We continue with our “What We Know” series on the NFL TV packages that begin anew this season with a contract that will end in the early 2020’s. We’ve already provided you with “What We Know” on Thursday Night Football, the NFL on CBS and NBC’s Sunday Night Football. It’s now time for ESPN’s Monday Night Football and there are a few changes to tell you about.
Let’s get to the changes in the Monday Night Football package without any further delay.
What’s New
First, there’s a new kickoff time this season. Instead of kicking off at 8:40 p.m. ET, games will begin ten minutes earlier at 8:30 p.m. It means Monday Night Countdown will sign off at 8:15 and throw it to Mike Tirico, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters who will set the scene before the kickoff. So if you’re used to seeing “C,mon, Man!” at 8:20 p.m., you’ll have to adjust to about 8:05 p.m. starting this season.
There won’t be any changes to the game broadcasters. The aforementioned, Tirico, Gruden and Salters all return. Gerry Austin will be back as the in-booth rules analyst.
Also, Monday Night Countdown as well as all other NFL studio programming will move to ESPN’s all-new powerful Digital Center 2 (a.k.a. The Death Star) so there will be a new look for ESPN’s Sunday and Monday NFL pregame shows as well as NFL PrimeTime, NFL Live and NFL Insiders.
ESPN Ventures into the Postseason
For the first time in NFL history, a playoff game will be televised on cable. ESPN will air a Wild Card Playoff game. We don’t know if it will be aired on Saturday or Sunday, but logically, one would think it would kick off the playoffs and be the first game on Saturday, January 3, 2015, however, the NFL beats to its own drum so it’ll schedule how it sees fit.
The Monday Night team of Tirico, Gruden and Salters will call the game.
The Pro Bowl Returns to ESPN
In the previous television contract, the network airing the Super Bowl would also televise the Pro Bowl, but it led to the partners (CBS and Fox in particular) abandoning the exhibition and it led to NBC and ESPN picking up the league’s much maligned All-Star Game in place of CBS and Fox.
ESPN last aired the Pro Bowl in 2010 and before that, it would show the game annually beginning in 1988 through 2006. Now in the new contract, ESPN will air the game through 2021. No more of CBS and Fox refusing to air the Pro Bowl and allowing NBC to carry it. ESPN will air the game in the week before the Super Bowl.
By the way, this season’s Pro Bowl will be played in Arizona, site of Super Bowl XLIX before returning to Hawaii in 2016.
Who’s Calling the Opening Week Late Night Game?
It’s not official, but expect Chris Berman and Trent Dilfer to be back again this season. It’ll mark the third year for Berman and Dilfer to call the late night game which this season will be San Diego at Arizona on September 8.
We can already hear your complaints.
And the 2014 Monday Night Football schedule is below.
ESPN’s 2014 Monday Night Football Schedule
| Preseason | ||
| Date | Time (ET) | Teams |
| Aug. 14 | 8 p.m. | Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Chicago Bears |
| Aug. 18 | 8 p.m. | Cleveland Browns vs. Washington |
| Regular Season | ||
| Sept. 8 | 7 p.m. | New York Giants vs. Detroit Lions |
| 10:15 p.m. | San Diego Chargers vs. Arizona Cardinals | |
| Sept. 15 | 8:15 p.m. | Philadelphia Eagles vs. Indianapolis Colts |
| Sept. 22 | 8:15 p.m. | Chicago Bears vs. New York Jets |
| Sept. 29 | 8:15 p.m. | New England Patriots vs. Kansas City Chiefs |
| Oct. 6 | 8:15 p.m. | Seattle Seahawks vs. Washington |
| Oct. 13 | 8:15 p.m. | San Francisco 49ers vs. St. Louis Rams |
| Oct. 20 | 8:15 p.m. | Houston Texans vs. Pittsburgh Steelers |
| Oct. 27 | 8:15 p.m. | Washington vs. Dallas Cowboys |
| Nov. 3 | 8:15 p.m. | Indianapolis Colts vs. New York Giants |
| Nov. 10 | 8:15 p.m. | Carolina Panthers vs. Philadelphia Eagles |
| Nov. 17 | 8:15 p.m. | Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Tennessee Titans |
| Nov. 24 | 8:15 p.m. | Baltimore Ravens vs. New Orleans Saints |
| Dec. 1 | 8:15 p.m. | Miami Dolphins vs. New York Jets |
| Dec. 8 | 8:15 p.m. | Atlanta Falcons vs. Green Bay Packers |
| Dec. 15 | 8:15 p.m. | New Orleans Saints vs. Chicago Bears |
| Dec. 22 | 8:15 p.m. | Denver Broncos vs. Cincinnati Bengals |
| TBD | TBD | NFL Wild Card Game |
| Jan. 25, 2015 | 8 p.m. | NFL Pro Bowl (Glendale, Arizona) |
Tomorrow we’ll conclude the series with What We Know About the NFL on Fox in 2014.
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