Programming Insider". Mediaweek. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved 2006-10-26.
- ^ http://www.nwherald.com/2008/12/23/bears-notes-team-plays-coldest-chicago-pro-football-game/afju2me/
- ^ http://thesportsdaddy.com/monday-night-football-ratings-2009-favre-draws-huge-mnf-ratings/
- ^ http://espnmediazone.com/us/press-releases/2014/10/redskins-cowboys-delivers-espns-highest-monday-night-football-overnight-rating-since-2010/
- National Football League lists
- Monday Night Football
- ABC Sports
- National Football League on television results