On Monday, September 21, 1970, the New York Jets took on the Cleveland Browns, and in the process, history was made as the first-ever Monday Night Football game (MNF) was played.

The Browns won the historic match 31 – 21, and at the same time, ABC changed how primetime football was broadcast on TV.

Also impacted by the invention of MNF was the NFL betting community. Football was no longer about 1 pm and 4 pm Sunday start times.

There was now a primetime regular-season game on the schedule each week, and bettors had to learn how to play it.

Monday Night Football Betting

The main difference between MNF and traditional regular-season games is that MNF is the only game on.

With millions of bettors placing wagers each Sunday, bets and action can be spread across many different games.

However, the Closing Line for an MNF game will have seen more action from both amateur and sharp bettors compared to a regular 1 pm Sunday kick-off.

MNF Betting Trends & Tips

When betting on MNF, there are definitely a few tips that can help us as we handicap this marquee match.

Get Your Bets In Early

MNF is an even trickier bet to win for those who place their bets just before kick-off and deal with closing lines regularly.

Because MNF is a primetime game with no other football betting options, the longer we wait, the sharper the odds become.

There will be a lot of time, effort, and research spent on the MNF game as bettors don’t have another option to play.

There might be value in doing your research early and jumping on your Best available Odds before running the risk of seeing the lines move against you late.

Find The Sharp Money

As the only game in town, the MNF game gets a lot of action from both amateurs and sharps.

Sometimes you will see a scenario where the total bets favour one team, but actual dollars bet favor the other.

These types of stats can help us understand how the general public is betting the game vs how the sharp bettors see it.

Whether you want to fade the public or believe in the power of the masses, understanding how the sharps view the game is always a good idea.

Beware of Historical Data Trends

Analytics, data, and trends are great. Being able to interpret them correctly and understanding what information is actually valuable is even better.

Playing an MNF game doesn’t happen for teams very often. With only 17 games played annually, teams and games are handpicked before the season, and more often than not, the teams featured are two of the premier teams in the league.

This means that historical MNF data trends risk being very old. Let’s use the Indianapolis Colts as an example. Overall the Colts are 25-19 on MNF. In their last ten games, the Colts are 2-8.

A 10-game sample size seems like relevant information for a bettor. However, what if I told you that the 10th game in our data sample was played in 2011 when the Colts lost to Tampa Bay?

What if I told you the Colts QB that game was someone named Curtis Painter? How much value should we put on that outcome when we are analyzing the Colts on MNF this year?

Always be careful with historical trends and data regarding MNF because a lot of it isn’t relevant to the teams and players currently playing the game.

NFL Monday Night Football Schedule 2023

The schedule is set for MNF in April of each year, and it doesn’t get changed.

More often than not, football fans get to enjoy two great teams when they tune in for the Monday Nighter.

This year is no different.

Week	Visitor	Home	Spread
1	BUF Bills	NY Jets	BUF -1.5
2 – GM 1	NO Saints	CAR Panthers	NO -1
2 – GM 2	CLE Browns	PIT Steelers	PIT -1
3 – GM 1	PHI Eagles	TB Buccaneers	PHI -7
3 – GM 2	LA Rams	CIN Bengals	CIN -7.5
4	NY Giants	SEA Seahawks	NYG -1
5	GB Packers	LV Raiders	LVR -1.5
6	DAL Cowboys	LA Chargers	LAC -1
7	SF 49ers	MIN Vikings	SF -2.5
8	LV Raiders	DET Lions	DET -4.5
9	LA Chargers	NY Jets	NYJ -2
10	DEN Broncos	BUF Bills	BUF -6
11	PHI Eagles	KC Chiefs	KC -3
12	CHI Bears	MIN Vikings	MIN -3.5
13	CIN Bengals	JAX Jaguars	CIN -1
14 – GM 1	TEN Titans	MIA Dolphins	MIA -7
14 – GM 2	GB Packers	NY Giants	NYG -2.5
15	KC Chiefs	NE Patriots	KC -4
16	BAL Ravens	SF 49ers	SF -3
17 – SATURDAY	DET Lions	DAL Cowboys	DAL -3.5

Of the 20 games scheduled for Monday Night Football this year:

• 7 of the 20 have the visiting team as the early favorite
• Only 3 of the 20 have a point spread of +7 or more, hopefully resulting in many exciting finishes.
• One game is played on a Saturday, not a Monday. (DET vs DAL – WK 17)
• Four of the games are divisional rivals
• Monday, December 25th, has three games scheduled, resembling the Thanksgiving format of a 1pm, 4pm, and 8pm schedule.

Other NFL Prime Time Games

Thursday Night Football (TNF)

Thursday Night Football betting guide.

Thursday Night Football (TNF) first debuted in November of 2006 and was part of a Thursday night and Saturday night package initially put on by the NFL Network.

Starting in 2023, Amazon will own the TNF broadcast rights and become the first digital media company to start broadcasting NFL games.

Sunday Night Football (SNF)

The NFL owns Sundays, at least after church lets out – and Sunday Night Football is their most popular game that day.

Sunday Night Football betting guide.

• From 2010 – 2016, the Sunday Night game averaged at least 20 million viewers.
• The SNF game has held at least a 20% TV market share for the last 12 consecutive years.
• The December 30th, 2012, Washington vs Dallas SNF game is the most watched Sunday Night game ever.

Other NFL Prime Time Games

Thursday Night Football betting guide.

Sunday Night Football betting guide.