Monday Night Football schedule: Dates, times, teams for 2026 NFL season

Can you feel it in the air tonight?

While Monday nights might seem empty at the moment, they won't be much longer. The NFL has officially released the 2026 regular-season schedule, putting 272 games on the calendar to take sports fans through the fall and winter. As usual, a number of those contests will be exclusive to the first night of the work and school week.

"Monday Night Football" is back for another season on ESPN and ABC, where Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge serve as the soundtrack for some of the biggest games under the lights.

It's a crew that will take fans on a journey from Week 1 through Super Bowl 61, as the biggest game of the season debuts on ESPN.

The action begins on Sept. 14 when the Kansas City Chiefs host the Denver Broncos, a game that could mark the returns of Patrick Mahomes and Bo Nix after both quarterbacks suffered season-ending injuries to finish the 2025 campaign.

There are only four months until that contest, but who's counting? For now, a schedule will have to do. Here's what to know about the 2026 "Monday Night Football" schedule, including dates, times, matchups and more.

OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)

CB Trent McDuffie: Traded to Los Angeles Rams (previous team: Kansas City Chiefs)

RB David Montgomery: Traded to Houston Texans (previous team: Detroit Lions)

WR DJ Moore: Traded to Buffalo Bills (previous team: Chicago Bears)

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2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades

OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)

1 / 4

2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades

OT Tytus Howard: Traded to Cleveland Browns (previous team: Houston Texans)

2 / 4

2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades

CB Trent McDuffie: Traded to Los Angeles Rams (previous team: Kansas City Chiefs)

3 / 4

2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades

RB David Montgomery: Traded to Houston Texans (previous team: Detroit Lions)

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2026 NFL offseason tracker: Player signings, trades

WR DJ Moore: Traded to Buffalo Bills (previous team: Chicago Bears)

Monday Night Football schedule 2026

• Week 1 (Sept. 14): Kansas City Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC

• Week 2 (Sept. 21): Los Angeles Rams vs. New York Giants, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC

• Week 3 (Sept. 28): Chicago Bears vs. Philadelphia Eagles, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC

• Week 4 (Oct. 5): New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons, 8:15 p.m., ESPN

• Week 5 (Oct. 12): Los Angeles Rams vs. Buffalo Bills, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC

• Week 6 (Oct. 19): San Francisco 49ers vs. Washington Commanders, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC

• Week 7 (Oct. 26): Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC

• Week 8 (Nov. 2): Seattle Seahawks vs. Chicago Bears, 8:15 p.m., ESPN

• Week 9 (Nov. 9): Minnesota Vikings vs. Buffalo Bills, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC

• Week 10 (Nov. 16): Baltimore Ravens vs. Los Angeles Chargers, 8:15 p.m., ESPN

• Week 11 (Nov. 23): Washington Commanders vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 8:15 p.m., ESPN

• Week 12 (Nov. 30): Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. Carolina Panthers, 8:15 p.m., ESPN

• Week 13 (Dec. 7): Seattle Seahawks vs. Dallas Cowboys, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC

• Week 14 (Dec. 14): Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Pittsburgh Steelers, 8:15 p.m., ESPN

• Week 15 (Dec. 21): Kansas City Chiefs vs. New England Patriots, 8:15 p.m., ESPN/ABC

• Week 16 (Dec. 28): Detroit Lions vs. New York Giants, 8:15 p.m., ESPN

• Week 17 (Jan. 4): Green Bay Packers vs. Houston Texans, 8:15 p.m., ESPN

• Week 18 (Jan. 9):

  • TBD vs. TBD, 4:30 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC
  • TBD vs. TBD, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC

• Wild Card Round (Jan. 16, 17 or 18): TBD vs. TBD, ESPN/ABC

• Divisional Round (Jan. 23 or 24): TBD vs. TBD, Time TBD, ESPN/ABC

• Super Bowl 61 (Feb. 14): TBD vs. TBD, 6:30 p.m., ESPN/ABC

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL announces Monday Night Football schedule for 2026 season