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ESPN to debut "MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats" Dec. 22, an NFL data-cast aimed at avid fans; Complements "Monday Night Football" and ESPN NFL postseason slate
New analytics-powered viewing experience built for avid NFL fans; features live probabilities, advanced metrics and AI-driven insights
Debuts Week 16 of MNF with 49ers-Colts on Dec. 22 on ESPN2 and ESPN App and runs through ESPN's Divisional Round postseason game
Full series available on ESPN App, with Week 16 and Week 17 games also airing on ESPN2
Luke Kuechly, Dan Orlovsky and Field Yates make up commentator team for first two editions; additional ESPN NFL commentators rotate appearances in later weeks
Powered by NFL's Next Gen Stats and NFL veteran Sean Lee's Data & analytics firm, Adrenaline
Fans now have an additional, new way to watch the NFL on ESPN: MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats, ESPN's first NFL analytics-powered presentation tailored for its most avid fans. Designed for viewers who crave deeper insights, MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats will deliver real-time data, advanced metrics and analytics-driven commentary, powered by the NFL's Next Gen Stats and Adrenaline's TruPlay AI for five of ESPN's final six games of the 2025-26 season. Adrenaline, founded by 11-year NFL veteran and former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee, brings the meeting room to fans' living rooms, using NFL Next Gen Stats, machine learning and artificial intelligence.
MNF Playbook kicks off in Week 16, on Monday, December 22, with Monday Night Football's 49ers-Colts matchup (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2, ESPN App). The data-enhanced telecast returns in Week 17, Week 18 (for one of ESPN's doubleheader games) and for ESPN's Wild Card and Divisional Round playoff game. All five editions of MNF Playbook will be available for fans with a subscription to the ESPN Unlimited plan on the ESPN App with Week 16 and 17 also airing on ESPN2.
ESPN's latest alternate-telecast complements the traditional Monday Night Football telecast, with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge, each week. For Week 16, the regular voices of Monday Night Football can be found on ESPN, ABC, ESPN Deportes, ESPN App and Disney+.
Fans will consume the game with a 22-man, all-field camera view, as MNF Playbook taps TruPlay AI's unprecedented live predictive engine - capable of adjusting to personnel, formations and pre-snap movement in real time. With a database of more than 370,000 NFL plays layered with NFL Next Gen Stats, TruPlay AI equips the presentation with dynamic run-pass probabilities, expected target distributions, blitz likelihoods and more, giving fans a deeper, data-driven look at every moment of the game.
In Week 16 and 17, Luke Kuechly - the former Carolina Panthers standout linebacker and seven-time Pro Bowler - will team up with ESPN NFL analysts Dan Orlovsky and Field Yates from ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, Conn. In the weeks that follow, a rotating roster of ESPN commentators, including Mike Monaco, Tim Hasselbeck and Chase Daniel, will join the booth. Together, this group of former NFL quarterbacks, a premier linebacker and seasoned analysts will bring fans an engaging, teachable, and dynamic breakdown of the game each week.
Adding even more firepower to the telecast, either Brian Burke or Seth Walder will serve as the presentation's analytics experts each week. As the show's resident data experts, they'll complement the analysis of the commentors by translating real-time probabilities and advanced metrics into clear, compelling insights - giving fans a smarter, deeper look at the action unfolding on the field.
Full schedule for MNF Playbook:
DATE NFL WEEK MATCHUP Platform
Mon, Dec. 22 16 49ers-Colts ESPN2 & ESPN App
Mon, Dec. 29 17 Rams-Falcons ESPN2 & ESPN App
Sat, Jan. 3 18 TBA ESPN App
Mon, Jan. 12 Wild Card TBA ESPN App
Sat, Jan. or Sun, Jan Divisional TBA ESPN App
MNF Playbook is the latest installment of an alternate-telecast series surrounding Monday Night Football this season, joining Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli and Monsters Funday Football. As ESPN further commits to audience expansion and innovation, MNF Playbook builds off of ESPN's success with Sunday Night Baseball: Statcast Edition and the NBA InsightCast. For more information on how ESPN continues to elevate fan viewing experiences through alternate-telecasts, click here.
ESPN App Brings Fans Unique Ways to Watch
Fans will have the ability to watch MNF Playbook alongside the traditional MNF broadcast through multiview, which is only available in the ESPN App. Additional features include integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, and betting odds and information from DraftKings.
For more information on how to subscribe to the ESPN Unlimited plan on the ESPN App or authenticate through a traditional pay TV package, please view the how-to articles below.
How do I sign up for ESPN Unlimited plan?
How do I activate my ESPN Unlimited plan through my Pay-TV Provider?
More on Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is currently on pace for its second most-watched season in the ESPN era through Week 14 (2006-present). Through the end of the 2025-26 NFL season, ESPN will bring fans eight more NFL games. For the third year, the Monday Night Football season will culminate with ESPN's Week 18 doubleheader and postseason action with a Wild Card and Divisional Round game.
More on Adrenaline's TruPlay AI
Billed as "your gridiron crystal ball," Adrenaline TruPlay AI delivers real-time predictive analytics driven by advanced machine-learning and AI models. Trained on more than a million plays and built on decades of NFL and college data, TruPlay AI's state-of-the-art platform generates instantaneous, in-game probabilities that enhance how fans understand each snap.
All of ESPN. All in One Place.
ESPN offers its full suite of networks and services directly to fans on the ESPN App, providing more choice, flexibility and access to all of ESPN, including more than 47,000 live events per year, on-demand replays, industry-leading studio shows and original programming, and more. The ESPN App gives fans a unique viewing experience that includes multiview and synchronized two-screen viewing options, swipe-able vertical video and a personalized SportsCenter For You, as well as integrated game stats, ESPN Fantasy sports, betting odds and information from DraftKings, sports merchandise, and more. These features are available to all fans who watch on the ESPN App on mobile and connected TV devices, whether they subscribe directly or through a pay TV package. Bundling options available for fans include a limited time offer for the ESPN DTC Unlimited plan with Disney+ and Hulu for $29.99/month for the first 12 months. For more visit stream.espn.com.
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