List of Monday Night Football results (1970–2005)
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Beginning in the 1970 NFL season, the National Football League began scheduling a weekly regular season game on Monday night before a national television audience. From 1970 to 2005, the ABC television network carried these games, with the ESPN cable television network taking over beginning in September 2006. Listed below are games played from 1970 to 2005.
Overtime Result | Non-Monday regular season games covered by MNF team | Super Bowl broadcast | Pro Bowl broadcast |
Stadiums and teams appearing under different names
Some stadiums and teams had multiple names throughout their appearances in the MNF package in this era.
First name listed is the stadium/team's name heading into 1990. All names were seen in the package at least once in this era.
Stadiums
- Atlanta–Fulton County Stadium – Atlanta Stadium
- Foxboro Stadium – Schaefer Stadium (the facility did not host a game while it was named Sullivan Stadium)
- Jack Murphy Stadium– San Diego Stadium
Teams
- Indianapolis Colts – Baltimore Colts
- Los Angeles Raiders -Oakland Raiders
- Phoenix Cardinals– St. Louis Cardinals - Arizona Cardinals
1970s
1970 NFL season
The first ever MNF game between the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns ended with a 31–21 Browns win. Key highlights include Browns' 2 1st-quarter touchdowns by Gary Collins and Bo Scott; Emerson Boozer of the Jets scoring 2 rushing touchdowns, each scored in 2nd & 3rd quarters; Homer Jones became the first player in MNF history to score a touchdown on a kickoff/punt return when he sprinted 94 yards to the end zone to begin the 2nd half, and Billy Andrews also became the 1st defensive player in MNF history when he score a touchdown on an intercepted pass from Joe Namath in the final closing minutes to seal the win.
In only the second MNF game on September 28, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson became the first quarterback to throw for 4 touchdown passes on Monday Night Football.
The October 19 game between the
The October 26 game between the
Following their humiliating shutout in the November 16 game (which is also the 1st shutout in MNF history), the Cowboys would go on a seven-game winning streak, not losing until a deciding field goal in the final seconds of Super Bowl V against the Baltimore Colts. The St. Louis Cardinals, who completed a season sweep of the Cowboys at the Cotton Bowl would go 1–3–1 down the stretch to fall completely out of the playoffs and cost coach Charley Winner his job. As for the Cowboys, they would not be shutout for 15 years until the future Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears beat them 44–0.
The Colts and Packers simultaneously became the first teams to make their second appearances on MNF when they played each other. The Browns, Lions, and Rams were the only other teams to make two MNF appearances in 1970. The Browns became the first team in MNF history to win 2 games in 2 appearances, while the Rams became the first team to lose 2 games in 2 appearances. The only teams that did not appear on MNF in 1970 were the 49ers (who first appeared in 1971), the Saints and Patriots (who first appeared in 1972) and the Broncos and Bills (who first appeared in consecutive weeks in 1973).
The November 23 game became infamous when an intoxicated Howard Cosell slurred his way through the first half and vomited on Don Meredith's boots at halftime. Cosell left Franklin Field prior to the second half, leaving Meredith to finish the game with Keith Jackson.
1971 NFL season
The October 11 game was the final NFL contest played in the Cotton Bowl. The Dallas Cowboys moved into Texas Stadium for its next home game on October 24 versus the New England Patriots.
Wide receiver Dave Smith of the Pittsburgh Steelers became a part of Monday Night Football lore with an infamous mistake in the October 18 game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Smith was en route to scoring on a 50-yard pass play when he raised the ball over his head before reaching the end zone. Smith lost control of the ball, thinking he had already scored, with the mistake resulting in a touchback for the Chiefs.
The November 1 game between the visiting Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers ended in a 14–14 tie at County Stadium in Milwaukee. The first tie in the history of the Monday Night Football series.
The December 13 game saw the triumphant return of
The October 25 game featured a moment of silence for Lions wide receiver Chuck Hughes who died of a heart attack on the field at Tiger Stadium the previous day.
The 49ers made their MNF debut December 6 vs. Kansas City at home.
1972 NFL season
The September 25 game marked the
The Patriots were the other team to make its MNF debut in 1972, hosting the Colts November 6.
The October 9 game between the Oakland Raiders and Houston Oilers at the Astrodome is infamous for an awkward off-field incident. During the game, which the Raiders won in a 34–0 shutout, ABC cameras had panned out and showed several fans leaving. A cameraman caught one of the few to stay in the game, who showed his disgust with the Oilers' performance by raising his middle finger, prompting Don Meredith to quip, "We're number 1 in the nation." The game was the first in the series' three-year history to pit two former AFL clubs against each other. After this game, the Oilers went the rest of the season winless, ending with a 1–13 record and again with a 1–13 record in the next season.
The November 27 game saw the Miami Dolphins make their lone primetime appearance during their 17–0 season. The Dolphins had little trouble in dispatching the outclassed St. Louis Cardinals, one of nine games the Dolphins won that season against teams which won five or fewer games (the Cardinals finished 4–9–1 for the third time in four seasons, and did so again in 1973).
The December 11 game saw the New York Jets wide receiver Don Maynard set a new NFL record for pass receptions when he caught his 632nd reception, a record that stood until 1975 when Charley Taylor became the NFL all-time pass receptions record holder.
1973 NFL season
The Broncos and Bills were the last of the 26 teams of the merged NFL to make their first appearances on the program, but not against each other, rather, alone in consecutive weeks.
During what would be
The October 8 game ended in dramatic fashion as Redskins safety Ken Houston stopped Cowboy running back Walt Garrison at the Washington one-yard-line as time expired to preserve a 14–7 Redskins victory.
The Minnesota Vikings entered the November 19 game in Atlanta with a spotless 9–0 record, but left with their first loss. The Falcons jumped out to a 17–7 halftime lead, then held on as the Vikings came up one yard short on fourth down at the Atlanta 39 with 55 seconds to play. The victory was the Falcons sixth in a row. The victory was sweet revenge for Falcons head coach Norm Van Brocklin, who was the Vikings' first head coach from 1961 to 1966, and quarterback Bob Lee, a Vikings backup from 1969 to 1972 (as well as punter from 1969 to 1971), and again in 1976 and '77.
The December 3 game between the Steelers and the Dolphins began with a 30–3 halftime lead for the Dolphins, highlighted by Dick Anderson's 4 interceptions, including two that resulted in touchdown scores. Pittsburgh added 3 touchdowns in the 2nd half. However, luck ran out in the closing minutes, as the Dolphins won the game 30–26, aided with a Bob Griese safety.
Only one home team lost out of the 13 games: Cleveland to Miami 17–9 on October 15 (the Raiders and Broncos played to a 23–23 tie in Denver a week later).
1974 NFL season
The season-opening contest in Buffalo on September 16 marked the start of a three-year stint for Alex Karras as a color commentator for the show. Karras had replaced Fred Williamson, who had originally replaced Don Meredith, but was dismissed after a poorly received effort during a few preseason contests. The Raiders' loss was their first on Monday Night, and would be their last until 1986.
The October 14 game between the Lions and 49ers marked the final Monday Night Football game ever at Tiger Stadium.
Facing huge competition from the October 28 CBS broadcast of the wedding of Rhoda Morgenstern on Rhoda and NBC's November 18 broadcast of The Godfather, ratings for Monday Night Football took a hit for those two contests. On that October 28, Pittsburgh defeated Atlanta for the 14th consecutive home team victory on Monday Night and the 15th consecutive without a loss. The streak was snapped the following week when Los Angeles won at San Francisco, the fourth of 10 consecutive Rams victories at Candlestick Park.
The November 25 game at Tulane Stadium marked the first time ABC broadcast a Monday Night game in the same facility which would host the Super Bowl at the end of the season. Ironically, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the New Orleans Saints in the MNF game, then came back January 12, 1975 and ousted the Minnesota Vikings on the same field to win their first championship in franchise history. In between, ABC telecast the final Sugar Bowl played at Tulane Stadium, with Nebraska edging Florida 13–10 on New Year's Eve.
After losing to the Steelers, the Saints did not return to MNF for five years.
From 1974 to 1977, the Monday night game aired on Saturday during the final week of the regular season. Previously, there had been no prime-time game in the season's final week.
1975 NFL season
The Oakland Raiders' defeat of the Miami Dolphins on September 22 ended the Dolphins 31-game home winning streak. During this game, ABC switched at halftime to ABC News anchor Harry Reasoner for an update on the assassination attempt on President Ford by Sara Jane Moore earlier that day.
The October 6 game marked the first regular season game ever played in the Pontiac Silverdome, the then-new home of the Detroit Lions. The Dallas Cowboys, who had missed the playoffs in 1974 for the first time in nine years, beat the Lions on their way to a 4–0 start to the season. The Cowboys would return to the playoffs in 1975, starting a new nine-year streak of playoff berths, and became the first NFL wild card team ever to play in the Super Bowl.
Following their surprising 34–31 victory at Dallas Nov. 10, Kansas City did not win another MNF game until 1991. The Chiefs-Cowboys game is best remembered for a diving one-handed touchdown reception by the Cowboys' Golden Richards at the back of the end zone.
The final Monday Night Football game of the season offered one of the least attractive contests in the six-year history of the program: The 1–11 San Diego Chargers hosted the 3–9 New York Jets, with the Chargers pulling an upset 24–16 victory.
This was the first season that the Rams did not appear in one of the final two games of the season. The Rams played at home in the final Monday night game four of the first five seasons of Monday Night Football. Nevertheless, the Rams did play in the final game covered by the MNF team on Saturday, December 20, where they defeated the eventual Super Bowl champion Steelers.
1976 NFL season
This season saw the first Monday night
The October 11 game marked the first time the Rams had ever been shut out at
The October 18 game featured Alex Karras singing a fight song written for the New York Jets by then-head coach Lou Holtz before the kickoff (which was repeated for the NFL Top 10 series in the episode on "Coaches Who Belonged in College").
1976 also marked the program using a new theme song for the introduction.
1977 NFL season
The September 26 game was decided in overtime on Don Cockroft's 35-yard field goal with 10:15 left in the extra session.
This was Don Meredith's first season back in the booth, after three seasons at NBC. He would remain through the 1984 season.
The October 10 game was Joe Namath's last NFL start and last NFL game.
1978 NFL season
The September 4 game, the 1978 MNF season opener, was when Howard Cosell and the announcing crew was given a plate of nachos and Cosell began using the term 'nacho' for the duration of the game; this moment is notable for helping spread the popularity of the dish outside of its native Texas where it was invented.[1]
The September 18 game between the Colts and the Patriots featured a Monday Night Football-record 41 points scored between the two teams in the fourth quarter, 27 by the Colts. Colts running back Joe Washington had a memorable performance, scoring or helping score his teams' final three touchdowns. His catch of a touchdown pass tied the game at 20–20, and then he threw an option pass to Roger Carr to put the Colts ahead 27–20. After the Patriots tied it late, Washington returned the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for the winning touchdown.
The November 20 game between the
The November 27 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers kicked off at 6 pm. Pacific time, just hours after San Francisco mayor George Moscone and city supervisor Harvey Milk were murdered at City Hall by former supervisor Dan White. NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, a former publicity director at the University of San Francisco, did not consider postponing the game. During the game, a large protest march to the steps of City Hall took place. A rarely discussed moment happened before the game just prior the national anthem. The stadium observed a moment of silence to honor the fallen mayor. Between that and the national anthem a truck backed into the stadium flag pole sending it crashing to the ground. It was a large wooden pole near the southern end zone. It shocked the crowd who were already uneasy from a very tragic day in San Francisco.
In the regular season finale December 18,
From 1978 to 1986, ABC would televise some Thursday and Sunday night games.
1979 NFL season
The September 4 opening game between the
The October 1 game at Lambeau Field marked the first time ever that a Monday Night Football game had taken place in Green Bay. The three previous Packers home games in the series had taken place in Milwaukee (1970, 1971, and 1973). Two weeks later, the Jets hosted the first ever MNF game in New York City, and defeated the Vikings.
The Seattle Seahawks made their MNF debut October 29 versus the Atlanta Falcons. Four weeks later, they played their first MNF home game versus the New York Jets.
In the November 12 game between the
In the December 3 Raiders/Saints game, Ken Stabler rallied the Raiders from a 35–14 deficit. He threw an 8-yard touchdown pass to Cliff Branch for the winning score. Stabler later played for the Saints from 1982 through the first half of 1984. The loss ended up costing the Saints their first winning season, as they finished 8-8; New Orleans would not finish above .500 until 1987.
1980s
1980 NFL season
Dallas defeated Washington marking the first time that those teams opened up the Monday Night Football season.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers played their first game on ABC Thursday, September 11 at home versus the Los Angeles Rams, then played their first Monday night game at Chicago October 6.
The November 24 game was the one where New Orleans Saints fans, watching what would become a dreadful 1–15 campaign that season, began wearing paper bags over their heads and referring to the team as the "Aints". One night later,
The December 8 game was forever remembered for
1981 NFL season
The December 7 game between the Oakland Raiders and Pittsburgh Steelers would mark the final Monday night game played in Oakland prior to the Raiders' move to Los Angeles. The next Monday night game played in Oakland would be held in 1996; one year after the Raiders' return to Oakland in 1995.
The 2 teams that didn't participate this season were the eventual NFC champion San Francisco 49ers and the eventual AFC champion Cincinnati Bengals. Both teams later participated in the Super Bowl, where the 49ers won the game and the title 26–21. This was also the 1st time that the 2 eventual Super Bowl contenders didn't play in a Monday Night Football game.
Home teams won every game ABC aired after the month of September, a total of 14 contests.
1982 NFL season
This was the season in which a nine-week players’ strike forced the NFL to postpone seven regular season games. The September 20 game between the Packers and the Giants would be the last game played until November 21. The Packers-Giants game was the first Monday night game hosted by the Giants.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hosted their first Monday night game November 29 versus the in-state rival Miami Dolphins, the first regular season meeting between the teams since the Buccaneers' inaugural year of 1976. In 1980, the Buccaneers hosted the Los Angeles Rams in a Thursday night game on ABC.
In the January 3 game between the Cowboys and the Vikings, Cowboys running back Tony Dorsett ran for 99 yards and a touchdown – still the longest running play from scrimmage in the NFL. Worth noting is that the Cowboys had only ten players on offense when the ball was snapped on that play, as fullback Ron Springs did not get onto the playing field in time after Minnesota kicked off to Dallas in the third quarter.
The Cowboys-Vikings game originally was scheduled to be played on Sunday, September 26 (Week 3), but was
The San Francisco 49ers became the first reigning Super Bowl champion not to play a Monday night game, although they were featured in ABC games on other nights (one Thursday, one Sunday). Their scheduled Monday game (week 4 at Tampa Bay) fell victim to the strike.
1983 NFL season
The September 5 game between the
Future Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino made his NFL debut in the September 19 game between the Raiders and the Dolphins.
The October 10 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals is remembered for the Steelers' Keith Gary grabbing the facemask of Bengals quarterback Ken Anderson on a first-quarter sack and twisting his head 180 degrees. Anderson was knocked out of the game and backup Turk Schonert threw three interceptions, two of which the Steelers returned for touchdowns in a 24–14 Steelers win.
The October 24 game between the
Both of the
Following their December 12 overtime loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did not play another game on ABC until 1998.
From 1983 to 1986 in addition to some Thursday and Sunday night games, ABC would also televise a Friday night game in week 16.
1984 NFL season
The September 6 Thursday special game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Jets was the first primetime game hosted by the Jets in New Jersey, after relocating from Shea Stadium to Giants Stadium. The Jets previously played a September 1977 game in New Jersey after a scheduling conflict with the New York Mets at Shea.
An early season snowstorm in the October 15 game at Denver caused the Packers to fumble on their first two plays. Both fumbles were returned for Broncos touchdowns. However, the 5-1 Broncos' offense could only muster an additional field goal as the 1-5 Packers scored two touchdowns in the second half and very nearly pulled an upset.
The October 21 Sunday special game between the New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys started at 9:45 EDT (8:45 CDT) due to ABC covering the second 1984 Ronald Reagan–Walter Mondale debate. This was the latest time a regular season NFL game started until 2006 – beginning that year, MNF on ESPN would air two games in week 1, the second kicking off after 10:00 pm EDT. The 1984 Saints-Cowboys game remains the latest NFL kickoff on a broadcast network.
1984 marked the third straight year in which the Cowboys played in both the MNF season opener and season finale. The Cowboys would open the MNF season again in 1985 and 1986 to complete a run of seven Monday night openers in nine seasons. However, they would not close the season on MNF again until 1995, a Christmas night game at Arizona.
1985 NFL season
The September 19 Thursday night game is memorable for Bears quarterback Jim McMahon's third quarter performance. Bears coach Mike Ditka elected not to start McMahon because of various ailments keeping him out of practice all week. ABC cameras kept showing McMahon begging Ditka to put him in the game. Finally, with the Vikings leading 17–9, McMahon entered the game and threw a 70-yard touchdown pass to Willie Gault on his first snap. The Bears immediately got the ball back at the Vikings' 25-yard line on the next series on a Wilber Marshall fumble recovery, and McMahon hit Dennis McKinnon on the very first play for a touchdown. Then, on the very next series, McMahon completed 3 of 5 passes and another touchdown to McKinnon. For the third quarter, McMahon had taken seven snaps and completed five passes for three touchdowns.
The October 21 game is memorable for rookie Bears defensive lineman William Perry scoring a rushing touchdown after entering the game as an extra backfield blocker.
The October 28 game marked the final Monday night appearance at home for the Los Angeles Raiders until their return to Oakland in 1995, as well as the final Monday night game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum until 2018.
In the November 11 game, a thrown snowball caused the 49ers to miss an extra point, a determining factor in the team's one-point loss.
The November 18 game between the
The December 2 game between the
1986 NFL season
During this season, MacGyver began a six-year run as the program's lead-in – the longest lasting such program in history.
The September 8 game between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys marked the NFL debut of Herschel Walker.
The September 29 game was the last MNF game in St. Louis until 2000, when the
The October 27 game took place at the same time as Game 7 of the
The Sunday, December 7 game between the
1987 NFL season
There was a player
games). Once a new collective bargaining agreement ended the strike, regular players came back and played starting with Week 7.The October 26 game between the Broncos and the Vikings was rescheduled because Game 7 of the 1987 World Series (which was also broadcast by ABC), which featured the Minnesota Twins, had to play at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on Sunday night when the Vikings were originally slated to host the Broncos. Therefore, the game was moved to Monday night, and was played simultaneously with the Browns–Rams game. Coincidentally, the Browns had been slated to host the Broncos in the canceled Monday night game (in a rematch of The Drive). The Broncos-Vikings game, originally to be shown on NBC, was broadcast only in Colorado and Minnesota areas as part of ABC's Monday Night Football package. Meanwhile, the rest of the country saw the previously scheduled game: Los Angeles Rams at Cleveland, which turned out to be Eric Dickerson's last with the Rams.[3]
The November 30 Raiders/Seahawks game marked the memorable Monday Night Football debut of Bo Jackson, with his 91-yard touchdown run. Before that, he ran over Seahawks linebacker Brian Bosworth for another score.
* Did not play due to
1988 NFL season
The September 12 game between the
The October 3 game between the Cowboys and the Saints would be the final MNF game coached by Tom Landry, as well as for the Cowboys team as a whole until 1991.
The October 17 game between the
1989 NFL season
The October 9 game between the Raiders and the Jets was the first game for Art Shell as the Raiders head coach, becoming the first African-American NFL head coach in the modern era (Shell had been named interim head coach following the firing of Mike Shanahan).
The November 6 game between the Saints and the 49ers was originally scheduled for New Orleans but was switched with their October 8 game when the San Francisco Giants played in the NLCS.
The December 11 game between the 49ers and the Rams had John Taylor become the first player in NFL history to score two touchdowns of over 90 yards in a single game.
The December 25 game between the Bengals and the Vikings was the first NFL game played on Christmas Day since the 1971 divisional playoffs. (The Vikings also hosted one of the two Christmas Day 1971 playoff games, losing to the eventual Super Bowl VI champion Cowboys.)
1989 marked the first year in which the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys did not appear on Monday Night Football. The Miami Dolphins appeared on ABC's Monday Night Football every year except for this year and the 2005 season. While the Dallas Cowboys will not return MNF until 1991
1989 also marked Monday Night Football's 20th season, and
1990s
1990 NFL season
The November 12 game between the
With the 1990 season, a new practice featured the defending Super Bowl champions playing the first Monday Night game of the season. The practice was maintained through
The December 31 game started at 8 PM EST rather than 9 PM EST to allow
Super Bowl XXV is best remembered for its signature play – Scott Norwood of the Buffalo Bills missed what would have been the game-winning field goal, as it sailed wide right.
1991 NFL season
The November 25 game was the last MNF game played in the Los Angeles area (until 2018), the last appearance for the Los Angeles Rams before moving to St. Louis in 1995, and the last MNF game played in Anaheim, California. The Rams dropped to 0–4 in home MNF games against the arch-rival San Francisco 49ers, with previous defeats coming in 1976, 1989, and 1990; they also lost a Thursday night home game to the 49ers in 1982.
The September 9 game between the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys was the first Monday Night Football game for the Cowboys since the 1988 season, which was Tom Landry's final season, also this game marked Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, and Michael Irvin debut on Monday Night Football. .
1992 NFL season
Monday Night Football celebrated the 100th anniversary of nighttime football on September 28, 1992, with a game between the Los Angeles Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium.[4] The first recorded night football game was the 1892 Wyoming Seminary vs. Mansfield State Normal football game and ended at halftime with a 0–0 tie.[5]
The season opener on September 7 featured the defending champion facing off against the current season's champion. In this case it was the Washington Redskins (winner of Super Bowl XXVI) versus the eventual Super Bowl XXVII winner Dallas Cowboys.
The November 30 game between the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks marked the final Monday Night Football game at Kingdome. also the last MNF game in Seattle until 2002.
The December 28 game between the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers marked Running Back Barry Sanders's debut on Monday Night Football
1993 NFL season
The September 6 game marked the first time in 10 years that the
The September 13 game was the last win for the Cleveland Browns (who had won the very first MNF game in 1970) on the ABC program, and last win overall until 2008.
The October 18 game marked the first of nine meetings between the Los Angeles Raiders and Denver Broncos on MNF over an 11-year span, seven of these games being played in Denver.
The November 8 game between the Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs, marked Quarterback Brett Favre's Monday Night Football debut.
During the January 3 game, the Philadelphia Eagles missed a game-winning field goal as the overtime period expired, which would have left the game a tie. However, a penalty against the San Francisco 49ers allowed a re-kick, and the Eagles were granted one untimed down. On the second attempt, the field goal was good and the deadlock was barely averted, preserving the fourth of what would eventually be seven consecutive tie-free seasons.
Both
1994 NFL season
ABC was unable to air the opener of the Dallas Cowboys, the previous season's Super Bowl champion, after the NFL guaranteed Fox it would have the Cowboys' game at Pittsburgh for its main doubleheader game. It was Fox's first Sunday of televising NFL games after gaining the NFC package from CBS.
In the September 5 game, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jerry Rice broke Jim Brown's touchdown record.
The first two-point conversion in MNF history came on September 12, when Chicago Bears quarterback Erik Kramer threw a pass to Curtis Conway.[6]
The October 17 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos featured a quarterback matchup between Joe Montana and John Elway. Montana led the Chiefs to a 75-yard game-winning drive with 8 seconds left.
The October 31 game between the Green Bay Packers and the Chicago Bears was played in a driving rain with wind gusts up to 36 mph. Coincidentally, it also marked the 11th anniversary of the death of former Bears player, coach and owner George Halas. At halftime, the Bears retired the #51 jersey of legendary linebacker Dick Butkus. The game was played four hours after American Eagle Flight 4184, scheduled to land at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport, crashed into a field in Roselawn, Indiana, killing all 64 passengers and four crew members aboard.
The November 7 game between the New York Giants and the Dallas Cowboys included a fight between several players from both teams, including safety James Washington grabbing and swinging a cameraman's tripod.
The November 21 game was the first for Jeff Fisher as coach of the Houston Oilers. He would remain with the franchise through the end of the 2010 season, by which point they had become the Tennessee Titans. This was also the last MNF game for the Oilers before their move to Tennessee in 1997 and their name change to the Titans in 1999, and the last one in Houston until 2008.
The December 12 game would be re-matched later that month in the
The December 19 game between the Dallas Cowboys and New Orleans Saints was the first NFL start for Larry Allen, who replaced Erik Williams after he suffered season-ending injuries from an automobile accident. Allen provided a memorable play early in the game when Saints linebacker Darion Conner intercepted a Troy Aikman pass and looked to be on his way to a breakaway touchdown. However, the 325-pound Allen surprisingly ran Conner down from behind short of the end zone. Larry Allen would play 14 seasons in the NFL and is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
The 49ers became the first, and remain the only, team to win the Super Bowl after losing the MNF season finale. Coincidentally, Super Bowl XXIX was also televised by ABC.
1995 NFL season
In the September 11 game, Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre threw a 99-yard touchdown pass to Robert Brooks against the Chicago Bears. It was the eighth 99-yard touchdown pass in NFL history. The game also featured a death-defying leap when a fan caught a field goal after leaping off the side of the tunnel at Soldier Field.[7][8]
In the October 9 game, Kansas City Chiefs kick returner Tamarick Vanover returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown to win the game for the Chiefs against the San Diego Chargers.
The October 23 game between the Buffalo Bills and the New England Patriots, marked Quarterback Drew Bledsoe's Monday Night Football debut.
The November 13 game between the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers was played one week after Browns owner Art Modell announced that he would be moving the team to Baltimore for the 1996 season.
Two days after the November 20 game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Miami Dolphins, the world's first computer-animated movie, Toy Story was released by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios.
Some portions of the
The December 30 wild card game between the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles was the highest-scoring playoff game in league history until it was surpassed by a 51–45 overtime win for the Arizona Cardinals over the Green Bay Packers on January 10, 2010.
1996 NFL season
Though the Oakland Raiders played two Monday Night games last season as well as one previous game this season, the November 4 matchup versus Denver marked the Raiders first home Monday Night game in Oakland since Monday December 7, 1981.
1997 NFL season
The September 22 game between the
The September 29 game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Carolina Panthers was the Panthers' first MNF game in franchise history and the first MNF game in Charlotte.
The October 27 game between the
The November 10 game between the 49ers and the Eagles was the infamous game in which a fan had fired off a flare gun in Veterans Stadium, leading to the introduction of the court in the stadium.
The December 15 game between the
1998 NFL season
This season was notable because it featured the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the first time since 1983 when the team lost to the Green Bay Packers on December 12 of that year. The team played two Monday night games in 1998 losing to Detroit in Week 4 but beating Green Bay in Week 14. Ironically, the December 1983 game was the second and final Monday night game played at Tampa Stadium though ABC would air Super Bowl XXV played at the stadium. The December 7, 1998 game versus Green Bay was the first Monday night played at Raymond James Stadium and came just about 5 days shy of 15 years after the previous game hosted in Tampa.
The October 5th game between Minnesota and Green Bay proved to be the coming out moment for Wide Receiver Randy Moss in his MNF debut. He caught 5 passes for 190 yards and 2 scores in the Minnesota victory.
The December 14 game between the Detroit Lions and the San Francisco 49ers, marked Running Back Barry Sanders final appearance at Monday Night Football.
The December 21 game between the Denver Broncos and the Miami Dolphins, marked Quarterback John Elway's final appearance at Monday Night Football.
1999 NFL season
The September 20 game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Atlanta Falcons, marked Wide Receiver Michael Irvin's final appearance at Monday Night Football.
The September 27 game between the
The October 25 game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Pittsburgh Steelers was the last Monday night game played at Three Rivers Stadium.
Two days after the November 22 game between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos, the world's first computer-animated sequel, Toy Story 2 was released by Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar Animation Studios.
The December 27 game between the New York Jets and the Miami Dolphins, marked Quarterback Dan Marino's final appearance at Monday Night Football.
The AFC wild card game on January 8 is remembered for a lateral on a kickoff return that gave the Tennessee Titans the win against the Buffalo Bills. It is called the Music City Miracle.
2000s
2000 NFL season
The September 4 game marked the first MNF appearance for the previous season's Super Bowl champion St. Louis Rams since moving from Los Angeles in 1995, and the first MNF game in St. Louis in fourteen years.
The week after that, the New York Jets hosted the New England Patriots – one full year before the September 11 attacks devastated New York City, among other places.
The September 18 game between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Redskins marked quarterback Troy Aikman's final appearance on Monday Night Football.
The September 25 game marked Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning's debut on Monday Night Football.
The October 16 game was the first actual Monday night game in
The October 23 game between the
In overtime of the November 6 game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers, Packers wide receiver Antonio Freeman slipped on the wet grass, while Vikings cornerback Cris Dishman deflected the pass at the 20-yard line. The ball bounced off Freeman's shoulder, he rolled over, and it fell into his chest and right hand without touching the ground. While Dishman agonized over what he thought should have been an interception, Freeman stood up and ran for the end zone, scoring the game-winning touchdown. The play was replayed and allowed. Al Michaels was quoted as saying in reaction to the game-winning play: "He did WHAT?"
The November 13 game between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos was the last Monday Night Football game played at Mile High Stadium.
The December 4 game between the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots at New England was the first Monday Night Football telecast at an outdoor Northern stadium after Thanksgiving. Previously, late-season prime time games were reserved for stadiums in the South or West Coast, or domed stadiums. Cold weather prime time telecasts became routine in later years and this was the final Monday Night Football game at Foxboro Stadium.
2001 NFL season
The September 17 game between the Minnesota Vikings and Baltimore Ravens (what would have been the Ravens' first appearance on Monday Night Football and the first Monday night game to take place in the city of Baltimore since 1978) was rescheduled to January 7 as the entire slate of week 2 games were postponed after the September 11 attacks at the World Trade Center and The Pentagon.
Coincidentally, the New York Giants played the Denver Broncos in the last game prior to the September 11 attacks, and that game was credited for saving lives since it ended after midnight in New York City.
The September 24 game was not only the first Monday Night Football game since the attacks, it was also a rematch of one of the most significant games in the program's history; a game between the Washington Redskins and the Green Bay Packers. 18 years before at Lambeau Field, the Redskins and Packers combined for 95 points, more than any other Monday night game before or since (the Packers won 48–47, on a last second Jan Stenerud field goal).
The October 1 game between the
The October 8 game between the St. Louis Rams and the Detroit Lions was the last Monday Night Football game at the Pontiac Silverdome, also the last Monday Night Football game in Detroit until 2011.
The October 15 game between the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys, marked running back Emmitt Smith's final appearance on Monday Night Football.
The October 22 game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Giants marked Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb's Monday Night Football debut.
The October 29 game between the
Denver Broncos kicker Jason Elam recorded the 20,000th point scored in Monday Night Football history when he kicked a field goal in the Broncos' 38–28 loss to the Oakland Raiders.
Due to Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve falling on Mondays in 2001, the NFL did not schedule games for those days. Instead, ABC aired Saturday night games on those weekends. The former weekend also had games on CBS and Fox that Saturday, marking one of the few times (until 2006) that three different over-the-air networks aired NFL games on the same day. In future seasons when Christmas Eve fell on a Monday, the matchup would feature two teams on the west coast.
2002 NFL season
The September 9 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots marked quarterback Tom Brady's Monday Night Football debut. It was also the first game played at Gillette Stadium.
During the October 14 game between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, wide receiver Terrell Owens pulled out a Sharpie following a touchdown and autographed the football. Also was the first Monday Night Football game at Seahawks Stadium and the first Monday Night Football game in Seattle since 1992.
At halftime of the October 28 game between the New York Giants and the Philadelphia Eagles, the last of the fourteen clues from the ABC television series Push, Nevada was revealed. By taking the appropriate letters (5th, 1st, 9th, 1st, 5th, 7th, 4th, 1st, 2nd, 7th, 5th, and 2nd) from twelve of those clues, the world "VONGEYELNAIL" was formed. Replacing the 5th, 6th, and 7th letters in the word would change it to "VONGILNAIL", translating it into the phone number 1 (866) 445-6245. The first person to call that number, Mark Nakamoto, won the grand prize of $1,045,000. It was also the final Monday Night Football game played at Veterans Stadium.
The November 11 game between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos marked the 500th Monday Night Football game. In commemoration, ABC used various themes and images of varied opens during commercial bumpers.
2003 NFL season
Under a new NFL policy, the NFL officially adopted a
The season saw two improbable comebacks occur. The New York Giants led their game with the Dallas Cowboys 32–29 with 10 seconds left. An out-of-bounds kickoff allowed the Cowboys to quickly get into field goal position and force overtime. The Cowboys' Billy Cundiff tied an NFL record with seven field goals as the Cowboys won 35–32. Three weeks later, the Indianapolis Colts trailed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 35–14 with 3:43 remaining. They scored three touchdowns in the closing minutes and won 38–35 in overtime after an unsportsmanlike "leaping" call negated a field goal miss by the Colts. Ironically, Simeon Rice, the player charged with "leaping", would later play for the Colts in 2007.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Philadelphia Eagles game was the very first regular season game at Lincoln Financial Field, the third straight year that Monday Night Football opened with a stadium's first ever regular season game (following Invesco Field at Mile High in 2001 and Gillette Stadium in 2002).
The
The
All AFC West teams appeared on the program in a span of three weeks: the Kansas City Chiefs played at the Oakland Raiders on October 20, the aforementioned Miami Dolphins-San Diego Chargers game, and the New England Patriots-Denver Broncos game on November 3. It was the first time since the realignment that MNF featured all of a division's teams in a 3-week span.
The Green Bay Packers–Oakland Raiders game was played the day after the death of the father of quarterback Brett Favre. In an inspiring performance, Favre threw for 399 yards and four touchdowns in the Packers' rout.
2004 NFL season
The Philadelphia Eagles–Dallas Cowboys game drew controversy when ABC aired a risqué pregame skit featuring Eagles receiver Terrell Owens and Desperate Housewives actress Nicollette Sheridan. Owens caught three touchdowns in the game.
The Cincinnati Bengals played their first MNF game since 1992.
The Miami Dolphins pulled off a classic upset over the New England Patriots on December 20. Trailing 17–28 with 3:59 left, the Dolphins drove 68 yards to score on Sammy Morris' 1-yard run with 2:07 remaining, and then on a third down play, Tom Brady threw as he was being sacked by Jason Taylor. The ill-advised, off-balance pass sailed directly to linebacker Brendon Ayanbadejo, giving Miami a first down at the Patriots' 21 with 1:45 to go. Three plays later, A. J. Feeley threw for the game-winning score, a 21-yard pass to Derrius Thompson on fourth-and-10 with 1:23 left. The Dolphins wore orange jerseys for only the second time in team history.
2005 NFL season
This marked the final season for Monday Night Football on
The September 12 game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Atlanta Falcons featured Falcons quarterback Michael Vick's debut on Monday Night Football.
The October 10 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Diego Chargers marked Ben Roethlisberger's Monday Night Football debut.
The record for largest Monday night victory was tied and later broken during the season. The Seattle Seahawks' 42–0 win over the Philadelphia Eagles tied the record set in the Miami Dolphins' 45–3 victory over the New York Jets in 1986. Two weeks later, the Baltimore Ravens bested the margin in their win over the Green Bay Packers, crushing them 48–3. The Seahawks' win over Philadelphia was in the midst of a bad season for the Eagles and ended up leading to NBC getting flexible scheduling built into its Sunday Night Football schedules.
The Atlanta Falcons became the first team to win three home games on Monday night, beating the Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets, and New Orleans Saints. The final Monday Night Football game on ABC saw the New England Patriots beat the Jets 31–21; this was the same score the Jets were defeated by in the very first Monday Night Football telecast, when they played the Cleveland Browns. Also this marked the final Monday Night Football game at Giants Stadium.
ABC's final NFL broadcast until 2016, Super Bowl XL between the Seattle Seahawks and the Pittsburgh Steelers, was plagued by controversial calls made by officials. The calls later reviewed by the NFL were all found to have merit; therefore not changing the outcome of the game. Had the Seahawks won, they would have been one of a handful of teams to beat both Pennsylvania-based NFL teams on ABC in the same season.
See also
- Monday Night Football
- Monday Night Football results (1990–2009)
- Monday Night Football results (2010–present)
- ESPN Sunday Night Football results (1987–2005)
- NBC Sunday Night Football results (2006–present)
- Thursday Night Football results (2006–present)
References
- ^ "How Howard Cosell helped bring nachos to the world". November 13, 2013.
- ^ "Archives". Los Angeles Times. December 8, 1986.
- ^ Mitchell, Fred; Sherman, Ed (October 21, 1987). "If the Minnesota Vikings-Denver Broncos NFL game..." Chicago Tribune. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Kansas City Chiefs Archived 2008-05-30 at the Wayback Machine Year-by-year record
- ^ Mansfield, Pennsylvania – It happened one night – First Football under lights – Mansfield PA 1892
- ^ "Chicago Bears at Philadelphia Eagles - September 12th, 1994". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "Man catches extra point: The Mike Pantazis story". November 7, 2014.
- ^ "- YouTube". YouTube.
- ^ Archives, L. A. Times (October 26, 1997). "Bears-Dolphins on Monday Too". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Miller, Shales, James Andrew, Tom. Those Guys Have All the Fun: Inside the World of ESPN (PDF). p. 564.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Dempsey, John (September 6, 2005). "'MNF' will air Saints game". Variety. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ "Saints-Giants to start before MNF on Sept. 19". ESPN.com. September 5, 2005. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ Schwartz, Paul (September 6, 2005). "SAINTS GAME SEPT. 19". Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ^ By (September 6, 2005). "GIANTS HOST SAINTS SEPT. 19". Hartford Courant. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
- ISBN 0-06-270174-6.