NFL Makes Wise Decision To Ditch Dual Monday Night Football Games

There's no such thing as "too much football." But there is such a thing as "too much going on at the same time."

For reasons unknown to man, watching five or more NFL games on a Sunday afternoon is leagues easier than watching two Monday Night Football games simultaneously. 

The NFL acknowledged this psychological hurdle at this week’s annual meetings. By scrapping the dual MNF format, the league, which typically prioritizes expansion, conceded that this particular strategy missed the mark.

READ: Hey, NFL, We're Good With Just One Monday Night Game, Thank You

As OutKick Senior NFL Reporter Armando Salguero noted, the NFL originally thought the double-header format would be a massive hit. 

On Tuesday, EVP and COO of NFL Media Hans Schroeder admitted that the league and Disney miscalculated fans' ability to multitask during the workweek.

A detailed view of an ESPN Monday Night Football pylon before the game between the Washington Commanders and the Chicago Bears at Northwest Stadium. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)

According to Schroeder, the feedback was clear: fans didn't want more options; they wanted a single, focused game.

"This speaks to another theme of how we're always talking to our partners," Schroeder said. 

"One of the things we realized with Disney collectively, when we did the deal five years ago, we thought adding two games on Monday night would be a great thing for fans. It was more free football that was outside of a Sunday afternoon. And I think we collectively struggled and realized fans felt like they were conflicted to choose between those games."

Fans were thrilled to hear the development.

"No more double MNF… and a Thanksgiving Eve game instead? yeah the NFL cooking," one NFL fan reacted on X.

Another chimed in, "Thank God, we need one game to focus on at one time. Ideally it would be one game ends then the other one starts, but who knows what they will do."

The logistical headache of toggling between ABC and ESPN created a specific "split-screen fatigue" that doesn't exist on the weekends. 

A detailed view of an ESPN NFL Monday Night Football logo is seen on a TV camera in action during a game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens at Levi's Stadium. (Photo by Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images)

Managing a high-stakes fourth quarter on one channel while a second game kicks off on the other is a frustrating balance that many fans found difficult to maintain. 

"And so, as we worked through that and part of that transaction related to the sale of NFL Network, one of the things that surfaced was there's a better way for us to deploy those four games," Schroeder explained.

So, where is that "extra" football going? The league is pivoting toward high-value standalone windows. Instead of burying games on top of one another on Monday nights, the NFL is looking at Thanksgiving "Eve" and late-season Saturday windows for the 2026 season.

"And that's the best part, we can look at the numbers, we can look at the metrics, and our fans will speak to us," Schroeder said. 

"So, we're going to continue to look at those other windows throughout the year... and see how the market comes back to us as well, with what we think the best possible way to deploy those games are."

By moving back to a one-game format, the NFL is ensuring that when the lights are brightest, they aren't sharing the stage.

Send us your thoughts: alejandro.avila@outkick.com / Follow along on X: @alejandroaveela