ESPN to Bring "Monday Night Football" to Saturday with Special NFL Week 18 Doubleheader Event

Monday Night Football is ready to take over Saturday night with special Week 18 coverage of a doubleheader, with two NFL games taking place that day. 

What’s Happening: 

• Monday Night Football will be taking place on Saturday as week 18 of the NFL season kicks off on ESPN. 
• The doubleheader starts on Saturday January 3rd, 2026 with the Carolina Panthers going head to head against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 4:30 PM ET, live from Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. 
• Later, the Seattle Seahawks go against the San Francisco 49ers at 8:00 PM ET, live from Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. 

• Both games will be broadcast on ESPN and ABC, with simulcasts also available on the ESPN app and ESPN+. 
• The games lead into more matchups across NFL teams that will take place on Sunday, January 4th across various networks and platforms. 
• Monday Night Football is currently on pace for its second most-watched season in the ESPN era, Through the end of the 2025-26 NFL season, ESPN will bring fans additional NFL games. 
• For the third year, the Monday Night Football season will culminate with this, ESPN’s Week 18 doubleheader, and postseason action with a Wild Card and Divisional Round game.
• Many fans will be able to watch the Monday Night Football event with the ESPN app. ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on this platform, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. 
• The ESPN App gives fans a unique viewing experience that includes multiview and synchronized two-screen viewing options, as well as integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, betting odds and information from DraftKings, sports merchandise, and more.