The Buffalo Bills and Atlanta Falcons make a cool pairing in prime time. The Bills are 4-1 with reigning MVP Josh Allen at the helm; the Falcons are 2-2 with fantasy football star Bijan Robinson in the backfield.
Here’s the thing: The Chicago Bears and Washington Commanders are also worth watching. Chicago is building off back-to-back wins, and Caleb Williams might be turning a corner under center. Washington made a surprise run to the NFC title game last season, and the team is grooving again with Jayden Daniels back at quarterback. Last year’s Offensive Rookie of the Year missed two games in September due to injury but returned in Week 5 to help the Commanders improve to 3-2.
Your TV’s split-screen feature should get its cardio in tonight, and the “previous channel” button on your remote will come up clutch. Both of those matchups are getting “Monday Night Football” treatment from the ABC/ESPN conglomerate, and kickoffs are separated by just one hour. Here’s a quick refresher on why there are two MNF games on certain weeks, plus the differences between ABC and ESPN broadcasts.
Week 6 MNF viewing guide
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| Game | Time (ET) | TV | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bills at Falcons |
7:15 p.m. |
ESPN |
|
|
Bears at Commanders |
8:15 p.m. |
ABC |
ABC is available free over the air. All ABC and ESPN content streams on ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer service.
Why MNF doubleheaders (sometimes) overlap
The NFL’s 2021 television rights deal increased the number of games on ABC/ESPN (both part of The Walt Disney Company). This year, that includes 23 regular-season matchups and two more in the postseason. There are only 18 weeks in a season, and ABC/ESPN only does Monday nights (until Saturday in Week 18), so there wasn’t much else to do for resolution here.
Some MNF doubleheaders run one after another, like Bucs vs. Texans followed by Chargers vs. Raiders in Week 2. Others, like Week 6, run concurrently, with one game exclusively on ABC and the other on ESPN. It’s still new, as the stacked broadcast format began late in the 2023 season.
There are perceived benefits and problems with each format. The back-to-back setup allows fans to focus on one game at a time and avoid split-screen overstimulation. It does mean that the second game starts late, around 10 p.m. for viewers on the East Coast.
The overlapping setup avoids the after-midnight finish for those fans, and it gives the main MNF window two chances at landing a hit. It also requires a more attentive viewer, and it potentially bifurcates the audience if both games are good. Apparently, that A/B testing is part of the plan.
“We’re going to learn more about what optimizes best,” ESPN president of content Burke Magnus told The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch in 2023. “The thought there is, can we combine total audience and do a little bit like we used to do in the old days of college football where we create a simultaneous national and regional appeal and use our networks to do that in a single window? Then it combines to sort of like a super audience total number.”
Because of the busyness of two games at once, there is no “ManningCast” this week.
Buffalo Bills at Atlanta Falcons
Heading into Week 5’s “Sunday Night Football” spotlight, Allen and the Bills took their home field as the league’s last undefeated team. They promptly lost to the division rival New England Patriots. Buffalo’s boisterous offense was held in check; much of that stumble can be attributed to turnovers (three) and penalties (11).
The Bills are still off to a fantastic start, opening the week as Super Bowl favorites. Allen expands the field around him and barrels past defenders in a squeeze. James Cook is hard to bring down and especially relentless in the red zone. Joey Bosa is one of five Buffalo pass rushers with at least 1.5 sacks so far.
Fresh off a bye, Atlanta matches with one of the league’s top ground games. The elusive Robinson had 181 scrimmage yards in the Falcons’ last outing, a 34-27 win versus Washington. The blockers are holding it down, too. Per TruMedia, Atlanta’s OL ranks in the top 10 in fewest pressures allowed and hurries allowed. With more time up front, QB Michael Penix Jr. was able to put up a career high in passing yards (313) in that Washington win.
The Falcons field a formidable defense, too, ranking first in the league in yards per game. Neither team is particularly strong against the run, however. The Bills allow 5.6 yards per carry, while the Falcons are at 4.6. That gives both Cook and Robinson, who head into the weekend ranked in the top six in scrimmage yards, a chance to shine.
Bills-Falcons is on ESPN, and it has the secondary broadcast team of Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky and Louis Riddick.
Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders
What an entertaining (if stressful) start to Ben Johnson’s coaching tenure. Weeks 1 and 2 were marred by uncomfortable losses to division rivals. Weeks 3 and 4 were lifted by a flea-flicker touchdown and a game-winning blocked kick. The Bears earned their Week 5 rest.
Williams has thrown eight touchdowns to just two interceptions so far this season. He’s found his go-to read in Rome Odunze. The second-year wideout has scored at least once in all four Bears outings. On the other side, new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has watched his group pull down seven INTs in four games. Safety Kevin Byard leads the team with three of those picks.
Entering Week 6, Washington ranks in the top 10 in scoring offense (eighth) and defense (ninth). Dan Quinn’s crew is rushing with ease, averaging a wild 5.9 yards per carry and boasting a league-best rushing success rate (50.4 percent, per TruMedia, excluding scrambles). Seventh-round rookie Jacory “Bill” Croskey-Merritt has a 72 percent success rate. For comparison, Saquon Barkley was at 52.5 percent as 2024’s Offensive Player of the Year, and Derrick Henry’s career-best mark is a tick under 59 percent. It’s early, but Croskey-Merritt looks sublime.
Williams was the first overall pick in the 2024 draft, and he was immediately followed by Daniels at No. 2. These young quarterbacks will be tied together for a long time. They met last year. That game will also be remembered for a long, long time:
A;FK;JD;KJF;LAKEJFLKJVAL;KEJL;JF;EFJ;LFAKJ
JAYDEN DANIELS HAIL MARY! @COMMANDERS WIN! pic.twitter.com/BsQ0Z84Rko
— NFL (@NFL) October 27, 2024
Bears-Commanders is on ABC, so it is free over the air and gets the lead booth duo of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman.
The full MNF doubleheader schedule
Here are the MNF two-parters for 2025, all times ET:
Week 2 (Monday, Sept. 15)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20, Houston Texans 19
Los Angeles Chargers 20, Las Vegas Raiders 9
Week 4 (Monday, Sept. 29)
Miami Dolphins 27, New York Jets 21
Denver Broncos 28, Cincinnati Bengals 3
Week 6 (Monday, Oct. 13)
Buffalo Bills at Atlanta Falcons: 7:15 p.m., ESPN only
Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders: 8:15 p.m., ABC only
Week 7 (Monday, Oct. 20)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions: 7 p.m., ABC and ESPN
Houston Texans at Seattle Seahawks: 10 p.m., ESPN only
Week 18 (Saturday, Jan. 3)
TBD: 4:30 p.m., ABC and ESPN
TBD: 8 p.m., ABC and ESPN
Updated MNF odds
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