The Athletic Ranks Bills-Rams No. 1 Among 17 Monday Night Football Games
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · May 16
The Athletic Ranks Bills-Rams No. 1 Among 17 Monday Night Football Games
6 articles · Updated · The New York Times · May 16
Buffalo at Los Angeles in Week 5 topped The Athletic’s ranking of the 17 newly unveiled 2026 Monday Night Football matchups, ahead of Broncos-Chiefs in Week 1 and Eagles-Bears in Week 3.
The outlet put Bills-Rams first because it pairs the last two MVPs and a possible Super Bowl preview; their 2024 meeting ended 44-42, with Josh Allen totaling 424 yards and six touchdowns.
Kansas City appears prominently elsewhere on the slate, with Denver visiting in the opener and New England coming in Week 15, while Mahomes’ ACL and LCL recovery adds intrigue to those spots.
The full Monday night schedule runs from Sept. 14 through Jan. 4, with all 17 games set for 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN and selected weeks also airing on ABC.
The ranking also noted late-season games could still be flexed if injuries or poor performance change the appeal of matchups such as Giants-Lions in Week 16.
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