Tag: Monday Night Football

Cowboys vs Bengals to get ‘The Simpsons’ treatment in special Week 14 stream

From @ToddBrock24f7: The two teams will square off using characters from the long-running show; real-time animation will help set the game in Springfield.

America’s Team is meeting America’s longest-running primetime scripted series.

The Cowboys’ Week 14 game — a Dec. 9 Monday night meeting with the Cincinnati Bengals —will feature an alternate broadcast set in the world of “The Simpsons,” it was announced during the Steelers’ win over the Giants to wrap up Week 8.

The NFL, ESPN, and Disney teamed up to present a similar “Toy Story” edition of a game last season starring the Falcons and Jaguars.

This season’s chapter of the experiment will have Homer Simpson and the Cowboys taking on son Bart and the Bengals using Sony’s Beyond Sports technology to provide a real-time simulcast of the actual game using characters and settings from the iconic animated series.

Marge and Lisa will interview players during the game and Maggie will fly the SkyCam for the Simpson-ized version of the game, set to be played in Atoms Stadium in Springfield while the real action takes place inside AT&T Stadium in Arlington.

Animated versions of ESPN’s Mina Kimes and Dan Orlovsky will provide commentary, while Drew Carter will handle play-by-play duties. “The Simpsons Funday Football” will stream on Disney+, ESPN+, and NFL+.

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The regular version will air, as usual with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman on the call, on ESPN and ABC’s “Monday Night Football.” Peyton and Eli Manning will do their alt-cast of the night’s action on ESPN2.

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ESPN will air a Simpsons-themed broadcast of Bengals-Cowboys in December

D’oh!

ESPN is headed to Springfield for one of its Dec. 9 Monday Night Football broadcasts for the Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys game.

The network will stream an alternate broadcast of Bengals-Cowboys with theming from The Simpsons, similar to what it did with Toy Story and a London NFL game in 2023.

The alternative broadcast will air on ESPN+ and Disney+ via streaming and NFL+ via mobile, with Bart Simpson representing the Bengals and Homer Simpson representing the Cowboys.

“Each Bengals and Cowboys player will appear as a motion-enabled, animated player for the special primetime matchup,” a Disney release reads.

“Through state-of-the-art tracking technology enabled by NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Sony’s Beyond Sports, combined with Sony’s Hawk-Eye Innovations’ optical tracking, fans enjoying The Simpsons Funday Football will see every snap, run, pass, score, and more from the real-life Bengals and Cowboys matchup at AT&T Stadium as it happens.”

No word if Comic Book Guy will be critiquing the Bengals and Cowboys at halftime.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN. 

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Freiermuth could breakout on MNF’s belated National Tight Ends Day

Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth will be celebrating National Tightends Day one day late, as Pittsburgh headlines Monday Night Football.

Tight ends around the league were truly celebrating their day on October 27th.  National Tight Ends Day, falling on the fourth Sunday in October, went off with a bang in Week 8.  Several elite tight end performances were showcased across the NFL, such as Tampa Bay’s Cade Otton, Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, San Francisco’s George Kittle, Arizona’s Trey McBride, and Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts, just to name a few.

Pittsburgh Steelers’ tight end Pat Freiermuth missed out on the celebration, as Pittsburgh didn’t have the opportunity to play on Sunday, and  instead host the New York Giants on Monday Night Football.

Freiermuth hasn’t had the breakout season fans were hoping for the young TE, and has only gone over 50-yards receiving twice in 2024 thus far.

Steelers QB Russell Wilson provides elite-level signal calling and could provide Friermuth an opportunity to dominate on his belated celebration of National Tight Ends day.

Will Freiermuth finally have his breakout game in 2024?  While the Giants may present a potential trap game for the Steel City, the Pittsburgh tight end could see additional targets and splash play opportunities heading into his positional unit’s belated celebration on MNF.

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What are the future implications of Justin Fields’ hamstring injury? 

How will Fields’ hamstring injury impact his potential trade value, his position in the QB battle, and his overall impact in 2024?

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields cannot catch a break. Fans are empathetic with Fields, as not only did he lose his 2024 starting duties to Russell Wilson, but it was also recently confirmed that he tweaked his hamstring in preparation for the Week 8 contest against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. 

One could argue that Fields’ complete absence from last week’s contest, although Tomlin had mentioned some packages could include the QB, and his potential absence in Week 8, speaks volumes about his future with the team. If Pittsburgh realizes their young QB has priced himself out of the Steel City in 2025, the Steelers could be entertaining the idea of trading him away, in which case keeping him healthy becomes the biggest priority. 

This is just speculation, however, as the Steelers also have the luxury of having two starting-caliber QBs on the roster, and Fields being held out of the contest could simply be about preparing for the long-term implications of the 2024 season.

If Fields’ injury causes the young QB to miss time, third-string QB Kyle Allen would elevate to play as Wilson’s backup moving forward. 

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Watch former Michigan State football DT Naquan Jones secure a sack

Naquan Jones got a big time sack on Monday Night Football

Michigan State football had a stud on their defensive line with Naquan Jones who was a 4-year standout with the Spartans from 2017-2020, is now finding success in the National Football League.

Jones has had a steady career with the Tennessee Titans to start, and now is spending time with the Arizona Cardinals.

On Arizona’s Monday Night Football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Jones made his impact felt with a big time sack.

https://twitter.com/MSU_Football/status/1848555398355423293

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan State news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Cory Linsner on Twitter @Cory_Linsner

 

3 bold predictions for Chargers in Week 7 vs. Cardinals

The Chargers are set for their first primetime game of the season in Week 7 against the Cardinals.

We are just hours away from kickoff in Glendale, AZ. The Chargers are coming off a thrilling victory in Week 6 and need another win on Monday night to stay above .500.

Despite being on the road, Jim Harbaugh’s squad is slightly favored for the primetime matchup.

With that, here are some bold predictions for Monday night’s contest.

J.K. Dobbins goes for 100+ rushing yards

Dobbins went for over 100 yards in the first two weeks of the season but has not done so since then. However, there’s no better opportunity for him to reach that feat again. The Cardinals have allowed 153 yards on the ground per game, the third-most in the NFL. Dobbins is coming off a 96-yard performance in Week 6, and the Chargers offensive line should be able to open massive running lanes for the sixth-year running back.

A Charger tops 60 receiving yards

The Cardinals’ defense is also vulnerable in the passing game, as they rank 23rd. Now, 60 yards doesn’t sound like a lot, but the Chargers have had just one pass catcher in the top 51 yards in a game this season. Ladd McConkey had 67 yards in Week 4 against the Chiefs, and he’s the most likely candidate to lead the team on Monday if he plays. Quentin Johnston is doubtful, while McConkey is questionable with a hip issue. If he plays, look for him to take advantage of Arizona’s poor set of cornerbacks.

Chargers win the turnover battle by 2+

This has been a recipe for success for Harbaugh’s squad this season. In five games, the Chargers are +7 in the turnover department, which ranks third in the NFL despite playing just five games on the season. The offense has only turned the ball twice, a major reason for their 3-2 record. On the flip side, the Cardinals have the same number of giveaways (8) as takeaways.

Cardinals should ride with TE Trey McBride vs. Chargers in NFL week 7

Instead of falling into a panic the Arizona Cardinals should lean on TE Trey McBride to reignite their offense on Monday Night Football.

Instead of falling into a panic, the Arizona Cardinals should lean on tight end Trey McBride to reignite their offense Monday night against the L.A. Chargers.

The Chargers may crowd the line of scrimmage in hopes of stopping running back James Conner so quarterback Kyler Murray may need to soften off their man coverage with the intermediate passing attack.

Murray can look for McBride on three-step drops to keep the Cardinals’ offense in short down and distance or allow McBride’s size to be an asset in the red-zone.

McBride enters Week 7 with 28 catches on 38 just targets, and 271 receiving yards. His reliability has been unquestionable thus far.

Even if McBride doesn’t get a high volume of targets, his ability to soften up the Chargers’ linebackers and safeties by getting chunk plays can open up running lanes for Conner out of the backfield.

If the Cardinals can dictate at the line of scrimmage, they’ll give themselves a solid chance to win this game at home.

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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How do I get ESPN+ to watch Chargers vs Cardinals? A simple guide for NFL fans.

Let’s help you get ESPN+.

If you want to watch the Los Angeles Chargers and Arizona Cardinals on Monday night in Week 7 of the 2024 NFL season, I’ve got good news and bad news for you.

The good news is: it’s looking like it’ll be a good game.

The bad news: if you don’t have ESPN+, you won’t be able to watch it. That’s right, it’s a streaming-only game that requires a subscription to the Worldwide Leader’s premium service.

So, how do you do that? We can help! Just click on the link, sign up, and enjoy the game and all the other stuff you get from ESPN+.

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Hall of Fame QB says Commanders are the team he’d buy stock in for years to come

“It’s been a long time since I’ve been that high on a young quarterback,” HOF QB says of Commanders’ Jayden Daniels.

Troy Aikman was in the booth for the Washington Commanders’ Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football. The former Dallas Cowboy and Pro Football Hall of Fame member didn’t expect to be talking about Jayden Daniels more than Bengals QB Joe Burrow on that night.

Make no mistake, Burrow was and is phenomenal, but on that night, it was Daniels who was the talk of the NFL world. The rookie completed 21 of 23 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 39 yards and a touchdown.

Aikman, who gets to meet with each team in preparation for the game, spent some time with Daniels and the Commanders. He came away impressed with Daniels before the game even took place.

In a recent episode of “Pardon My Take,” Aikman was asked which team he would buy stock in for the next 3-5 years.

“Washington,” Aikman answered. “I wouldn’t have said that prior to this year. I probably wouldn’t have said it we hadn’t have already had Washington this season. I can’t tell you how high I am on this quarterback. It’s been a long time since I’ve been that high on a young quarterback. I watched him, so he played two games, I guess we had him Week 3, and I liked what I had seen. There’s are a lot of quarterbacks that have talent. Virtually every quarterback in the NFL has some ability; that’s why they’re in the NFL, especially if you’ve been a first-round pick. But what separates them? The organization, the coaching, the players around them, all that. But what can the player control? Does he have the intangibles? Does he want to be great? Is he smart? Does he put in the time? Is he a good teammate? All of that. So, when we did our production meeting with Jayden, I immediately…that’s what sealed it for me. Before we even called the game. Before we even had the game against Cincinnati. When we got done talking to him, I said, ‘Wow, this guy is the real deal.'”

That’s huge coming from Aikman. Being the lead broadcaster for Fox Sports for years and now at ESPN, he’s met with all of the NFL’s top quarterbacks. And for him to come away that impressed with Daniels is another sign telling you the Commanders will be in good hands for a long time. They finally got their guy.

Key things to know about Chargers’ Week 7 opponent: Cardinals

Here are some important things to know about the Cardinals ahead of the Week 7 matchup with the Chargers.

The Chargers are on the road to face the Cardinals in primetime on Monday, Oct. 21, at 6:00 p.m. PT.

To get you prepped for the Week 7 bout, here are five key things to know about Los Angeles’ opponent ahead of the matchup.

How things are going…

The Cardinals are 2-4 on the season. Their best win came in Week 5 when they defeated the 49ers, 24-23.

Men on the move

The Cardinals boast the seventh-best rushing offense in the NFL. James Connor is No. 8 overall in rushing yards (403). While Connor is Arizona’s workhorse, Kyler Murray is lethal with his legs. Murray has the third-most rushing yards among all quarterbacks (261) and averages 8.7 yards per carry.

Problems with the passing game

The Cardinals’ offensive success has come on the ground, and they’re still trying to put it together through the air. They rank 24th in that department. Arizona selected Marvin Harrison Jr. in the first round to provide a spark, but he’s been up and down this season. He’s also in concussion protocol and his availability for Monday night looms large.

Dud of a defense

The Cardinals’ defense has struggled this season. They’ve given up 27.2 points per game, which ranks 27th in the league. Arizona hasn’t been able to get to opposing quarterbacks, ranking last in the NFL in ESPN’s pass rush win rate metric and 30th in pressure rate. They’ve also been gashed on the ground, surrendering 153.0 rush yards per carry (29th).

Look out for…

Tight end Trey McBride. Even if Harrison is available, Murray will still be looking to involve McBride heavily. McBride has at least six catches in three of his past four games. The Chargers have surrendered the eighth-most receptions to tight ends this season (32).