The NFL will have a quirk to the league schedule in 2022 as there will be a "Monday Night Football" doubleheader in Week 2 (Sept. 19), with two games being played at the same time. The first game will pit the Tennessee Titans at the Buffalo Bills, to be played at 7:15 p.m. ET on ESPN. The Philadelphia Eagles will play host to the Minnesota Vikings in the second game, which will start at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC.
The entire Monday night slate was released on Thursday night, and you can check it out below.
The Bills are expected to be one of the favorites to reach the Super Bowl in the AFC, led by Josh Allen and a star-powered offense featuring Stefon Diggs and the emergence of Gabriel Davis. This will be the fifth consecutive year Buffalo will play Tennessee as the Bills have lost their last two games against the Titans. This is the first time the teams have met in Buffalo since 2018.
The Eagles had one of the biggest moves of the offseason with the acquisition of A.J. Brown from the Titans and are coming off a playoff appearance last year. The Vikings just missed the playoffs last year, but Justin Jefferson will be making his first visit to Lincoln Financial Field since Philadelphia selected Jalen Reagor one pick before him in the 2020 NFL Draft. Jefferson is the only receiver in NFL history to have 3,000 receiving yards after his first two seasons.
The "Monday Night Football" doubleheader had been an opening-week staple on the schedule since 2006, as the late game (typically starting at 10:15 p.m. ET), featured West Coast teams. The Week 1 doubleheader was eliminated last year to feature a Week 18 doubleheader on the final Saturday of the regular season that included any team still fighting for a playoff spot or division title (both were flex games). That Saturday doubleheader will still be played in Week 18 under the new television contract.
In the new ESPN/ABC contract with the league, the annual "Monday Night Football" doubleheader was expected to make its return this season with a twist. ESPN will up its slate of games from 17 to 23 and will have three games exclusively on ABC in addition to games being played on ESPN -- so there will be three weeks of "Monday Night Football" doubleheaders in 2022 and each season after. ESPN will also have the right to flex a "Monday Night Football" matchup from Week 12 through Week 18. ESPN+ will also have an exclusive game, which will be one of the international games on the calendar.
Here is the 2022 "Monday Night Football" schedule:
| Week | Date | Matchup | Time (ET) | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 9/12 | Broncos at Seahawks | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN, ABC |
2 | 9/19 | Titans at Bills | 7:15 p.m. | ESPN |
2 | 9/19 | Vikings at Eagles | 8:30 p.m. | ABC |
3 | 9/26 | Cowboys at Giants | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN, ABC |
4 | 10/3 | Rams at 49ers | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
5 | 10/10 | Raiders at Chiefs | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
6 | 10/17 | Broncos at Chargers | 8:15 p.m | ESPN |
7 | 10/24 | Bears at Patriots | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
8 | 10/30 (Sunday) | Broncos at Jaguars (London) | 9:30 a.m. | ESPN+ |
| 8 | 10/31 | Bengals at Browns | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
9 | 11/6 | Ravens at Saints | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
10 | 11/14 | Commanders at Eagles | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
11 | 11/21 | 49ers at Cardinals | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
12 | 11/28 | Steelers at Colts | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
13 | 12/5 | Saints at Buccaneers | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
14 | 12/12 | Patriots at Cardinals | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
15 | 12/19 | Rams at Packers | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN, ABC |
16 | 12/26 | Chargers at Colts | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
17 | 1/2 | Bills at Bengals | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN, ABC |
18 | TBA (Saturday) | |||
| 18 | TBA (Saturday) |
