The Dallas Cowboys (5-7) are set to host the Cincinnati Bengals (4-8) on Monday Night Football in Week 14 of the 2024 NFL season on Monday, Dec. 9 at 7:15 p.m. CT (8:15 p.m. ET).
The inter conference showdown of bad teams will be nationally televised on ESPN and available to stream on fuboTV. There will be multiple alternative ways to keep fans engaged as well.
Joe Buck will handle the play-by-play duties while Troy Aikman will handle the color commentary. Lisa Salters reporting from the sideline.
Those alternatives may add enough to keep fans viewing. One of the regular season’s 10 ManningCasts will be happening on ESPN2, the final one of the year before they come back during the wild-card round.
Also, ESPN+, Disney+ and NFL+ on mobile will be airing an animated, Simpsons infused version of the game, with Bart repping the Bengals and Homer going up for the Cowboys. Homer, home team… get it?
This will be the next-to-last primetime game for Dallas this season, more than likely. There is still time for the NFL to switch things up and take the December 22 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of the Sunday Night Football window and move it to earlier in the day.
FOX currently has the Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders in their early-game window and the Minnesota Vikings against the Seattle Seahawks in the late-game window.
If NBC is willing to grab either of those two competitive games between playoff squads and give up the ratings bonanza that is the Cowboys whether good or bad, they can do so. FOX can only protect one game per week.
That decision will have to come by Tuesday, December 10.