ESPN will begin its 19th season broadcasting Monday Night Football on Monday, Sept. 9 as Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets visit Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers at 8 p.m. EST. The multiplatform presentation will be preceded by the season debut of Monday Night Countdown two hours before the primary broadcast and a two-hour episode of NFL Live, all emanating live from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif. The return of the Monday Night Football broadcast property closes a weekend featuring ESPN NFL programming and coverage, which includes the season debut of Sunday Night Countdown on Sunday, Sept. 8 at 10 a.m. EST and returns of NFL PrimeTime and NFL Matchup. Additionally, the first edition of The Breakdown with Peyton and Belichick will debut on ESPN+ on Friday, Sept. 6 and re-airing on ESPN2.
Play-by-play announcer Joe Buck, analyst Troy Aikman and sideline reporter Lisa Salters make their season debut on Monday Night Football, representing the third year in which the trio is working together. Laura Rutledge, host of NFL Live and SEC Nation, will join the broadcast for the Week 1 matchup reporting on the 49ers while Salters focuses on the Jets.
At the same time, Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, colloquially known as the ManningCast, will begin its fourth season on ESPN2. The alternate telecast, which is presented in conjunction with Omaha Productions and features former NFL quarterbacks Peyton Manning and Eli Manning, will include former NFL head coach Bill Belichick as a featured guest in the first half across its 11 editions before welcoming additional guests in the second half.
ESPN Deportes will provide Spanish-language coverage of the game with play-by-play commentator Rebeca Landa and new game analyst Sebastian Martinez-Christensen. In addition, MJ Acosta-Ruiz will make her debut as the sideline reporter for these broadcasts, part of a deal she signed with ESPN earlier in the summer. John Sutcliffe will provide reports from the site of the matchup, and Katia Castorena will report on location for select Monday Night Football games.
Live game coverage of the National Football League will also be available on ESPN Radio throughout the season, beginning with a pair of Week 1 matchups. The national audio network will provide broadcasts of the Pittsburgh Steelers game against the Atlanta Falcons, along with the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks matchup on Sunday, Sept. 8.
Jason Kelce makes his regular-season debut on Monday Night Countdown alongside Scott Van Pelt, Ryan Clark and Marcus Spears from Levi’s Stadium as the quartet discusses the forthcoming matchup and action from around the NFL. Features reporter Michelle Beisner-Buck and senior NFL insider Adam Schefter will make regular contributions to the program as well. Van Pelt will host SportsCenter from the venue following the conclusion of the game.
Preceding the show is an on-site edition of NFL Live, which will feature Clark, Spears and Rutledge, who will host prior to reporting from the sidelines during the game, along with analysts Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky. The NFL Live team will be on location several times this season, including from Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. when the Philadelphia Eagles host the Atlanta Falcons in Week 2. Furthermore, all Monday editions of the show this fall will expand to two hours, spanning from 3 to 5 p.m. EST. Ahead of the on-site programming, ESPN will provide viewers with Week 1 reactions and previews to the Monday night game on SportsCenter, Get Up, First Take and The Pat McAfee Show.
As previously revealed, Mike Greenberg is joining Sunday NFL Countdown as the host of the program and will make his regular-season debut on Sunday, Sept. 8. Greenberg will be joined by analysts Tedy Bruschi, Rex Ryan, Randy Moss and Alex Smith on the program. Adam Schefter and Erin Dolan will contribute to the program, providing news and betting analysis, respectively, and there will also be several on-site reporters situated around the league reporting live from several game venues.
Chris Berman returns to host NFL PrimeTime alongside former Super Bowl champion Booger McFarland. The program is available on ESPN+ beginning at 7:30 p.m. EST on Sundays, featuring highlights from the Sunday slate of NFL games. Moreover, the team of Sal Paolantonio, Darius Butler and Greg Cosell return for their second season hosting NFL Matchup, premiering on Saturdays on ESPN2 and available on demand through ESPN+. The show airs on ESPN to commence Sunday programming throughout the NFL season, typically at 4 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. EST.
Louis Riddick will host a new program in conjunction with NFL Films titled Turning Point in which he will present the key moments within the biggest games of the week amid the season. The show will be available on Wednesdays throughout the regular season. Ahead of the weekend slate of games during a week with a ManningCast, Peyton Manning and Bill Belichick co-host The Breakdown with Peyton and Belichick where they will analyze the upcoming Monday Night Football matchup. The show will be available on Fridays through ESPN+ and re-air on the ESPN2 network across linear television.
