You’re sitting on the couch, remote in hand, looking for the game. It’s Monday. You want Monday Night Football. But if you’re scrolling through the guide looking for Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, you might be a little confused by what you find.
Honestly, it’s a weird week for the gridiron.
Usually, "where is MNF tonight" has a simple answer: ESPN or ABC. But tonight, January 19, 2026, the NFL has actually cleared the deck. There is no NFL game tonight. Instead, the biggest stage in sports belongs to the kids—specifically the College Football Playoff (CFP) National Championship.
Why isn't there an NFL game tonight?
Basically, the NFL and the NCAA have a bit of a "gentleman's agreement" (and some savvy business sense) when it comes to mid-January. Tonight is the culmination of the college football season. No. 1 Indiana is taking on No. 10 Miami at Hard Rock Stadium.
If you're an NFL fan, you’ve probably noticed the league usually wraps up its "Monday Night" obligation during the Wild Card round. Last week, we saw the Steelers host the Texans to finish off that opening playoff bracket. But once we hit the Divisional Round—which just wrapped up yesterday—the Monday night slot goes dark for the pros.
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It makes sense. The NFL doesn't want to compete with a National Championship game that draws tens of millions of viewers, and ESPN, which holds the rights to both, certainly doesn't want to split its own audience.
Where to watch the football that IS on tonight
If you just need a football fix and "where is MNF tonight" led you here, don't worry. There’s still a massive game on. It just isn't the NFL.
- The Matchup: #1 Indiana vs. #10 Miami
- Location: Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
- Kickoff Time: 7:50 PM ET (Pregame starts at 7:30 PM)
- Channel: ESPN (with various "MegaCast" options on ESPN2 and ESPNU)
It’s actually a pretty wild story this year. Indiana is undefeated. Nobody expected them to be here three years ago. On the other side, Miami is essentially playing a home game in their own backyard. It's the first time we've seen this 12-team playoff format really flex its muscles, and having a Monday night dedicated to it has become a new tradition.
When does Monday Night Football return?
Technically? Not until next September.
The NFL playoff schedule is moving into its final phases now. We just finished the Divisional Round where the heavy hitters like the 49ers, Seahawks, Bills, and Broncos were duking it out.
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Next up is Championship Sunday on January 25th. You’ll get the AFC Championship at 3:00 PM ET on CBS and the NFC Championship at 6:30 PM ET on FOX. After that, it’s the long two-week wait until Super Bowl LX on February 8, 2026, at Levi's Stadium.
Common misconceptions about the Monday schedule
A lot of people think there's a Monday game every single week of the playoffs. That hasn't been true for a while. The league experimented with it, but they found that the team playing on Monday night was at a massive disadvantage for the next round because they lost a day of recovery.
So, they moved the "Monday" playoff game strictly to the Wild Card weekend. This gives the winners enough time to prep for the Divisional games without feeling like they've been run through a blender.
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If you’re a die-hard NFL fan, tonight is a "scouting night." You’re watching the guys who will be first-round picks in the NFL Draft in a few months. Keep an eye on the pocket presence of these quarterbacks; they’ll be the ones you’re cheering for on actual Monday Night Football in 2027.
Actionable Next Steps
- Pivot your viewing: Tune into ESPN at 7:30 PM ET if you want to see the Indiana vs. Miami title game.
- Check the bracket: Look at the updated NFL Divisional results from yesterday to see who is headed to the Conference Championships next Sunday.
- Set your alerts: Mark January 25th on your calendar. That's the next time you'll see pro football on your screen, with a doubleheader starting in the afternoon.