Who is playing on Monday Night Football in Week 1?

Week 1 has had a lot of top matchups to track, but perhaps no game outside of Thursday's Kickoff Game classic is more anticipated than the initial Monday Night Football game of the 2024 season. The NFL has made sure to deliver a more satisfying Monday night schedule in recent years, which has set the stage for a potentially dramatic finish to the first full week of NFL action.

There were some wild moments on Monday Night Football a year ago, including a dramatic win for the New York Jets in Week 1 over the Buffalo Bills in overtime after Aaron Rodgers was lost for the season to a torn Achilles after just four plays. That game essentially ended the Jets' season before it started, making the league's decision for the first Monday night game of this year an ironic one to say the least.

Who is playing on Monday Night Football in Week 1?

The Jets find themselves starting on Monday night again as the NFL is giving ESPN and ABC a re-do on Rodgers' New York debut. The difference this time is that the Jets will be on the road against the reigning NFC Champion San Francisco 49ers, who have been a personal rival for Rodgers over the years.

There has been a bit of contract drama surrounding the 49ers in training camp but they resolved those issues recently with new deals for wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams. Star running back Christian McCaffrey is also back practicing after missing most of training camp with a calf injury, so it looks like all of the key pieces San Francisco needs to finally get over the Super Bowl hump are back in place.

Rodgers hasn't played this preseason but is now fully healthy after rehabbing the Achilles injury over the past year. The Jets have made a strong effort to improve Rodgers' supporting cast in the offseason, signing veteran receiver Mike Williams to add another weapon opposite Garrett Wilson while investing in three new starters (including future Hall-of-Famer Tyron Smith at left tackle) on the offensive line.