The 46th season of Monday Night Football -- the 10th on ESPN -- is a smorgasbord for every taste. (Complete schedule here.)
Six of the seven new NFL head coaches will be seen on Monday night. Just about every top quarterback will play at least once. Eli Manning's New York Giants, Andrew Luck's Indianapolis Colts, Matthew Stafford's Detroit Lions, Philip Rivers' San Diego Chargers and Joe Flacco's Baltimore Ravens have two games each.
The opening Monday night doubleheader might be one of the most intriguing in years. The early game on Sept. 14 features the new-look offense of Chip Kelly's Philadelphia Eagles going against the defense of first-year Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn. The nightcap will be the debut of San Francisco 49ers coach Jim Tomsula against the Minnesota Vikings, who may or may not have Adrian Peterson.
Here's a countdown of the five best Monday Night Football games of 2015:
5. Dec. 7: Dallas Cowboys at Washington Redskins -- This is the 17th Monday night meeting between these NFC East rivals, tying the Oakland-Denver rivalry for the most MNF appearances. By December, plenty will be known about both teams. We'll know more about where Robert Griffin III fits in the Redskins' plans. We'll know if Jerry Jones made a mistake in letting DeMarco Murray go to Philadelphia in free agency. Even though it's speculative to say the Redskins will be a winning team, this rivalry traditionally has ranked among Monday Night Football's most-watched games. If the Redskins are good, this could be the highest-rated Monday night game of the season. Remember, the Redskins beat the Cowboys in Dallas last year.
4. Dec. 28: Cincinnati Bengals at Denver Broncos -- The final Monday night game of the season at the very least could involve playoff seedings. Both franchises are on decent playoff runs. Manning is going year-to-year because of age and injuries. As much as he would like to extend his career into his 40s, he can't afford to fade down the stretch with his throwing as he did last season. Manning has been one of the greatest quarterbacks to ever play the game. Whether it was in Indianapolis or in Denver, his signal-calling has consistently produced 12 or 13 wins a season. The MNF finale should tip off which way his great career is heading.
3. Oct. 5: Detroit Lions at Seattle Seahawks -- Over the past year, NBC and ESPN have been gun-shy about going with home games for top teams that have great fans. The Seahawks' 12th Man crew couldn't understand why there were no Monday or Sunday night games in Seattle last year. Networks have to worry about potential blowouts ruining ratings. This game should be fun. It features the return of former Seahawks receiver Golden Tate, who left the Seahawks for a contract worth more than $6 million a year. It features Stafford going against Russell Wilson. The best test will be whether the Lions' defense can stop Marshawn Lynch without Ndamukong Suh.
2. Oct. 12: Pittsburgh Steelers at San Diego Chargers -- What more can you say? You have Ben Roethlisberger going against Philip Rivers. That's drama enough on the field, but there is plenty going on off the field. Roethlisberger signed a contract extension to keep him in Pittsburgh for most likely the rest of his career. Rivers has refused to negotiate with the Chargers because he doesn't want to move to Los Angeles if the Chargers move there. Rivers and the Chargers will be free agents after the season. By October, the NFL might have a better grasp of the situation regarding potential moves to L.A. This game will give Chargers fans the chance to show the NFL how much they love their home team.
1. Nov. 23: Buffalo Bills at New England Patriots -- With Rex Ryan, the New York Jets always had a chance to upset the Patriots. Ryan doesn't fear Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. He comes to New England this year with an interesting team. The Bills have added LeSean McCoy, Percy Harvin and Charles Clay. Wide receiver Sammy Watkins is in his second year and should look more like a No. 1 threat. The Patriots won't have Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner and Vince Wilfork. Have the Bills narrowed the gap in the AFC East? This game will give everyone an indication.