Who battles on Monday Night Football tonight in Week 17? In the season’s final Monday Night Football game, the Cleveland Browns head to Heinz Field to take on the Pittsburgh Steelers for an AFC North tilt. Not only is this the last Monday game of the year, but it is also expected to be Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger’s last game at Heinz Field before retiring. Can he finish the clean sweep of the Browns during his career? Continue reading below for more information regarding the start time, channel, and live stream options for Monday Night Football in Week 17.
Who plays on Monday Night Football tonight?
- Game: Cleveland Browns (7-8) at Pittsburgh Steelers (7-7-1)
- Location: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Monday Night Football | Channel, start time, live stream
- Channel: ESPN
- Time: 8:15 PM ET
- Monday Night Football Live Streams:
- ESPN App
- Hulu + Live TV
- fuboTV
- NFL Mobile App
- YouTube TV
What to expect from tonight’s Browns vs. Steelers game?
A lot has changed for these two teams since their Halloween matchup. A 15-10 Steelers victory had Pittsburgh at 4-3 while the Browns moved to 4-4. The team records look almost identical again tonight, with both AFC North squads having paths to winning the division. Both will be reliant on Baltimore and Cincinnati to lose on Sunday if either wants the division crown.
The second half of this season has been brutal for Pittsburgh. After a decent start, both sides of the ball have fallen apart. The Steelers have scored more than 20 points in just two of their last eight games. Meanwhile, the defense has allowed opponents to score 36+ points in four of those games.
Roethlisberger has had a legendary career in Pittsburgh, but the past year and a half are not the times to be remembered. Can he put together one more magic moment on Heinz Field tonight on Monday Night Football?
The offense is entirely out of sync, but they are piecing together drives and scrounging up points thanks to an opportunistic defense. Nevertheless, games get ugly when the defense can’t hold teams back. Week 16’s loss to the Chiefs was pretty much over when Kansas City went to the locker room with a 23-0 lead at halftime.
Can Cleveland rebound tonight on Monday Night Football?
Saying the past couple of weeks for the Browns has been rough would be an understatement. A massive COVID-19 outbreak led to 22 players being placed on the COVID/reserve list. Nick Mullens was forced to start in Week 15 against the Raiders after the Browns’ top two QBs were unavailable. He performed admirably but came up just short.
Luckily for Cleveland, they see the return of quite a few key players from the COVID/reserve list, including DE Jadeveon Clowney, RB Kareem Hunt, K Chase McLaughlin, C JC Tretter, and LT Jedrick Wills. Additionally, after clearing the concussion protocol, rookie CB Greg Newsome returns this week. This is the healthiest the Browns have been since mid-December.
Browns vs. Steelers prediction
They fell just short on Halloween, but Pittsburgh’s defense is struggling mightily against the Browns’ strength. The Steelers have the NFL’s worst rushing defense, allowing teams to run for 142.7 yards per game.
The Steelers held the Browns to just 97 yards earlier in the year but have allowed teams to rush for 178.9 yards per game during this awful eight-game stretch. If Cleveland wants to make a return trip to the postseason, running it down Pittsburgh’s throat with the Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt tandem should help the Browns.
However, don’t count out the feverish second-half comeback by the Steelers. This team has thrived in the third and fourth quarters, and while they have not always translated to wins, Cleveland struggles to close out games. If Pittsburgh can keep this game close heading into the final quarter, Big Ben could put another thorn in the Browns’ side. In the end, I believe Cleveland’s running game will be too much to overcome.
Browns vs. Steelers Prediction: Browns 23, Steelers 20
Monday Night Football Schedule: September
- Baltimore Ravens at Las Vegas Raiders – September 13
- Final: Raiders 33, Ravens 27 (OT)
- Detroit Lions at Green Bay Packers – September 20
- Final: Packers 35, Lions 17
- Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys – September 27
- Final: Cowboys 41, Eagles 21
October
- Las Vegas Raiders at Los Angeles Chargers – October 4
- Final: Chargers 28, Raiders 14
- Indianapolis Colts at Baltimore Ravens – October 11
- Final: Ravens 31, Colts 25 (OT)
- Buffalo Bills at Tennessee Titans – October 18
- Final: Titans 34, Bills 31
- New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks – October 25
- Final: Saints 13, Seahawks 10
November
- New York Giants at Kansas City Chiefs – November 1
- Final: Chiefs 20, Giants 17
- Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers – November 8
- Final: Steelers 29, Bears 27
- Los Angeles Rams at San Francisco 49ers – November 15
- Final: 49ers 31, Rams 10
- New York Giants at Tampa Bay Buccaneers – November 22
- Final: Buccaneers 30, Giants 10
- Seattle Seahawks at Washington Football Team – November 29
- Final: Washington 17, Seahawks 15
December
- New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills – December 6
- Final: Patriots 14, Bills 10
- Los Angeles Rams at Arizona Cardinals – December 13
- Final: Rams 30, Cardinals 23
- Las Vegas Raiders at Cleveland Browns – December 20 (Saturday game postponed to Monday)
- Final: Raiders 16, Browns 14
- Minnesota Vikings at Chicago Bears – December 20
- Final: Vikings 17, Bears 9
- Miami Dolphins at New Orleans Saints – December 27
- Final: Dolphins 20, Saints 3
January
Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers – January 3