NFL Week 4 Brings ESPN A Brutal Monday Night Football Doubleheader
Jets-Dolphins and Bengals-Broncos headline an uninspiring slate
Look, it’s impossible to know how teams will look when the NFL releases its schedule for the season. That said, ESPN has arguably the worst Monday Night Football slate ever in Week 4.
It's the second Monday Night Football doubleheader of the season, something the league has allowed more frequently in recent years due to the money ESPN pays for its NFL package and the relationship repair the company has done with the league.
But there's no way to sugarcoat it: the games are atrocious, at least on paper. First up, there's the 0-3 New York Jets traveling to Miami to take on the 0-3 Dolphins (insert puking emoji here). Not only are both teams bad, but neither is particularly fun to watch.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans catches a pass while defended by New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner.
(Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)
Yes, both put up a good fight in Week 3. The Jets roared back from a massive fourth quarter deficit and nearly upset the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But they didn't. Miami hung around with Buffalo on Thursday Night Football before eventually succumbing to reality.
Still, a game where the two quarterbacks are likely to be Tyrod Taylor and Tua Tagovailoa is not a matchup where NFL fans are circling their calendars.
About one hour after the kickoff of Dolphins-Jets, the second game of the night begins: The Cincinnati Bengals heading to Denver to take on the Broncos.
Obviously, the Bengals facing the Broncos would look a lot different if Joe Burrow weren't on IR. Now, though, it's a terrible game. Jake Browning was a disaster in Week 3 against the Vikings and the Bengals had their doors blown off. The Broncos are average, at best, and they're currently 1-2 after a loss on Sunday against the Chargers.
Their quarterback, Bo Nix, hasn't thrown for more than 206 yards in any of the team's three games. Denver's only win came in Week 1 against the Tennessee Titans, arguably the worst team in the NFL.
Altogether, it’s a brutal Monday Night Football doubleheader for the NFL, ESPN, and fans.