For the third time this season, the NFL is giving us a little treat by having two games on Monday Night Football a week before Halloween rolls around.
Both games pose potential for excellent football between an AFC and NFC team, as the 4-2 Baltimore Ravens travel to face the 4-2 Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first kickoff while the 3-2 Los Angeles Chargers will compete against the 2-4 Arizona Cardinals in the later game.
This piece will break down Week 7's Monday Night Football games, highlighting the teams, start times, and key players to watch.
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Who is Playing on "Monday Night Football?"
As mentioned above, Week 7 wraps up with potentially very good games. Three teams enter Monday with a winning record while the remaining team wants to get back in the win column soon.
Oct. 21, Monday Night Football Week 7 brings fans 2 games - including an @ESPNPlus exclusive AND 4+ hours of continuous #NFL action
More on how fans can catch #MNF: https://t.co/KLiHsXD9Oo pic.twitter.com/3rMMXLC56q
— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) October 17, 2024
After starting slow, the Ravens are winners of four straight and one of only three teams to have been without a loss for at least four games in a row to this point. They will face the Buccaneers in Florida, a team that is an overtime period against the Falcons away from starting the season 5-1.
The second kickoff shows the potent Chargers' defense, one of only four defensive units to have allowed 20 or fewer points in each game played. They travel to Arizona to face the Cardinals, a team with more defensive struggles as they have already had three games allowing 34 points or more through the first six weeks.
When and How Can I Watch The Game(s)?
The first Monday Night Football game this week starts at 8:15 p.m. EST, and the second game starts 45 minutes later, at 9:00 p.m. EST. How you watch it will depend on how you typically consume television.
The first of the two games (Baltimore @ Tampa Bay) is going to air on ABC and ESPN and have a simultaneous Manningcast with Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, and Bill Belichick on ESPN2. The second game (Chargers @ Arizona) will air exclusively on ESPN+.
Additionally, if you consume live television through other streaming sites (such as Hulu+, YouTubeTV, or Sling), both ABC and ESPN are usually streamable, though some exclusions apply. The costs of those apps vary.
Who is Going to Win?
Both AFC teams are on the road, and both are road favorites. The Ravens are favored by 3.5 points over the Buccaneers, while the Chargers are favored by two points over the Cardinals.
Most total points in the NFL through 7 weeks:
Buccaneers: 178
Ravens: 177Monday Night should be a good one 🍿 pic.twitter.com/rSivtrO15B
— The Ravens Realm (@RealmRavens) October 15, 2024
The Ravens have a dominating running duo in running back Derrick Henry and quarterback Lamar Jackson and the Buccaneers have a poor rush defense. On paper, this is a mismatch when Baltimore has the ball. However, we know that Tampa Bay has a potent offense. For Tampa Bay to pull off the upset, they may need to win in an offensive shoot-out with the scoreboard burning with points.
NFL Throwback: Monday Night Football this week features the Arizona Cardinals hosting the Los Angeles Chargers for the second time three seasons. The last time these two teams met was back in 2022 where the Chargers defeated the Cardinals int he closing seconds with a touchdown… pic.twitter.com/dhixnWvLTR
— Justin David Kish • Sports Journalist (@JustinDavidKish) October 17, 2024
The second game is interesting, as both teams have exciting rushing games and want to slow the game down. Arizona's defense, however, has been abysmal so far this year while the Chargers' defense has been quite good.
This game will be a quick game I believe, as both teams value shortening the game with running the ball. Arizona would need to be efficient on offense and bait the Chargers into making mistakes to have the game end in an upset.
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