Saints vs. Vikings and Chargers vs. Broncos in Season-Opening Doubleheader on Sept. 11

MNF Highlights:

• Divisional Matchups – Nine of the 17 MNF games feature divisional matchups.
• Appearances by both Super Bowl teams – New England Patriots at Miami Dolphins (Dec. 11); and Atlanta Falcons (twice) – at Seattle Seahawks (Nov. 20), at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Dec. 18).
• Appearances by all 12 playoff teams from 2016 – Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Giants, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers and Seattle Seahawks. (Twelve MNF games feature at least one playoff team).
• Eight teams have two appearances each – Broncos, Chiefs, Dolphins, Eagles, Falcons, Lions, Redskins and Vikings.

The 48th season of Monday Night Football will kick off on ESPN with a doubleheader Monday, September 11 – New Orleans Saints at Minnesota Vikings (6:55 p.m. ET) and Los Angeles Chargers at Denver Broncos (10:15 p.m. / 7:15 p.m. PT).  ESPN’s 17-game prime time schedule in 2017 will feature nine divisional matchups and all 12 playoff teams from 2016, including both the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and NFC champion Atlanta Falcons.

The MNF opener features Drew Brees and the Saints against Sam Bradford and the Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium – site of Super Bowl LII.

In the late game, Philip Rivers and the new Los Angeles Chargers make their regular-season debut on the road against the AFC West rival Denver Broncos, led by All-Pro linebacker Von Miller. The Broncos open the season at home on MNF for the first time since 2011 and this marks the franchise’s 26^th consecutive season with at least one Monday night game (1992-present), the longest current streak in the NFL.

ESPN’s MNF crew of Sean McDonough (play-by-play), Jon Gruden (analyst) and Lisa Salters (reporter) will call the Saints-Lions opener in week 1 and the remaining MNF games (8:15 p.m., with kickoff at 8:30 p.m.). Commentators for Chargers-Broncos will be announced at a late date. Suzy Kolber will host the Monday Night Countdown pregame show throughout the season (6 p.m.), as well as halftime and post-game SportsCenter coverage, from the MNF stadium.

ESPN Deportes, ESPN’s 24-hour Spanish-language domestic sports network, will again offer a Spanish-language production of MNF games in 2017. All games will also be available to stream live on tablets, computers and connected devices via WatchESPN and the ESPN app. WatchESPN is accessible nationwide to fans who receive ESPN’s networks as part of their video subscription from an affiliated provider.

The week-by-week 2017 MNF schedule:

September: Kickoff Weekend Doubleheader, a Giants Celebration, and Cowboys vs. Cards

• 11: Season-opening doubleheader – Saints at Vikings (7 p.m.) and Chargers at Broncos (10:15 p.m.).
• 18: Eli Manning and the New York Giants host Matthew Stafford and the Lions at MetLife Stadium on the night the Giants commemorate the 10-year anniversary of their Super Bowl XLII championship team.
• 25: Led by second-year offensive stars Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, the Dallas Cowboys travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals, featuring quarterback Carson Palmer and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.

October: Vikings-Bears renew MNF rivalry, Redskins vs. Eagles, and Two MNF Visits to Arrowhead

• 2: Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins open October against Alex Smith and the AFC West champion Kansas City Chiefs.
• 9: Sam Bradford and the Vikings face the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in a NFC North matchup – the 14^th Vikings-Bears meeting on MNF, third-most in Monday Night history.
• 16: In a battle of top young quarterbacks, Marcus Mariota makes his MNF debut when the Tennessee Titans host Andrew Luck and the AFC South rival Indianapolis Colts in Nashville.
• Oct. 23: Cousins and the Redskins visit Carson Wentz and the Philadelphia Eagles in a key NFC East division game.
• Oct. 30: MNF returns to Arrowhead Stadium for the second time in a month when the Chiefs host the division rival Broncos.

November: Lions vs. Packers at Lambeau and a Falcons-Seahawks playoff rematch

• 6: Stafford and the Detroit Lions travel to Green Bay to face Aaron Rodgers and the Packers in a matchup of NFC North playoff teams from last season.
• 13: Ryan Tannehill and the resurgent Miami Dolphins face Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in Charlotte. The Dolphins have played a NFL-record 82 games on MNF.
• 20: 2016 NFL MVP Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons – in the first of two MNF appearances for the NFC champions – travel to Seattle to face Russell Wilson and the Seahawks in a rematch of their Divisional Playoff game last season. The Seahawks have won 11 straight MNF games.
• 27: Three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt leads the Houston Texans against Joe Flacco and the Baltimore Ravens.

December: Steelers Battle Bengals, the Super Bowl Champs in South Florida, and a Christmas Night Finale in Philly

• 4: Hard-hitting AFC North rivals collide when Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers face Andy Dalton and the Cincinnati Bengals.
• 11: Tom Brady leads the Super Bowl LI champion New England Patriots to South Florida to face the AFC East rival Dolphins.
• 18: Ryan and the Falcons visit Jameis Winston and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a key late-season clash between the NFC South’s top two teams in 2016. This will be the first MNF home game for Tampa since 2013 and a home game for ESPN’s Gruden, who coached the Bucs to victory in Super Bowl XXXVII.
• 25: On Christmas night, ESPN’s MNF finale will be a matchup of emerging quarterbacks when Derek Carr leads the Oakland Raiders against Carson Wentz and the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field.

ESPN’s 2017 Monday Night Football Schedule

-30-