If you’re sitting on your couch right now searching for what nfl teams are playing on monday night football tonight, I’ve got some news that might be a little bit of a bummer.
There actually isn't an NFL game tonight, January 19, 2026.
I know, I know. We've spent the last four months conditioned to expect Joe Buck and Troy Aikman to grace our screens on Monday evenings. But the NFL schedule is a weird beast once the calendar flips to mid-January. We just wrapped up the Divisional Round of the playoffs over the weekend, and for some reason, the league decided to condense all that chaos into Saturday and Sunday this year.
Why isn't there an NFL game tonight?
Basically, it comes down to the bracket. Last week, we had that Monday night Wild Card finale where the Houston Texans absolutely handled the Steelers in Pittsburgh. That was a "Monday Night Football" special. But once you get to the Divisional Round—which just happened on January 17 and 18—the league traditionally sticks to a two-day format.
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They do this to ensure the teams moving on to the Conference Championships next Sunday (January 25) have a fair and equal amount of rest. If a team played tonight, they'd be on a "short week" going into the biggest game of their lives. Coaches hate that. Players' bodies hate it even more.
What happened in the playoffs this weekend?
Since you're probably looking for a football fix anyway, let’s talk about the absolute madness we just witnessed. If you missed the scores while scrolling through TikTok or, you know, having a life, here is the breakdown of who moved on to the Final Four.
- The Seahawks are terrifying. Seattle hosted the 49ers on Saturday and it wasn't even a contest. A 41-6 blowout. Kenneth Walker III looked like he was playing against a high school team.
- Denver survived. The Broncos edged out the Buffalo Bills in a game that probably took five years off every Denver fan's life.
- The Sunday Slate. We saw the Texans travel to New England to face the Patriots, and the Rams took on the Bears in Chicago.
Honestly, the "Monday Night Football" void feels a lot bigger when the weekend games are this high-stakes. You get used to that three-day binge of elite-level football, and then Monday hits and... nothing. Just local news and sitcom reruns.
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The "Other" Big Game: Miami vs. Indiana
Now, here is the silver lining. While the NFL is dark tonight, football definitely isn't. Tonight is actually the College Football Playoff National Championship.
If you turn on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. ET, you aren't going to see the Cowboys or the Chiefs. Instead, you're going to see No. 10 Miami taking on No. 1 Indiana at Hard Rock Stadium. It’s kinda wild to see Indiana at the top of the mountain, but that’s the 12-team playoff era for you. It’s basically the "Monday Night Football" of the college world, and since it's happening in Miami, the atmosphere is going to be electric.
When does Monday Night Football return?
The short answer? It doesn't. At least not for this season.
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The NFL schedule for the rest of the playoffs is strictly Sunday-focused. We have the AFC and NFC Championship games next Sunday, January 25, and then the long, two-week wait for Super Bowl LX in Santa Clara on February 8.
The next time you’ll see a true "Monday Night Football" game under the official branding will be the 2026 season opener in September. It’s a long wait. We're entering that part of the year where sports fans start pretending they care about mid-season basketball or spring training just to feel something.
Actionable Next Steps for Fans
Since you can't watch what nfl teams are playing on monday night football tonight, here is how to pivot your evening so it isn't a total wash:
- Flip to ESPN for the CFP National Championship. It kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET. Even if you aren't a huge college fan, it's the last meaningful football game we get until next Sunday.
- Check the injury reports. If your team is one of the four remaining (Seahawks, Broncos, and the winners of Sunday's games), tonight is the night the first "real" injury updates start leaking out before the Conference Championships.
- Fix your prop bets. If you’re a degenerate like me, start looking at the lines for the NFC and AFC Championship games. Usually, the sharpest lines are set on Monday nights when the public isn't paying attention.
- Clear your schedule for January 25. Since there's no game tonight, use this time to negotiate with your spouse or boss so you can be completely unavailable for the double-header next Sunday.
The "Monday Night Football" itch is real, but tonight, the pros are resting up for the road to the Super Bowl. Grab some wings anyway; the college kids will put on a show.