NFL cautiously optimistic upcoming 2020 season will play out on schedule
Fox NFL analyst and former NFL player Mark Schlereth weighs in on the upcoming football season.
Are you ready for some football? The NFL released its plan for the 2020 season on May 7, including the week-by-week “Monday Night Football” schedule.
"Monday Night Football" will be televised and streamed on ESPN. All of the games except the two Week 1 matchups will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Here are the top five games to look out for when the Monday night season begins Sept. 14.
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5). WEEK 4: FALCONS VS. PACKERS
The Packers and Falcons link up in Week 4. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)
The Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers squared off back in 2018.
In that game, Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw for 196 passing yards and two touchdowns, and wide receiver Davante Adams seven receptions for 81 yards and one score in a Green Bay 34-20 victory.
Back in 2016 in the NFC Championship Game, the Falcons rolled to a 44-21 win over the Packers, behind 392 passing yards and four touchdown passes from NFL MVP Matt Ryan.
These two teams -- led by these two quarterbacks -- have a history of playing against each other when the lights shine the brightest, and there’s no bigger stage than Green Bay’s home field Lambeau Field on Monday Night Football.
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4). WEEK 11: RAMS VS. BUCCANEERS
Brady has a Super Bowl rematch against the Rams in Week 11. (AP Photo/Mark Tenally, File)
When the Los Angeles Rams hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 4 of last season, it was one of the highest-scoring games in the NFL. At-the-time Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston threw for 385 passing yards and four touchdowns, and wide receiver Chris Godwin hauled in 12 receptions for 172 yards and two scores in a 55-40 Tampa Bay victory.
Rams signal-caller Jared Goff threw for 517 passing yards and two touchdowns, but with three interceptions in the loss.
In this Week 11 matchup, both teams will be very different. Starting with the Bucs, they will now have quarterback Tom Brady under center throwing to guys like Godwin and Mike Evans, and newly acquired tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was traded over from the New England Patriots earlier in the offseason.
The Rams, on the other hand, lost guys like running back Todd Gurley, wide receiver Brandin Cooks, and linebacker Cory Littleton, all of whom were key contributors for the team during their Super Bowl appearance two years ago.
This will be a juicy Monday night matchup.
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3). WEEK 6: CARDINALS VS. COWBOYS
The Cardinals have a date with the Cowboys in Week 6. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
A game between two of the top young quarterbacks in the league will face off in Week 6.
Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, who is entering his second year as a starter, will now have All-Pro wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins to throw the football to, after he was traded to the team from the Houston Texans earlier in the offseason. The Cardinals will have other weapons like long-time wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald, along with Christian Kirk, and running back Kenyan Drake.
The Cowboys, led by quarterback Dak Prescott, still have one of the best offensive lines in all of football, with a top running back in Ezekiel Elliott, and wide receivers Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and rookie CeeDee Lamb, who is expected to step in and immediately contribute right away.
This game will be a dynamic matchup under the lights in Dallas. Look for both teams to be top contenders in 2020.
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2). WEEK 12: SEAHAWKS VS. EAGLES
The Seahawks take on the Eagles in Week 12. (AP Photo/Elaine Thompson)
The Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles played each other twice last season -- one of which that came in the Wildcard round of the NFL playoffs -- and both had the same exact final score.
In both matchups, the Seahawks took down the Eagles, 17-9, and in the playoff game Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz suffered a concussion early in the first quarter, and the team couldn’t overcome his injury this time around, like they did a few years ago when quarterback Nick Foles led Philadelphia to a Super Bowl title.
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was an MVP contender a year ago, but Ravens signal-caller Lamar Jackson ended up running away with the award. Wilson will once again lead the Seahawks to a playoff berth in 2020, and this will undoubtedly be an important game between two of the top teams in the NFC.
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Patrick Mahomes will lead the reigning Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs into Baltimore to take on NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in Week 3 on Monday Night Football. (Getty Images)
This will be a battle between the last two league MVPs on “Monday Night Football” in Week 3.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, and Chiefs’ Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, will set up for an offensive showdown in this matchup. This has the potential to be the Game of the Year in the NFL, and it could also be a game that determines who gets the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
This could have been the 2020 AFC Championship games, but it will be one of the must-watch games at the beginning of the season. The Ravens had the best record in the NFL last season and have the reigning MVP on the team. The Chiefs won the Super Bowl, but the two never got a chance to match up in the playoffs.
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