Why You Can Trust CNET
Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement
Aaron Rodgers is back at quarterback for New York, and Jets fans are hoping his second season lasts longer than his first. Rodgers tore his Achilles on his fourth play of the season last year -- also on a Monday night -- to abruptly end his season and, as it turned out, that of the Jets.
The 49ers' season didn't end until the Super Bowl, where they lost in overtime to the Chiefs. San Francisco enters this season with Achilles concerns of its own, primarily the strained calf/Achilles of star running back Christian McCaffrey. He's the engine that makes the 49ers' offense go, although the team did manage to keep receiver Brandon Aiyuk, signing quarterback Brock Purdy's favorite target to an extension after entertaining trade offers for him this summer.
The Jets and Niners kick off in San Francisco tonight at 5:15 p.m. PT (8:15 p.m. ET) on ABC, ESPN and ESPN Plus. You can flip over to ESPN2 or ESPN Plus during the game to catch the ManningCast with brothers Peyton and Eli, who are back for another year of their alternative broadcast with guests popping on to chat with the former NFL greats.
If you don't have a cable or satellite TV subscription, you can watch Monday Night Football with a live TV streaming service. The good news for football fans is that ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 are available on four of the five major streaming services -- all but DirecTV Stream due to DirecTV's ongoing dispute with Disney.
Aaron Rodgers and the New York Jets begin the 2024 NFL season in San Francisco on Monday night against the 49ers.
Mitchell Leff/Getty ImagesHow to watch MNF without cable
The key channel for Monday Night Football is ESPN. Nearly every Monday night game will be shown on ESPN, with seven weeks also appearing on ABC and ESPN Plus. There are four Monday night doubleheaders this season (Weeks 3, 4, 7 and 15). During these weeks, one game will be on ESPN and the other will be on ABC or ESPN Plus.
The ManningCast on ESPN2 is scheduled for 11 Monday nights during the season and one Wild Card game, with six of those regular-season Monday nights and the Wild Card game also streaming on ESPN Plus.
Wait, what's up with DirecTV and Disney?
DirecTV and Disney are in a dispute that has led Disney to pull its channels, including ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, from DirecTV's satellite and streaming services.
This fight goes beyond the usual haggling over licensing fees that arises from time to time -- as recently as last year when DirecTV and Spectrum resolved a licensing dispute on the first Monday of the NFL season. DirecTV and Disney are engaged in a larger clash over the bundling model; DirecTV wants to offer lower-priced plans for nonsports fans that do not include ESPN, and Disney wants to protect the current bundles that include more of its channels.
If you subscribe to DirecTV via satellite dish or the DirecTV Stream live TV streaming service, you won't be able to watch tonight's game on ESPN. And it looks like many 49ers and Jets fans looking to watch the game on ABC are also out of luck. Many ABC stations are still available on DirecTV, but not the eight ABC networks still owned by Disney, two of which are KABC in San Francisco and WABC in New York. And no matter where you live, ABC has been pulled from the channel lineup for all DirecTV Stream subscribers.
There's been no sign from either side that the ongoing DirecTV-Disney battle will be resolved before kickoff tonight.
ABC and ESPN are blacked out where I live. What should I do?
If you want to continue with your DirecTV subscription and watch Monday Night Football tonight, the easiest way is to sign up for a month of ESPN Plus for $11. With it, you'll be able flip back and forth between tonight's regular broadcast with Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, and the alternative ManningCast with Peyton, Eli and assorted guests. Just be warned that neither next week's main Monday Night Football broadcast nor the ManningCast will be on ESPN Plus. In Weeks 3 and 4, you'll be able to watch one game of the MNF doubleheader on ESPN Plus, but the ManningCast doesn't return to ESPN Plus until Week 7.
The other option is to cut bait with DirecTV and sign up for a live TV streaming service. Our favorite for football fans is YouTube TV. It costs $73 and offers the major Disney channels that were removed from DirectTV -- ABC, ESPN, Disney Plus, Disney Junior, Disney XD, Freeform, FX and National Geographic. It also offers a 21-day trial, which gives you three more MNF games for DirecTV and Disney to reach an agreement before you need to start paying.
Tonight's game will stream on ESPN Plus, but there's only two other weeks during the regular season that it'll show the main MNF broadcast. It'll be the only way to watch the Week 7 MNF game between the Chargers and Cardinals -- that's an ESPN Plus exclusive. There's no Monday night game for the final weekend of the season, but you'll be able to watch a doubleheader on Saturday of Week 18 on ESPN Plus -- those two games will also air on ABC and ESPN.
You can also catch the ManningCast on ESPN Plus during five weeks this season, starting in Week 1 and ending on Wild Card weekend in January.
ESPN Plus costs $11 a month (or $110 a year). Read our full review of ESPN Plus.
YouTube TV costs $73 a month and includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. Right now, the first four months are discounted to $65 a month. And there is a 21-day free trial. Plug in your ZIP code on YouTube TV's welcome page to see which local networks are available in your area.
Read our YouTube TV review.
Sling TV's Sling Orange plan includes ESPN and ESPN2 but not ABC, and the Blue plan includes ABC (in only in a handful of markets) but neither ESPN channel. Each plan costs $45 a month in the areas with ABC and $40 elsewhere. The combined Orange-and-Blue plan costs $55 or $60 a month.
Read our Sling TV review.
Hulu Plus Live TV costs $77 includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN2. On its live news page, you can enter your ZIP code under the "Can I watch local news in my area?" question at the bottom of the page to see which local channels you get.
Read our Hulu with Live TV review.
Fubo's basic plan costs $80 a month and includes ABC, ESPN and ESPN2, but Fubo charges an RSN fee (either $12 a month if you get one RSN or $15 a month if you have two or more in your area) that raises the monthly charge to $92 or $95. Fubo is currently offering $30 off for the first month of some of its plans, which means you can get its base Pro plan for $62 or $65 to start. Click here to see which local channels you get.
Read our Fubo review.
All of the live TV streaming services above allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our live TV streaming services guide.