Monday Night Football tonight will feature the Buffalo Bills as they travel down to Cincinnati to take on the surging Bengals. In what many consider the game of the week, this AFC clash will have immense ripple effects on the entire NFL playoff picture. With so much on the line, what time is the game tonight, and how can you watch it?
UPDATE: The Bills vs. Bengals game was temporarily suspended around 9:15 p.m. ET after Bills defensive back Damar Hamlin collapsed after making a tackle. Hamlin received CPR for several minutes on the field before being put into an ambulance. The game has now officially been suspended for the remainder of the night. Our thoughts and prayers are with Hamlin and his family.
What Time Is Monday Night Football Tonight?
Date: Jan. 2, 2023
Start time: 8:30 p.m. ET
Tonight, Monday Night Football will get a different start time compared to usual. The kickoff time usually comes at 8:15 p.m. ET, but this week, the game will start at 8:30 p.m. ET. The reason for the Bills vs. Bengals delay is so that ESPN can accommodate the Rose Bowl. The historic college event begins at 5 p.m. ET and will showcase Utah and Penn State.
Although we may need to wait an extra 15 minutes for this game, that does not change the anticipation surrounding this battle between two of the league’s best teams. The Bills currently have the top spot in the AFC with a record of 12-3, but the Bengals are not far behind at 11-4. Both teams are chasing the Kansas City Chiefs for the No. 1 seed in the AFC, but a slip-up in Week 18 could be huge for the winner of this one.
MORE: Week 18 NFL Power Rankings
PFN’s NFL department did a deep dive into this Monday Night Football matchup in their early week picks and predictions. Although they were not all on the same side as to who will come out victorious, they did provide some interesting numbers around what these teams might game plan for this week.
“The Bengals have been elite against the run over the past month, and the Bills are one of the NFL’s pass-heavy teams. Buffalo will likely attack through the air, and if Cincinnati plays bracket coverage on Stefon Diggs, the Bills will need Gabe Davis — who hasn’t topped 70 yards since Week 10 — to step up against beatable Cincinnati corners Eli Apple and Cam Taylor-Britt.
On the other side of the ball, Joe Burrow has gotten far more comfortable facing pressure, but disrupting the pocket is still the best path to success for Buffalo’s defense. Since Week 13, the Bills have only blitzed 25 times (12th-fewest in the NFL) but generated 33 pressures (10th-most). If they can wreak havoc on a Bengals OL now without La’el Collins, the Bills’ defense could make it a long Monday night for Burrow.”
TV Channel and Live Stream for Monday Night Football
TV channels: ESPN/ABC
Live stream: DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV
Since there’s a chance the Rose Bowl could still be going on when Bills-Bengals kicks off, ESPN will also be airing the NFL game on ABC. The announcers remain the same, so you can expect to hear Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Lisa Salters on the call.
Want to stream NFL games at home or on the go this season? Check out fuboTV, a streaming platform that provides you with live sports across multiple devices. Additionally, make sure to check out our comprehensive guide on how to live stream NFL games.