Let’s be honest, friends.
By the time Monday Night Football rolls around during some NFL weeks, watching another football game is not at the top of your to-do list. Whether you have other life commitments or you just do not want to settle in on the couch for one more game, sometimes you do not carve out the time.
However, now that the full 2025 NFL schedule has been released, here are the Monday Night Football games on this year’s slate that you want to make sure to block off time for, ranked.
For reference, here is the full schedule.
10: Week 18: TBD vs. TBD
9: Week 18: TBD vs. TBD
So … we are cheating a bit off the bat here.
This year’s Monday Night Football slate ends with a pair of games on January 3, 2026. This is the Saturday of Week 18, and a pair of time slots that the league typically reserves for games with major playoff implications.
That means … these are games you are going to want to watch. But since we do not know who is in them quite yet, we cannot rank them any higher on this list.
8: Week 2: Los Angeles Chargers at Las Vegas Raiders
This is a fascinating game for a few different reasons.
On one side of the field, you have the Los Angeles Chargers, a team that, every offseason, gets built up as the next franchise to join the upper echelon of elite clubs, only to crash back to Earth at some point the following season.
On the other side of the field, you have the Las Vegas Raiders, entering a new era with Geno Smith under center and Pete Carroll on the sideline.
Squaring off against a coach he knows well in Jim Harbaugh.
7. Week 6: Chicago Bears at Washington Commanders
The last time these two teams squared off, it ended in epic fashion, with the Commanders winning on a Hail Mary on the game’s final play.
Caleb Williams and company might want some revenge, and this will also give us another early look at the Chicago Bears under new head coach Ben Johnson.
6. Week 7: Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Detroit Lions
These two teams have played some fascinating games over the past two seasons, with both teams coming out on top in those matchups. The Lions notched a 31-23 win in the Divisional Round of the 2023-2024 NFL season, while the Buccaneers enacted some revenge last year with a 20-16 win in September.
These are two NFC teams with big dreams, and this will be a great test for both clubs.
5. Week 4: Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos
Last year, these two teams met for the first time since 2021, late in the year, with major playoff implications on the line for both clubs. The Broncos were on the cusp of clinching a playoff berth, while the Bengals were fighting to stay alive.
Joe Burrow and company came out on top, with a thrilling 30-24 overtime win.
Now both teams are back, hoping to make deep runs in the playoffs this year. With this game coming in Week 4, it will be a good early test for both Denver and Cincinnati.
Whether Trey Hendrickson will be on the sidelines for the Bengals, however, is another question.
4. Week 14: Philadelphia Eagles at Los Angeles Chargers
Here are those Chargers again.
Provided that Justin Herbert and company have not started a late-season swoon, squaring off against the defending Super Bowl champions will truly be a great test for them. The roster is a little different in Philadelphia this year, but with that offense — and offensive line — the Eagles remain formidable on paper.
3. Week 10: Philadelphia Eagles at Green Bay Packers
I’ll say it: We love revenge games around here. The Eagles knocked off the Packers twice last year — first in Week 1 in the league’s first regular-season game in Brazil, then on Wild Card Weekend — and you can bet Green Bay has this rematch circled on their schedules.
2. Week 8: Washington Commanders at Kansas City Chiefs
The Commanders have made primetime.
Both literally and figuratively.
Washington’s stunning season a year ago saw them advance to the NFC Championship Game, and vault into the national consciousness. Their reward? Eight “island” games on this year’s schedule, including games overseas, on Saturday — in Week 16 — and on Christmas.
But the most fascinating matchup of those eight? A Week 8 trip to Kansas City to take on Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. Win that game in that environment, and you will know this year’s Commanders are absolutely for real.
And it might have people thinking about a potential Super Bowl matchup …
1. Week 3: Detroit Lions at Baltimore Ravens
… as they already will be when this game rolls around. This game tops the Monday Night Football slate for me. Two physical teams with big dreams? Clear the calendar for this one.
