Monday Night Football: Year-by-Year History (1990-Present)
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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 1990-2005.
[edit] 1990 NFL season
- September 9: San Francisco 49ers 13, New Orleans Saints 12
- September 17: Denver Broncos 24, Kansas City Chiefs 23
- September 24: Buffalo Bills 30, New York Jets 7
- October 1: Seattle Seahawks 31, Cincinnati Bengals 16
- October 8: Cleveland Browns 30, Denver Broncos 29
- October 15: Philadelphia Eagles 32, Minnesota Vikings 24
- October 22: Cincinnati Bengals 34, Cleveland Browns 13
- October 29: Pittsburgh Steelers 41, Los Angeles Rams 10
- November 5: New York Giants 24, Indianapolis Colts 7
- November 12: Philadelphia Eagles 28, Washington Redskins 14
- Note: This was the infamous Body Bag Game, in which Eagles head coach Buddy Ryan promised a beaten so severe, that the Redskins would have to be "hauled off in body bags."
- November 19: Los Angeles Raiders 13, Miami Dolphins 10
- November 26: Houston Oilers 27, Buffalo Bills 24
- December 3: San Francisco 49ers 7, New York Giants 3
- December 10: Los Angeles Raiders 38, Detroit Lions 31
- December 17: San Francisco 49ers 26, Los Angeles Rams 10
- December 31: New Orleans Saints 20, Los Angeles Rams 17
[edit] 1991 NFL season
- September 2: New York Giants 16, San Francisco 49ers 14
- September 9: Washington Redskins 33, Dallas Cowboys 31
- September 16: Houston Oilers 17, Kansas City Chiefs 7
- September 23: Chicago Bears 19, New York Jets 13, OT
- Chicago scored the game-tying touchdown with no time left in regulation.
- September 30: Washington Redskins 23, Philadelphia Eagles 0
- October 7: Kansas City Chiefs 33, Buffalo Bills 6
- October 14: New York Giants 23, Pittsburgh Steelers 20
- October 21: Buffalo Bills 35, Cincinnati Bengals 16
- October 28: Kansas City Chiefs 24, Los Angeles Raiders 21
- November 4: Philadelphia Eagles 30, New York Giants 7
- November 11: Chicago Bears 34, Minnesota Vikings 17
- November 18: Buffalo Bills 41, Miami Dolphins 27
- November 25: San Francisco 49ers 33, Los Angeles Rams 10
- December 2: Philadelphia Eagles 13, Houston Oilers 6
- December 9: Miami Dolphins 37, Cincinnati Bengals 13
- December 16: New Orleans Saints 27, Los Angeles Raiders 0
- December 23: San Francisco 49ers 52, Chicago Bears 14
[edit] 1992 NFL season
- September 7: Dallas Cowboys 23, Washington Redskins 10
- September 14: Miami Dolphins 27, Cleveland Browns 23
- September 21: New York Giants 27, Chicago Bears 14
- September 28: Kansas City Chiefs 27, Los Angeles Raiders 7
- October 5: Philadelphia Eagles 31, Dallas Cowboys 7
- October 12: Washington Redskins 34, Denver Broncos 3
- October 19: Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Cincinnati Bengals 0
- October 26: Buffalo Bills 24, New York Jets 20
- November 2: Minnesota Vikings 38, Chicago Bears 10
- November 9: San Francisco 49ers 41, Atlanta Falcons 3
- November 16: Buffalo Bills 26, Miami Dolphins 20
- November 23: New Orleans Saints 20, Washington Redskins 3
- November 30: Seattle Seahawks 16, Denver Broncos 13, OT
- December 7: Houston Oilers 24, Chicago Bears 7
- December 14: Miami Dolphins 20, Los Angeles Raiders 7
- December 21: Dallas Cowboys 41, Atlanta Falcons 17
- December 28: San Francisco 49ers 24, Detroit Lions 6
- This was the game in which Joe Montana took his final snap as a 49er. He was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs during the off season.
[edit] 1993 NFL season
- September 6: Washington Redskins 35, Dallas Cowboys 16
- September 13: Cleveland Browns 23, San Francisco 49ers 13
- September 20: Kansas City Chiefs 15, Denver Broncos 7
- September 27: Pittsburgh Steelers 45, Atlanta Falcons 17
- October 4: Miami Dolphins 17, Washington Redskins 10
- October 11: Buffalo Bills 35, Houston Oilers 7
- October 18: Los Angeles Raiders 23, Denver Broncos 20
- October 25: Minnesota Vikings 19, Chicago Bears 12
- November 1: Buffalo Bills 24, Washington Redskins 10
- November 8: Kansas City Chiefs 23, Green Bay Packers 16
- Note: KC's Derrick Thomas sacks Brett Favre on third-and-2, forcing one of six GB turnovers to help preserve the win.
- November 15: Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Buffalo Bills 0
- November 22: San Francisco 49ers 42, New Orleans Saints 7
- November 29: San Diego Chargers 31, Indianapolis Colts 0
- December 6: Dallas Cowboys 23, Philadelphia Eagles 17
- December 13: Pittsburgh Steelers 21, Miami Dolphins 20
- December 20: New York Giants 24, New Orleans Saints 14
- December 27: San Diego Chargers 45, Miami Dolphins 20
- January 3, 1994: Philadelphia Eagles 37, San Francisco 49ers 34, OT
- 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.
[edit] 1994 NFL season
- September 5: San Francisco 49ers 44, Los Angeles Raiders 14
- September 12: Philadelphia Eagles 30, Chicago Bears 22
- September 19: Detroit Lions 20, Dallas Cowboys 17, OT
- September 26: Buffalo Bills 27, Denver Broncos 20
- October 3: Pittsburgh Steelers 30, Houston Oilers 14
- October 10: Minnesota Vikings 27, New York Giants 10
- October 17: Kansas City Chiefs 31, Denver Broncos 28
- Note: This game featured a matchup between Joe Montana and John Elway. Montana led the Chiefs to a 75-yard game-winning drive with 8 seconds left.
- October 24: Philadelphia Eagles 21, Houston Oilers 6
- October 31: Green Bay Packers 33, Chicago Bears 6
- Note: Packers force 5 turnovers in a driving rain as gales reach 36 mph.
- November 7: Dallas Cowboys 38, New York Giants 10
- November 14: Pittsburgh Steelers 23, Buffalo Bills 10
- November 21: New York Giants 13, Houston Oilers 10
- November 28: San Francisco 49ers 35, New Orleans Saints 14
- December 5: Los Angeles Raiders 24, San Diego Chargers 17
- December 12: Miami Dolphins 45, Kansas City Chiefs 28
- December 19: Dallas Cowboys 24, New Orleans Saints 16
- December 26: Minnesota Vikings 21, San Francisco 49ers 14
[edit] 1995 NFL season
- September 4: Dallas Cowboys 35, New York Giants 0
- September 11: Green Bay Packers 27, Chicago Bears 24
- Note: Packers' Brett Favre hits Robert Brooks for just the eighth 99-yard touchdown pass in NFL history.
- September 18: Miami Dolphins 23, Pittsburgh Steelers 10
- September 25: Detroit Lions 27, San Francisco 49ers 24
- October 2: Buffalo Bills 22, Cleveland Browns 19
- October 9: Kansas City Chiefs 29, San Diego Chargers 23, OT
- KC's Tamarick Vanover returns a punt 86 yards for winning TD in extra period.
- October 16: Denver Broncos 27, Oakland Raiders 0
- October 23: New England Patriots 27, Buffalo Bills 14
- October 30: Chicago Bears 14, Minnesota Vikings 6
- November 6: Dallas Cowboys 34, Philadelphia Eagles 12
- November 13: Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Cleveland Browns 3
- Game was played just one week after Art Modell announced plans to move the Browns to Baltimore
- November 20: San Francisco 49ers 44, Miami Dolphins 20
- November 27: San Diego Chargers 12, Oakland Raiders 6
- December 4: Detroit Lions 27, Chicago Bears 7
- December 11: Miami Dolphins 13, Kansas City Chiefs 6
- December 18: San Francisco 49ers 37, Minnesota Vikings 30
- Note: The 49ers' Jerry Rice caught 14 passes for 289 yards and 3 touchdowns.
- December 25: Dallas Cowboys 37, Arizona Cardinals 13
[edit] 1996 NFL season
- September 2: Chicago Bears 22, Dallas Cowboys 6
- September 9: Green Bay Packers 39, Philadelphia Eagles 13
- Note: GB's Robert Brooks 5 receptions, 130 yards, 1 TD.
- September 16: Pittsburgh Steelers 24, Buffalo Bills 6
- September 23: Indianapolis Colts 10, Miami Dolphins 6
- September 30: Dallas Cowboys 23, Philadelphia Eagles 19
- October 7: Pittsburgh Steelers 17, Kansas City Chiefs 7
- October 14: Green Bay Packers 23, San Francisco 49ers 20, OT
- Note: GB's Chris Jacke ties game on a 31-yard field goal, then hits a 53-yard game-winner in overtime.
- October 21: Oakland Raiders 23, San Diego Chargers 14
- October 28: Chicago Bears 15, Minnesota Vikings 13
- November 4: Denver Broncos 22, Oakland Raiders 21
- November 11: San Diego Chargers 27, Detroit Lions 21
- November 18: Dallas Cowboys 21, Green Bay Packers 6
- Note: Dallas' Chris Boniol becomes the third player in NFL history to make 7 field goals in a game.
- November 25: Pittsburgh Steelers 24, Miami Dolphins 17
- December 2: San Francisco 49ers 34, Atlanta Falcons 10
- December 9: Oakland Raiders 26, Kansas City Chiefs 7
- December 16: Miami Dolphins 16, Buffalo Bills 14
- December 23: San Francisco 49ers 24, Detroit Lions 14
[edit] 1997 NFL season
- September 1: Green Bay Packers 38, Chicago Bears 24
- Note: GB's Doug Evans returns Erik Kramer interception to Bears' 1 to set up GB's first TD.
- September 8: Kansas City Chiefs 28, Oakland Raiders 27
- September 15: Dallas Cowboys 21, Philadelphia Eagles 20
- September 22: Jacksonville Jaguars 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 21
- Note: This game had one of the craziest endings in MNF history. Jaguars up 2 with almost no time left and Pittsburgh comes out to try a field goal. Jacksonville blocks it and Chris Hudson returns it the other way for a touchdown. Extra point is finally kicked about 15 minutes after ABC signs off.
- September 29: San Francisco 49ers 34, Carolina Panthers 21
- October 6: Denver Broncos 34, New England Patriots 13
- October 13: Washington Redskins 21, Dallas Cowboys 16
- October 20: Buffalo Bills 9, Indianapolis Colts 6
- October 27: Green Bay Packers 28, New England Patriots 10
- Note: GB holds Pats at goal line, then Brett Favre marches team 99 yards to a TD.
- October 27: Chicago Bears 36, Miami Dolphins 33, OT
- Note: This game 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. 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.
- November 3: Kansas City Chiefs 13, Pittsburgh Steelers 10
- November 10: San Francisco 49ers 24, Philadelphia Eagles 12
- November 17: Miami Dolphins 30, Buffalo Bills 13
- November 24: Denver Broncos 31, Oakland Raiders 3
- December 1: Green Bay Packers 27, Minnesota Vikings 11
- Note: GB coach Mike Holmgren had lost five straight at Metrodome prior to this.
- December 8: Carolina Panthers 23, Dallas Cowboys 13
- December 15: San Francisco 49ers 34, Denver Broncos 13
- Note: This game mark the return of Jerry Rice after he injure his ACL in Week 1 vs. Tampa Bay. This also featured the retiring of Joe Montana's #16 jersey.
- December 22: New England Patriots 14, Miami Dolphins 12
[edit] 1998 NFL season
- September 7: Denver Broncos 27, New England Patriots 21
- September 14: San Francisco 49ers 45, Washington Redskins 10
- September 21: Dallas Cowboys 31, New York Giants 7
- September 28: Detroit Lions 27, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 6
- October 5: Minnesota Vikings 37, Green Bay Packers 24
- October 12: Jacksonville Jaguars 28, Miami Dolphins 21
- October 19: New York Jets 24, New England Patriots 14
- October 26: Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Kansas City Chiefs 13
- November 2: Dallas Cowboys 34, Philadelphia Eagles 0
- November 9: Pittsburgh Steelers 27, Green Bay Packers 20
- November 16: Denver Broncos 30, Kansas City Chiefs 7
- November 23: New England Patriots 26, Miami Dolphins 23
- November 30: San Francisco 49ers 31, New York Giants 7
- December 7: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, Green Bay Packers 22
- December 14: San Francisco 49ers 34, Detroit Lions 13
- December 21: Miami Dolphins 31, Denver Broncos 21
- December 28: Jacksonville Jaguars 21, Pittsburgh Steelers 3
[edit] 1999 NFL season
- September 13: Miami Dolphins 38, Denver Broncos 21
- September 20: Dallas Cowboys 24, Atlanta Falcons 7
- September 27: San Francisco 49ers 24, Arizona Cardinals 10
- October 4: Buffalo Bills 23, Miami Dolphins 18
- October 11: Jacksonville Jaguars 16, New York Jets 6
- October 18: New York Giants 13, Dallas Cowboys 10
- October 25: Pittsburgh Steelers 13, Atlanta Falcons 9
- November 1: Seattle Seahawks 27, Green Bay Packers 7
- November 8: Minnesota Vikings 27, Dallas Cowboys 17
- November 15: New York Jets 24, New England Patriots 17
- November 22: Denver Broncos 27, Oakland Raiders 21, OT
- November 29: Green Bay Packers 20, San Francisco 49ers 3
- December 6: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, Minnesota Vikings 17
- December 13: Jacksonville Jaguars 27, Denver Broncos 24
- December 20: Minnesota Vikings 24, Green Bay Packers 20
- December 27: New York Jets 38, Miami Dolphins 31
- January 3, 2000: Atlanta Falcons 34, San Francisco 49ers 29
[edit] 2000 NFL season
- September 4: St. Louis Rams 41, Denver Broncos 36
- September 11: New York Jets 20, New England Patriots 19
- September 18: Dallas Cowboys 27, Washington Redskins 21
- September 25: Indianapolis Colts 43, Jacksonville Jaguars 14
- October 2: Kansas City Chiefs 24, Seattle Seahawks 17
- October 9: Minnesota Vikings 30, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23
- October 16: Tennessee Titans 27, Jacksonville Jaguars 13
- October 23: New York Jets 40, Miami Dolphins 37, OT
- Note: This game featured the "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.
- October 30: Tennessee Titans 27, Washington Redskins 21
- November 6: Green Bay Packers 26, Minnesota Vikings 20, OT
- Al Michaels on the game-winning play: "He did WHAT????"
- November 13: Denver Broncos 27, Oakland Raiders 24
- November 20: Washington Redskins 33, St. Louis Rams 20
- November 27: Carolina Panthers 31, Green Bay Packers 14
- December 4: New England Patriots 30, Kansas City Chiefs 24
- December 11: Indianapolis Colts 44, Buffalo Bills 20
- December 18: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38, St. Louis Rams 35
- Game was a rematch of the previous season's NFC Championship. Rams running back Marshall Faulk scored four touchdowns (3 rush, 1 rec.). Trailing 35-31 with 1:21 remaing, Tampa Bay's faced a 4th and 4 at the 29 yard line. Quarterback Shaun King was tripped up, but scrambled 6 yards for a first down. Four plays later, Tampa Bay scored the game-winning touchdown, the sixth lead change of the game.
- December 25: Tennessee Titans 31, Dallas Cowboys 0
[edit] 2001 NFL season
- September 10: Denver Broncos 31, New York Giants 20
- First regular-season game played at Invesco Field
- September 24: Green Bay Packers 37, Washington Redskins 0
- Note: Week 2 was moved to January 6-7, 2002, because of the September 11 terrorist attacks.
- October 1: San Francisco 49ers 19, New York Jets 17
- October 8: St. Louis Rams 35, Detroit Lions 0
- October 15: Dallas Cowboys 9, Washington Redskins 7
- In an unusual circumstance, both teams entered this game with 0-4 records.
- October 22: Philadelphia Eagles 10, New York Giants 9
- October 29: Pittsburgh Steelers 34, Tennessee Titans 7
- November 5: Oakland Raiders 38, Denver Broncos 28
- Broncos kicker Jason Elam kicked a field goal to score the 20,000th point in MNF history.
- November 12: Baltimore Ravens 16, Tennessee Titans 10
- November 19: Minnesota Vikings 28, New York Giants 16
- November 26: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 24, St. Louis Rams 17
- December 3: Green Bay Packers 28, Jacksonville Jaguars 21
- December 10: Miami Dolphins 41, Indianapolis Colts 6
- December 17: St. Louis Rams 34, New Orleans Saints 21
- December 22: Tennessee Titans 13, Oakland Raiders 10
- Note: Due to Christmas Eve falling on Monday, the NFL did not hold a game on Monday night in week 16. Instead, ABC televised this game on Saturday of the weekend, and it was considered part of their series.
- December 29: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 22, Baltimore Ravens 10
- Note: Due to New Year's Eve falling on Monday, the NFL did not hold a game on Monday night in week 17. Instead, ABC televised this game on Saturday of the weekend, and it was considered part of their series.
- January 7, 2002: Baltimore Ravens 19, Minnesota Vikings 3
- This game was rescheduled from week 2 due to 9/11.
[edit] 2002 NFL season
- September 9: New England Patriots 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 14
- Note: John Madden's MNF Debut
- September 16: Philadelphia Eagles 37, Washington Redskins 7
- September 23: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 26, St. Louis Rams 14
- September 30: Baltimore Ravens 34, Denver Broncos 23
- October 7: Green Bay Packers 34, Chicago Bears 21
- October 14: San Francisco 49ers 28, Seattle Seahawks 21
- October 21: Pittsburgh Steelers 28, Indianapolis Colts 10
- October 28: Philadelphia Eagles 17, New York Giants 3
- November 4: Green Bay Packers 24, Miami Dolphins 10
- November 11: Oakland Raiders 34, Denver Broncos 10
- November 18: St. Louis Rams 21, Chicago Bears 16
- November 25: Philadelphia Eagles 38, San Francisco 49ers 17
- December 2: Oakland Raiders 26, New York Jets 21
- December 9: Miami Dolphins 27, Chicago Bears 9
- December 16: Tennessee Titans 24, New England Patriots 7
- December 23: Pittsburgh Steelers 17, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7
- December 30: St. Louis Rams 31, San Francisco 49ers 20
- Note: This was the 25th and last Monday Night Football game to be played in the final week of the regular season.
[edit] 2003 NFL season
- September 4: Washington Redskins 16, New York Jets 13
- Note: Under a new NFL policy effective the 2003-04 season, the NFL will have a Thursday night game to open the season, and no Monday night game in Week 17. This rule change was designed to maximize opportunities for scheduling as teams would in theory be equal in number of days off between their Week 17 game and playoff game, and no team could be disadvantaged by having only four days between their regular season game and 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).
- September 8: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17, Philadelphia Eagles 0
- This game was a rematch of the previous season's NFC Championship, and the first game at Lincoln Financial Field
- September 15: Dallas Cowboys 35, New York Giants 32, OT
- Giants led this game 32-29 with ten seconds left. Dallas' Billy Cundiff tied an NFL record with seven field goals.
- September 22: Denver Broncos 31, Oakland Raiders 10
- September 29: Green Bay Packers 38, Chicago Bears 23
- October 6: Indianapolis Colts 38, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35, OT
- Note: Indianapolis trailed 35-14 with 3:43 remaining. They scored three touchdowns in the closing minutes and won in overtime after an unsportsmanlike "leaping" call negated a field goal miss by the Colts.
- October 13: St. Louis Rams 36, Atlanta Falcons 0
- October 20: Kansas City Chiefs 17, Oakland Raiders 10
- October 27: Miami Dolphins 26, San Diego Chargers 10
- Note: This game was played at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona, because the Cedar Fire in California forced evacuees to Qualcomm Stadium.
- November 3: New England Patriots 30, Denver Broncos 26
- November 10: Philadelphia Eagles 17, Green Bay Packers 14
- November 17: San Francisco 49ers 30, Pittsburgh Steelers 14
- November 24: Tampa Bay Buccaneers 19, New York Giants 13
- December 1: New York Jets 24, Tennessee Titans 17
- December 8: St. Louis Rams 26, Cleveland Browns 20
- December 15: Philadelphia Eagles 34, Miami Dolphins 27
- December 22: Green Bay Packers 41, Oakland Raiders 7
- Note: This was the game played the day after the death of the father of quarterback Brett Favre. To that point, Irvin Favre had seen Brett play in every game since Brett was in the fourth grade.
[edit] 2004 NFL season
- September 9: New England Patriots 27, Indianapolis Colts 24
- Note: This game was part of the NFL Opening Kickoff on Thursday night, part of the contractual change in eliminating a Monday night game on Week 17 beginning in 2003.
- September 13: Green Bay Packers 24, Carolina Panthers 14
- September 20: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Minnesota Vikings 16
- September 27: Dallas Cowboys 21, Washington Redskins 18
- October 4: Kansas City Chiefs 27, Baltimore Ravens 24
- October 11: Tennessee Titans 48, Green Bay Packers 27
- October 18: St. Louis Rams 28, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 21
- October 25: Cincinnati Bengals 23, Denver Broncos 10
- November 1: New York Jets 41, Miami Dolphins 14
- November 8: Indianapolis Colts 31, Minnesota Vikings 28
- November 15: Philadelphia Eagles 49, Dallas Cowboys 21
- Note: The pregame show for this game featured the infamous & controversial Desperate Housewives commercial featuring Terrell Owens and Nicolette Sheridan. Owens caught three touchdowns in the game.
- November 22: New England Patriots 27, Kansas City Chiefs 19
- November 29: Green Bay Packers 45, St. Louis Rams 17
- December 6: Dallas Cowboys 43, Seattle Seahawks 39
- December 13: Kansas City Chiefs 49, Tennessee Titans 38
- December 20: Miami Dolphins 29, New England Patriots 28
- Note: This game had one of the craziest endings in MNF history. 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.
- December 27: St. Louis Rams 20, Philadelphia Eagles 7
[edit] 2005 NFL season
- September 8: New England Patriots 30, Oakland Raiders 20
- Note: This game was part of the NFL Opening Kickoff on Thursday night, part of the contractual change in eliminating a Monday night game on Week 17.
- September 12: Atlanta Falcons 14, Philadelphia Eagles 10
- September 19: New York Giants 27, New Orleans Saints 10
- Note: This game was rescheduled because Hurricane Katrina damaged the Louisiana Superdome, and the game, which was originally scheduled for a Sunday afternoon, was moved to Monday night at Giants Stadium. Because of this, the Giants were technically the "visiting" team in their own stadium, a situation that occasionally occurs when playing the Jets, who also call Giants Stadium home.
- September 19: Washington Redskins 14, Dallas Cowboys 13
- Note: This game was the second part of a rare MNF doubleheader, due to the rescheduled Saints-Giants game (see above). Trailing 0-13 with 3:46 remaining, the Redskins got touchdown passes of 39 and 70 yards from Mark Brunell to Santana Moss.
- September 26: Denver Broncos 30, Kansas City Chiefs 10
- October 3: Carolina Panthers 32, Green Bay Packers 29
- October 10: Pittsburgh Steelers 24, San Diego Chargers 22
- October 17: Indianapolis Colts 45, St. Louis Rams 28
- October 24: Atlanta Falcons 27, New York Jets 14
- October 31: Pittsburgh Steelers 20, Baltimore Ravens 19
- November 7: Indianapolis Colts 40, New England Patriots 21
- November 14: Dallas Cowboys 21, Philadelphia Eagles 20
- November 21: Minnesota Vikings 20, Green Bay Packers 17
- November 28: Indianapolis Colts 26, Pittsburgh Steelers 7
- December 5: Seattle Seahawks 42, Philadelphia Eagles 0
- December 12: Atlanta Falcons 36, New Orleans Saints 17
- Note: After this game, the Falcons became the only team in MNF history to win three home games in the same season.
- December 19: Baltimore Ravens 48, Green Bay Packers 3
- Note: This game showed the highest margin of victory in a MNF game, 45 points.
- December 26: New England Patriots 31, New York Jets 21
- Note: This was the last MNF game on ABC. The Jets also lost the first MNF game in 1970 by the same score, 31-21 (then to the Cleveland Browns).
[edit] 2006 NFL season
This is a list of all scheduled Monday Night Football games to be played during the first year of ESPN Monday Night Football.
Teams in bold were the home teams.
- September 11 Early Game: Minnesota Vikings 19, Washington Redskins 16
- Note: This was the first game of a Week 1 double-header, as well as the first broadcast of MNF on ESPN.
- September 11 Late Game: San Diego Chargers 27, Oakland Raiders 0
- Note: This was the second game of a Week 1 double-header.
- September 18: Jacksonville Jaguars 9, Pittsburgh Steelers 0
- Note: This was the lowest scoring game in the history of MNF[1]
- September 25: New Orleans Saints 23, Atlanta Falcons 3
- Note: This was the first NFL game held in New Orleans at the Louisiana Superdome after Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
- October 2: Philadelphia Eagles 31, Green Bay Packers 9
- October 9: Denver Broncos 13, Baltimore Ravens 3
- October 16: Chicago Bears 24, Arizona Cardinals 23
- Note: Arizona was leading 23-3 with 5 seconds left in the third quarter. Chicago's comeback involved 3 touchdowns: 2 from recovered fumbles and 1 on a punt return. The Arizona loss led to an explosive, obscenity-laced tirade from Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green.
- October 23: New York Giants 36, Dallas Cowboys 22
- Note: This game was viewed by the largest audience in cable history.[2]
- October 30: New England Patriots 31, Minnesota Vikings 7
- November 6: Seattle Seahawks 16, Oakland Raiders 0
- November 13: Carolina Panthers 24, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 10
- November 20: Jacksonville Jaguars 26, New York Giants 10
- November 27: Seattle Seahawks 34, Green Bay Packers 24
- December 4: Philadelphia Eagles 27, Carolina Panthers 24
- December 11: Chicago Bears 42, St. Louis Rams 27
- Note: Devin Hester Tied an NFL Record with 2 kickoff returns for touchdowns and broke the NFL record of most return touchdowns in a season with 6
- December 18: Indianapolis Colts 34, Cincinnati Bengals 16
- December 25: New York Jets 13, Miami Dolphins 10
[edit] 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 has been the most-watched program on cable each week during the NFL season so far. The "It would have ranked..." column indicates 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 CW).
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 NAFTA in November 1993, between then-vice president Al Gore and Ross Perot, [which aired on CNN's Larry King Live]."[2]
"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."[2]
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[2]) are:
- the aforementioned October 23 game between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys (16.028 million viewers),[2]
- the September 25 game between the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints (14.9 million viewers),[4]
- the October 16 game between the Chicago Bears and the Arizona Cardinals (14.23 million viewers),[7]
- 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),[1]
- the October 2 game between the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles (12.9 million viewers),[5]
- 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).[3]
- and, the October 9 game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Denver Broncos (12.5 million viewers)[6], 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.[9]
[edit] References
- Total Football II,, Edited by Bob Carroll, Michael Gershman, David Neft and John Thorn, Harper Collins Publishing, 1999. ISBN 0-06-270174-6.
- ^ a b c Crupi, Anthony. "Steelers vs. Jaguars Tops ESPN's Ratings", Mediaweek, September 19, 2006.
- ^ a b c d e f Giants-Cowboys draws largest cable audience. ESPN (October 25, 2006). Retrieved on 2006-10-26.
- ^ a b c Crupi, Anthony. "NFL Coverage Lifts ESPN to Top", Mediaweek, September 19, 2006.
- ^ a b Consoli, John. "Saints Opener Draws ESPN's Largest Audience", Mediaweek, September 27, 2006.
- ^ a b Crupi, Anthony. "ESPN Beats TNT in Weekly Ratings", Mediaweek, October 10, 2006.
- ^ a b Crupi, Anthony. "MNF Lifts ESPN to Top of Cable Ratings Heap", Mediaweek, October 17, 2006.
- ^ a b Crupi, Anthony (October 24, 2006). Disney Beats ESPN to Lead Cable Ratings. Mediaweek. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.
- ^ a b Crupi, Anthony (November 8, 2006). ESPN Leads the Cable Ratings Pack. Mediaweek. Retrieved on 2006-11-15.
- ^ Berman, Marc (October 18, 2006). The Programming Insider. Mediaweek. Retrieved on 2006-10-26.
