Week 4 of the NFL regular season hasn’t sung its last notes just yet. Monday Night Football features a doubleheader — the second consecutive week we’ve seen a prime-time pair of matchups.
The first MNF battle involves struggling AFC clubs, the Tennessee Titans and Miami Dolphins; the second MNF showdown, conversely, could have NFC playoff implications between the undefeated Seattle Seahawks and the 2-1 Detroit Lions.
The obvious question that arises is, why is there a Monday night doubleheader?
Why the Monday Night Doubleheader in Week 4 Is Happening
In both Weeks 1 and 2, there was only one Monday night game. However, in Weeks 3 and 4, doubleheaders will replace the standalone game. In Week 3, the Jaguars vs. Bills faced off in the early game (7:30 p.m. ET), and the Commanders vs. Bengals kicked off in the normal 8:15 p.m. time slot.
The reason for the double dip is simple, though. In 2021, the NFL finalized its current media rights agreement. As part of the deal, both ESPN and ABC received additional game broadcasts, including an expansion of multi-game Monday Night Football games.
Monday Night Football doubleheaders are nothing new, having been deployed by the NFL for years. However, the usual reason was to include games on both the West and East Coasts. Now, ESPN broadcasts more of an overlapping schedule than before.
The NFL’s media rights deal, which they agreed on in 2021, is set to last 11 years from then, meaning there are eight more years. The deal included previously existing broadcast partners and added Amazon Prime Video. With the added ESPN and ABC games, Disney’s content increased from 17 to 23 games.
For example, 2023 saw four multi-game Monday Night Football weeks. There was also a MNF doubleheader in Week 2 of the 2022 season.
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In addition to Weeks 3 and 4, Weeks 7 and Week 15 will also have doubleheaders on Monday nights.
For Week 7, it’s the Baltimore Ravens at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Los Angeles Chargers at the Arizona Cardinals. In Week 15, it will be the Chicago Bears at the Minnesota Vikings and the Las Vegas Raiders at the Atlanta Falcons.