A Week 15 “Monday Night Football” matchup between the Steelers and Bengals had potential, but it’s lost some of its luster in recent weeks.
Pittsburgh (11-2) is coming off consecutive losses to drop below Kansas City in the AFC standings. Cincinnati (2-10-1) was at least exciting while Joe Burrow was healthy, but he’s out for the season. It’s an AFC North rivalry on Monday night, to be sure, but not quite at the same present excitement level as Browns-Ravens in Week 14.
MORE: Watch tonight’s NFL game live with fuboTV
After the Steelers’ most recent loss, to the Bills, Ben Roethlisberger said Pittsburgh needs to look in the mirror. It’s unlikely the Steelers could slip up against some quarterback combination of Brandon Allen and Ryan Finley, but Pittsburgh finding its footing could help it get the right momentum into the season’s final few weeks.
Below is more about the matchup, plus everything to know about how to watch “Monday Night Football.”
Who plays on ‘Monday Night Football’ tonight?
- Matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
- Location: Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio
A week after the Browns hosted Monday Night Football, the show returns to Ohio a bit further south for a Bengals prime-time home game. It’s a tough break for ESPN that Burrow isn’t around to hype up the matchup.
The Steelers are getting used to playing outside of Sunday afternoon, as it’s been three-straight weeks of such games even before this one (Wednesday, early Monday night, Sunday night).
What time is the NFL game tonight?
- Matchup: Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals
- Date: Monday, Dec. 21
- Kickoff time: 8:15 p.m. ET
With the exception of the season-opening “Monday Night Football” doubleheader in Week 1 and COVID-19 schedule alterations, Monday night games are scheduled to always start at 8:15 p.m. ET.
The Steelers will be hoping their luck has turned after losing each of their last two games, both played at night.
What channel is ‘Monday Night Football’ on tonight?
ESPN reportedly is trying to negotiate a better TV rights deal with the NFL to negotiate more games in the future, but in 2020, the network’s only package of NFL games is the complete slate of Monday night games. The network will broadcast all “Monday Night Football” games in 2020 on its flagship ESPN channel.
ESPN is available on most cable systems in the United States. The network also is available via satellite providers DirecTV (Channel 206) and Dish Network (Channel 140) as well as IPTV providers AT&T U-verse (Channel 602 for SD; Channel 1602 for HD), Verizon Fios (Channel 70 for SD; Channel 570 for HD) and Google Fiber (Channel 21).
ESPN has a new lineup of commentators for its “Monday Night Football” broadcasts in 2020 after moving on from last year’s broadcast booth duo of Joe Tessitore and Booger McFarland. Steve Levy (play-by-play), Brian Griese (analyst) and Louis Riddick (analyst) will call all Monday night games for ESPN this season. Lisa Salters is still the network’s sideline reporter.
NFL live stream for ‘Monday Night Football’
Because all “Monday Night Football” games in 2020 will broadcast on ESPN, they are available to stream live on all of the network’s digital platforms (ESPN.com, ESPN App, etc.). This should be the streaming preference for anybody who has a cable/satellite subscription but can’t get in front of a TV.
For cord-cutters, there are plenty of live streaming options available to watch “Monday Night Football.” Below is the list.
“Monday Night Football” schedule
A total of 17 games are on the “Monday Night Football” schedule in 2020. That includes the two games in the Week 1 doubleheader and no Monday night game in Week 17. There have also been multiple non-branded NFL games on Monday night due to COVID-19 schedule alterations
Below is the complete schedule of Monday night games this year.
Week 1 | Sept. 14 | New York Giants vs. Pittsburgh Steelers |
Week 1 | Sept. 14 | Denver Broncos vs. Tennessee Titans |
Week 2 | Sept. 21 | Las Vegas Raiders vs. New Orleans Saints |
Week 3 | Sept. 28 | Baltimore Ravens vs. Kansas City Chiefs |
Week 4 | Oct. 5 | New England Patriots at Kansas City Chiefs |
Week 4 | Oct. 5 | Green Bay Packers vs. Atlanta Falcons |
Week 5 | Oct. 12 | New Orleans Saints vs. Los Angeles Chargers |
Week 6 | Oct. 19 | Kansas City Chiefs at Buffalo Bills |
Week 6 | Oct. 19 | Dallas Cowboys vs. Arizona Cardinals |
Week 7 | Oct. 26 | Los Angeles Rams vs. Chicago Bears |
Week 8 | Nov. 2 | New York Giants vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
Week 9 | Nov. 9 | New York Jets vs. New England Patriots |
Week 10 | Nov. 16 | Chicago Bears vs. Minnesota Vikings |
Week 11 | Nov. 23 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Los Angeles Rams |
Week 12 | Nov. 30 | Philadelphia Eagles vs. Seattle Seahawks |
Week 13 | Dec. 7 | Washington Football Team at Pittsburgh Steelers |
Week 13 | Dec. 7 | San Francisco 49ers vs. Buffalo Bills |
Week 14 | Dec. 14 | Cleveland Browns vs. Baltimore Ravens |
Week 15 | Dec. 21 | Cincinnati Bengals vs. Pittsburgh Steelers |
Week 16 | Dec. 28 | New England Patriots vs. Buffalo Bills |