ESPN Adds Pat McAfee and Next Gen Stats Alternate Broadcasts for Super Bowl LXI

The new viewing options will debut during the 2026 "Monday Night Football" season before joining ESPN’s expanded Super Bowl coverage.

ESPN and the NFL are expanding their Super Bowl LXI coverage with two additional alternate broadcasts, giving fans more ways to experience the big game.

What's Happening:

  • Super Bowl LXI Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show will air on ESPNU, while Super Bowl LXI Playbook with Next Gen Stats will be available on NFL Network.
  • These broadcasts join the previously announced Super Bowl LXI with Peyton and Eli on ESPN2, along with the traditional broadcast featuring Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge on ESPN, ABC and Disney+.
  • Spanish-language coverage will also be available on ESPN Deportes and Disney+, with a separate presentation airing on Univision.

Monday Night Football Alternate Broadcasts

  • Ahead of Super Bowl LXI, both new alternate broadcasts will make appearances throughout the 2026 Monday Night Football season.
  • Monday Night Football Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show debuts in Week 6 with the Washington Commanders facing the San Francisco 49ers.
  • The show will air five Monday night editions before concluding its six-episode regular season with ESPN's Week 18 Doubleheader Saturday on January 9.
  • MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats kicks off in Week 5 with the Buffalo Bills taking on the Los Angeles Rams.
  • The analytics-focused broadcast will feature nine regular-season episodes, including both games during Week 18.
  • All regular-season editions of Field Pass will air on ESPN2, while MNF Playbook will be available on NFL Network.
  • With the addition of McAfee's broadcast and the returning ManningCast, ESPN2 will offer alternate Monday Night Football coverage for all 13 remaining weeks of the season.
  • Seven of those weeks will feature alternate broadcasts on both ESPN2 and NFL Network.

Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show

  • After previously appearing during college football broadcasts, Field Pass with The Pat McAfee Show is expanding to the NFL for the first time.
  • The broadcast brings McAfee's signature high-energy commentary and field-level perspective to NFL games.
  • McAfee will be positioned behind an end zone alongside Dan Orlovsky and Darius Butler, while Connor Campbell, Ty Schmit and Tone Digs will contribute from an in-stadium suite.
  • Since debuting in 2022, McAfee-led alternate broadcasts have attracted more than 1 million viewers on multiple occasions, with the most-watched edition reaching 2.4 million.

MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats

  • Following its debut last season, MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats returns in 2026 with expanded features designed to give viewers a deeper understanding of NFL strategy.
  • The broadcast combines real-time analytics, advanced graphics and enhanced camera angles to provide a more detailed look at the action.
  • New and returning features include:
    • AI-powered analytics: Real-time player formations, personnel information and predictive probabilities for runs, passes, blitzes and targets.
    • Augmented reality replays: Enhanced visuals incorporating NFL Next Gen Stats to break down key plays.
    • Wider camera angles: Expanded views of the field to help fans follow defensive formations and developing plays.
    • Commentator identification: Automated technology that identifies commentators in real time, returning after debuting last season.
  • Field Yates, Chase Daniel, Louis Riddick and Seth Walder will lead the opening broadcast, with a rotating team of analysts featured throughout the season.
  • The commentator lineup for Super Bowl LXI Playbook with Next Gen Stats will be announced at a later date.

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