And it makes all the sense in the world as ESPN has been able to secure more compelling games and steadied a broadcast booth routinely in flux by bringing in Joe Buck and Troy Aik

NFL regular season wraps up with Week 18 but who is playing Monday Night Football tonight? Is there even a game? 2025 NFL playoff bracket and more.

The Lions travel to Santa Clara to battle the 49ers on Monday Night Football. The 49ers-Lions game starts at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN+, and ABC. Nope. But Peyton and Eli will return for Wild Card Weekend on January 13, 2025.

The Monday Night Football matchup between the Lions and the 49ers is airing on ABC and ESPN, so if you have cable or an antenna, all you have to do is change the channel around 8:00 p.m. tonight. If you don’t have cable, the only way to stream Monday Night Football for free is to use a live TV streaming service with a free trial.

There is no 'Thursday Night Football' game this week, with the 2025 NFL playoffs beginning on Saturday, Jan. 11. The wild-card round will take place across three days, concluding on Monday, Jan. 13. NFL playoff games in wild-card weekend will air across a variety of TV networks, including CBS, FOX, ABC, ESPN, and NBC.

The 49ers were already out of playoff contention, and the Lions had little to play for, but that didn't stop fans from tuning in on Monday night.

Check out our Lions vs. 49ers how-to-watch guide to learn when they play and what free live streams are available ahead of kickoff.

The middle game is the hotly anticipated Week 1 rematch between the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles. The first round ends on Monday night when the Minnesota Vikings go on the road to take on the Los Angeles Rams on ESPN and ABC.