2012 Monday Night Football Schedule Analysis

For a generation of NFL fans Monday Night Football was the premium primetime game of the weekend. With the advent of NBC's Sunday Night Football, in particular Flex Scheduling, ESPN's version of Monday Night Football has definitely taken a backseat. With no ability to flex out of a bad game, ESPN gets screwed sometimes because they are stuck with some really lousy matchups late in the season. One good thing about the shift in the primetime football heirarchy is that at least ESPN tries to showcase different teams each week. Let's take a look at this year's ESPN Monday Night Football schedule for 2012:

Week 1- 9/10/12
Cincinnati at Baltimore
Analysis: This is the first half of the season opening doubleheader on ESPN. Let's put it this way: This wasn't the game I would have picked for the season opener for MNF. ESPN needed to come out of the gate with a really attractive game, but this is not the one. This game is more suited for an early start on CBS in Week 1 and certainly not the season opening primetime game on ESPN. I'm surprised this game is in this spot.

Week 1- 9/10/12
San Diego at Oakland
Analysis: The Chargers and the Raiders meet in the classic "cheap" AFC West late game on ESPN. This is also the traditional spot for the Raiders who have been in this window every year except one. Throw in the fact that Chris Berman is going to be doing the play-by-play, and there is every reason in the world to go to bed early and catch the highlights of this game the next morning. It is an interesting matchup in the AFC West for Week 1 though.

 Week 2- 9/17/12
Denver at Atlanta
Analysis: ESPN gets Peyton Manning and the Broncos early in the season like NBC did in Week 1. It is an interesting matchup because if the Broncos fall at home to the Steelers in the first game, then Denver and Manning are staring at a possible 0-2 start.

 Week 3- 9/24/12
Green Bay at Seattle
Analysis: I like the fact that you have the Packers on MNF early in the year, but this isn't the most attractive matchup. Seattle going to be competitive, but matching the Packers up with the Lions would have made more sense here, especially with NFL Network getting Packers-Bears in Week 2.

 Week 4- 10/1/12
Chicago at Dallas
Analysis: Great game and matchup for ESPN. I thought for sure that this game would be on NBC, but give credit to ESPN for getting this one. An early October meeting between the Bears and Cowboys is a homerun.

 Week 5- 10/8/12
Houston at New York Jets
Analysis: Can't you see the executives at ESPN praying that the Jets get off to 1-3 or 2-2 start, and Mark Sanchez plays horribly the first month of the season? Any combination of those events will lead to endless shots of Tim Tebow standing on the sidelines waiting for his turn to be inserted into the lineup as the starting quarterback and not just the wildcat player. This is a solid game for MNF football because the Jets will create some sort of buzz no matter what they do this season, and the  Texans are going to go into 2012 as the "sexy" pick to win the AFC, so this game will become a measuring stick for both teams.

Week 6- 10/15/12
Denver at San Diego
Analysis: ESPN gets Peyton Manning for the second time in a month, and once again the Broncos are on the road for a quality opponent. Manning will be one of the main stories all season long, so pairing him up with a team like the Chargers makes a lot of sense, and this game has appeal nationally as well.

Week 7-10/22/12
Detroit at Chicago
Analysis: The Lions and Bears figure to be in the mix in the NFC this year, but this game could be a real interesting one at this point in the season. This might be a make or break game for one of these two teams, but it definitely is a solid game for MNF. Another solid matchup for the folks at ESPN.

Week 8- 10/29/12
San Francisco at Arizona
Analysis: The first real stinker since Week 1 for the ESPN MNF package. I just can't get into this game, and even if the Cardinals are in the hunt in the NFC West, this game has no juice for a Monday Night Football matchup. Use this night to reconnect with your wife, girlfriend, family or friends.

Week 9- 11/5/12
Philadelphia at New Orleans
Analysis: After a bad week, MNF comes back with a solid game for early November. The Eagles should be a major factor in the NFC this year, and the Saints will be a story no matter what happens to them as a result of all their offseason troubles. This could be a really big game in the NFC.

Week 10- 11/12/12
Kansas City at Pittsburgh
Analysis: This game has Steelers 13-10 written all over it. On paper this might be a good game, but it doesn't have the juice that translates into a must watch Monday Night Football event. The Chiefs are going to be good this year, so this game could be very important, but Kansas City isn't a team that is moving the meter all that often.

Week 11- 11/19/12
Chicago at San Francisco
Analysis: This game is one of those games you look at every year before the season starts and say "Wow! This game is going to be huge." Well, a lot of times those particular games don't live up to that preseason hype, and this game could fit the bill. The Niners are going to be huge favorites to win the NFC West and come out of the NFC this year, but I find it hard to believe that they will replicate their 13-3 season from 2011. The Bears look like one of those up and coming teams that will be very dangerous in the NFC this season. One team's season could be on the way up, and one team's season could be on the way down when these two teams meet. Hopefully, it is a colossal game for MNF, but the more likely scenario is that it won't be.

Week 12- 11/26/12
Carolina at Philadelphia
Analysis: It's not too difficult to see the angle that ESPN is going to ride with this game. This matchup will be all about Michael Vick and Cam Newton. You might as well forget about even listing the other players in the lineup when the game starts. Stuart Scott will talk about Vick and Newton the entire pregame show, and there will be about 5,000 features on each of them leading up to the game. It will get pretty bad pretty quick. Let's just hope the Panthers are improved enough that this game has some sort of value to it.

Week 13- 12/3/12
New York Giants at Washington
Analysis: Any time you get in the NFC East late in the season, you have to be happy. This is another really good game for ESPN. If RG III can provide some spark to the Redskins, then this game will do a monster rating. Another good week for Monday Night Football.

Week 14- 12/10/12
Houston at New England
Analysis: This game could have the potential of deciding homefield advantage in the AFC. You know the Patriots will be in contention at this point in the season, the question will be on the Texans. Can they live up to their preseason expectations? If they can, then this game will be a huge showdown for AFC supremacy.

Week 15- 12/17/12
New York Jets at Tennessee
Analysis: This game should have some playoff implications. Both teams figure to be in the AFC playoff hunt this year, so this game should matter for at least one of them. I love the games leading up Christmas, and there is nothing better than having a beer, putting on the fireplace, lighting up the Christmas tree, and watching an important game late in the NFL season. Hopefully, this game will be meaningful enough to keep everyone's interest.

Week 16- Saturday 12/22/12
Atlanta at Detroit.
Analysis: Thank God the NFL decided to scrap the last Monday Night Football game of the season, and add that game somewhere else on the schedule. In this scenario, the NFL avoiding giving ESPN this game on Christmas Eve, and they slotted in the Saturday spot right before the holiday. Great move by the league, and ESPN gets a game to finish off their package, and adds a little extra spice to the football weekend.