What are the Monday Night Football games scheduled for the 2023 NFL regular season? Here are the contests on the calendar each Monday of the coming campaign, with established playoff threats dotting the landscape.
NFL Monday Night Football Games and Schedule
There’s no spotlight quite like the Monday Night Football spotlight. It’s the final game of the week, every week. And all eyes naturally flock to the action. In 2023, the Buffalo Bills and New York Jets kick off the Monday night slate in what could be a notable AFC East clash. But who follows them in the weeks beyond?
- Week 1: Bills vs. Jets
Sept. 11 | ESPN, ABC - Week 2: Saints vs. Panthers
Sept. 18 | ESPN - Week 2: Browns vs. Steelers
Sept. 18 | ABC - Week 3: Rams vs. Bengals
Sept. 25 | ESPN - Week 3: Eagles vs. Buccaneers
Sept. 25 | ABC - Week 4: Seahawks vs. Giants
Oct. 2 | ESPN - Week 5: Packers vs. Raiders
Oct. 9 | ESPN - Week 6: Cowboys vs. Chargers
Oct. 16 | ESPN - Week 7: 49ers vs. Vikings
Oct. 23 | ESPN - Week 8: Raiders vs. Lions
Oct. 30 | ESPN - Week 9: Jets vs. Chargers
Nov. 6 | ESPN - Week 10: Broncos vs. Bills
Nov. 13 | ESPN - Week 11: Eagles vs. Chiefs
Nov. 20 | ESPN, ABC - Week 12: Bears vs. Vikings
Nov. 27 | ESPN - Week 13: Bengals vs. Jaguars
Dec. 4 | ESPN - Week 14: Packers vs. Giants
Dec. 11 | ABC - Week 14: Titans vs. Dolphins
Dec. 11 | ESPN - Week 15: Chiefs vs. Patriots
Dec. 18 | ESPN - Week 16: Ravens vs. 49ers
Dec. 25 | ABC - Week 17: Lions vs. Cowboys
Dec. 30 | ESPN, ABC
Week 1: Buffalo Bills vs. New York Jets
The Aaron Rodgers era in New York will kick off in exciting fashion, with Rodgers’ Jets taking on the Super Bowl-starved Bills in Week 1. Rodgers faces a star of the next generation in Josh Allen, but defense may ultimately be key in this battle.
Week 2: New Orleans Saints vs. Carolina Panthers
It’s fitting that the Panthers’ home debut of No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young is under the lights. Young faces an experienced defensive mind in Dennis Allen in this contest, and Derek Carr will also pose a threat through the air on the other side of the ball.
Week 2: Cleveland Browns vs. Pittsburgh Steelers
This is a pivotal contest for two AFC North teams desperately fighting to join the ranks of the Ravens and Bengals. Will Deshaun Watson start to find his stride in Cleveland, or will the upstart Steelers, led by hometown kid Kenny Pickett find momentum? We will see.
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Week 3: Los Angeles Rams vs. Cincinnati Bengals
Week 3’s Monday night slate features a Super Bowl LVI rematch, with the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Los Angeles Rams. The Rams aren’t nearly as potent as they were two years ago, so Joe Burrow might have an easier time getting Cincinnati the win in this one.
Week 3: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Super Bowl rematch is the headliner, but there’s another game in this Week 3 MNF doubleheader: The Eagles versus the Buccaneers. Both teams have made a Super Bowl in recent years, but Philadelphia is much closer to getting back.
Week 4: Seattle Seahawks vs. New York Giants
This game pits Daniel Jones and Geno Smith against one another — two QBs who are coming off big extensions, and each have something to prove. Both rosters are trending up, and this game could ultimately have NFC Wild Card implications down the road.
Week 5: Green Bay Packers vs. Las Vegas Raiders
Both the Packers and Raiders are going through transitions from established veterans. Jimmy Garoppolo has the experience to keep Las Vegas afloat, but there are enough holes on the Raiders’ roster, that Jordan Love could use this game to find a rhythm.
Week 6: Dallas Cowboys vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Newly-hired Chargers offensive coordinator Kellen Moore clashes with his old team on MNF in Week 6, as Los Angeles hosts the Dallas Cowboys. Dak Prescott versus Justin Herbert has intriguing potential as a QB duel, and the Cowboys’ pressure will be fierce.
Week 7: San Francisco 49ers vs. Minnesota Vikings
The 49ers have had the Vikings’ number in recent years. They famously deflated Minnesota’s momentum in the Divisional Round of the 2019 playoffs and beat the Vikings again in 2021. Kirk Cousins will have his work cut out for him against this defense.
Week 8: Las Vegas Raiders vs. Detroit Lions
Eight weeks after debuting the 2023 season in Kansas City, the Lions face another AFC West foe in prime time in the Las Vegas Raiders. This game will feature two veteran QBs in Jared Goff and Garoppolo, plus a swath of talent on the defensive line.
Week 9: New York Jets vs. Los Angeles Chargers
Now in the AFC, Aaron Rodgers will take a tour against teams with young, ascending QB talent. He plays Josh Allen in Week 1, Patrick Mahomes in Week 4, and in Week 9, he draws Justin Herbert and the Chargers, who have a new explosive weapon in Quentin Johnston.
Week 10: Denver Broncos vs. Buffalo Bills
Hearkening back to the days when John Elway and Jim Kelly duked it out in the AFC in the late 1980s and early ’90s, the Broncos and Bills reconnect a storied rivalry in Week 10. It’s Russell Wilson and Sean Payton versus Josh Allen and the high-powered Bills’ offense.
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Week 11: Philadelphia Eagles vs. Kansas City Chiefs
Another Super Bowl rematch graces the MNF list, and this time, it’s the most recent iteration. Jalen Hurts won’t be able to win the Lombardi back in this matchup, but Philadelphia has a chance to score some kind of revenge in this one.
Week 12: Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings were able to sweep the Bears in 2022, but Year 2 of the Matt Eberflus era could bring greater returns for Chicago. The explosive combination of Justin Fields and DJ Moore, in particular, could pose trouble for a young Vikings secondary.
Week 13: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Jacksonville Jaguars
This is quietly one of the most exciting games on this list. We all know how potent the Bengals are with Burrow, but the Jaguars are one of the league’s fastest-ascending teams behind Trevor Lawrence, and they have a strong overall roster as well.
Week 14: Green Bay Packers vs. New York Giants
The Packers and Giants are both back in the Monday night spotlight, after playing MNF games earlier in the season. Jones is the more established QB for New York, but if Love finds his stride by this point, Green Bay could pose a threat in the playoff chase.
Week 14: Tennessee Titans vs. Miami Dolphins
The Tennessee Titans don’t look quite as solid on paper in 2023 as they have in years past, but Mike Vrabel has a way of keeping this team competitive even when they’re overmatched from a talent perspective. This would be a crucial stretch for the Dolphins.
Week 15: Kansas City Chiefs vs. New England Patriots
This is a rematch of the 2019 AFC Championship Game that sent the Patriots to Super Bowl LIII. It’s hard to imagine what the Patriots might look like at this point in 2023. The Chiefs will be favorites, but you can never count out Bill Belichick.
Week 16: Baltimore Ravens vs. San Francisco 49ers
It’s not a battle between brothers anymore with Jim Harbaugh at Michigan. But John Harbaugh still faces a formidable threat in Kyle Shanahan. Lamar Jackson has the dynamic ability to encumber the 49ers’ front, but San Francisco’s explosive offense can keep up.
Week 17: Detroit Lions vs. Dallas Cowboys
This game will be on Saturday, as opposed to Monday. This is in order to avoid conflict with the Rose Bowl and Sugar Bowl on the CFB circuit. This game could have NFC playoff implications. The Lions will have Jameson Williams back at this point and could be dangerous.
