The Dallas Cowboys return home after two straight road losses to play the NFC North champion Detroit Lions on Saturday night. This game replaces the Week 17 Monday Night Football game because ESPN will be showing the College Football Playoff semifinals on New Year’s Day. The Cowboys and Lions will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET on ESPN and ABC, but there will be no ManningCast.
The Lions are tied for the best record in the NFC with the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia Eagles, but they are currently the third seed because of tiebreakers. The Cowboys are a game behind the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East and appear to be the likely fifth seed in the NFC.
Lions-Cowboys Announcers for Monday Night Football
Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, and Lisa Salters will have the broadcast on ABC and ESPN. Buck and Aikman are in their 22nd season together in a broadcast booth — a record-breaking season after surpassing the legendary pair of Pat Summerall and John Madden.
ESPN’s coverage begins with Monday Night Countdown starting at 7:30 p.m. ET, as host Scott Van Pelt and former players Ryan Clark, Marcus Spears, and Robert Griffin III provide analysis. Michelle Beisner-Buck and NFL insider Adam Schefter are also part of the show.
The Broadcast Team
Buck, who started his broadcasting career in minor league baseball, called 24 World Series and 22 MLB All-Star games while at FOX. His father, Jack, called Monday Night Football on the radio from 1978–1984 and 1987–1995.
Aikman was the first overall pick in the 1989 NFL Draft out of UCLA by the Dallas Cowboys. He was the starting quarterback when the Cowboys became the first team to win three Super Bowls in four years. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2008.
Salters, who joined ESPN in 2000, has been the MNF sideline reporter since 2012. She is also a sideline reporter during the NBA season for ABC and ESPN. She worked for ABC News from 1995 to 2000 before joining ESPN.
Troy Aikman’s First NFL Coach
The Cowboys will add former head coach Jimmy Johnson to the team’s Ring of Honor on Saturday. Coming off a 3-13 season, Johnson replaced Dallas legend Tom Landry after Jerry Jones bought the team.
Johnson went on to reshape the Cowboys roster into champions over the next few years. The first player Johnson drafted was Aikman, who was the first overall pick in 1989.
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In their first season together, the Cowboys only won one game — the team lost all 11 of Aikman’s starts. In 1990, Dallas drafted RB Emmitt Smith, who joined Aikman and WR Michael Irvin to form a trio nicknamed “The Triplets.”
In their second season, the Cowboys improved to 7-9 and were in playoff contention until the final week of the season. Dallas made the postseason in 1991 and won the franchise’s first playoff game since 1982.
Johnson led the Cowboys to Super Bowl championships in his fourth and fifth seasons with the team. Aikman, who made three Pro Bowls under Johnson, was the Super Bowl XXVII MVP against the Buffalo Bills.
Johnson and Cowboys owner Jones decided to part ways after the 1993 season, ending his five-year tenure as head coach. Aikman and the Cowboys would go on to win a Super Bowl after the 1995 season under HC Barry Switzer.
The Cowboys were 7-1 in the three postseasons under Johnson, but since he left, they have only won nine playoff games in 14 appearances.
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