The 25 Most Memorable Moments in Monday Night Football History

Date: 9/21/1970
Game: New York Jets @ Cleveland Browns

Ahh, where it all began. In the first official Monday Night Football game, the New York Jets (led by Joe Namath) took on the Browns at Cleveland Stadium. The Browns would win 31-21. The Jets may have lost, but it was really a victory for everyone because Mondays in fall and winter would be a bit more bearable for decades to come.

Date: 11/29/2010
Game: San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals

OK, so this is probably the most passive-aggressive sports reporter around but there's no doubt that Derek Anderson's responses make this one a classic. What was he laughing at during the game? We may never know, but we're pretty sure it wasn't as hilarious as this meltdown.

Date: 12/11/1989
Game: San Francisco 49ers @ Los Angeles Rams

Those were the words then Rams head coach Jerry Gray had to say about his teams' loss to the 49ers that night. Everyone had Jerry Rice and Joe Montana on the scouting report, but after this game, John Taylor was the one making headlines. While Montana threw for 458 yards and three TDs, it was Taylor with his two 90-yard catches for touchdowns and 286 yards, that was the player of the game.

Date: 9/24/2001
Game: Washington Redskins @ Green Bay Packers

At a time when the country was still filled with solace and gloom, the Packers and Redskins gave the American people a minuscule but essential return to normalcy. Two weeks after the terrorist attacks the NFL and many other sports leagues began retuning to their regular schedules. Oddly enough, at least one person who worked in the World Trade Center said he would've been in the towers had he not stayed up to watch MNF and overslept on the morning of 9/11.

Date: 11/15/2010
Game: Philadelphia Eagles @ Washington Redskins

Throughout the beginning of the 2010 season, Michael Vick had shared starting time with Kevin Kolb partially due to Andy Reid taking time to decide who the starter was and partially due to injury. However, on this Monday night in November, Vick put all speculation to rest on who would be leading the Eagles for 2010 and many seasons to come. Vick went off for over 400-plus yards, four passing and two rushing TDs, and finished with a QB rating of 150.7. We bet Fif feels somewhat responsible for Vick's performance.

Date: 1/15/2004
Game: Philadelphia Eagles @ Dallas Cowboys

Before the Eagles took on their division rivals, ABC decided to air this skit with one of the league's most controversial players and Desperate Housewives actress, Nicollette Sheridan. Many fans and some people within the league, including Tony Dungy, complained that the skit was too racy and sexually suggestive for network TV. The FCC ended up not fining the network since there wasn't any outright nudity and Eagles 49-21 rout of the Cowboys proved to be more graphic than the skit, anyway.

Date: 10/14/2002
Game: San Francisco 49ers @ Seattle Seahawks

Not only did this stunt piss off Seahawks fans and NFL "purists," but it changed the game! After T.O.'s Sharpie celebration, the league implemented a rule banning players from carrying "foreign objects" on the field. We prefer seeing this T.O. as opposed to the one who's broke and unemployed.

Date: 10/5/1998
Game: Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers

During arguably the best rookie season in NFL history, Randy Moss made his Monday Night Football debut in front of the Lambeau faithful and did not disappoint. Moss stunted on his hated rivals by scoring two touchdowns and recording 190 receiving yards on only five receptions. Moss would continue to stunt on Green Bay for years to come and on one occasion even showed them his ass. Well, almost.

Date: 10/16/2006
Game: Chicago Bears @ Arizona Cardinals

Dennis Green was feeling the pressure as the Cardinals were sucking badly during his stint there, poor guy. This rant ended his NFL coaching career and has banished him to the bowels of the UFL to coach the Sacramento Mountain Lions. Well, at least dude is forever memorialized in that Coors Light commercial and our soundboard.

Date: 12/2/1985
Game: Chicago Bears @ Miami Dolphins

We'll just say it: Mercury Morris and a lot of the '72 Dolphins are a bunch of haters. The undefeated season is their only claim to fame and they make it their life's work to ruin someone else's. With the 12-0 Bears starting QB Jim McMahon out due to injury and head coach Mike Ditka and defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan having to be separated on the sidelines, Dan Marino carved the world famous '85 Bears defense up for 31 points by the half and Miami won 38-17. And we're guessing that after the game somewhere, Mercury did a rail off a stripper's ass.

Date: 10/6/2003
Game: Indianapolis Colts @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In a game that everyone knew was over (except for the Colts), even the announcers, the Colts marched back from a 35 - 14 deficit to bring the game to a tie with 3:47 left. Led by soon-to-be first time MVP Peyton Manning, the Colts rallied back to win 38 - 35 in OT.

Date: 11/20/1978
Game: Miami Dolphins @ Houston Oilers

In his Monday Night Football debut, rookie Earl Campbell rushed for 199 yards and sealed a victory for the Houston Oilers with this 81-yard TD towards the end of the game. Side bar: How ill were the Oilers unis back in the day? No doubt one of the best jerseys and team logos of all time.

Date: 10/17/1994
Game: Kansas City Chiefs @ Denver Broncos

Two of the best quarterbacks in NFL history faced off in an offensive duel for the ages. John Elway seemed like he had made another last-minute drive for victory but Montana one-upped him with a 75-yard drive of his own, leaving only eight seconds on the clock. Both are all-time greats but everyone knows 16 (or 19, in this case) > 7. #keepit100

Date: 9/5/1983
Game: Dallas Cowboys @ Washington Redskins

In the most controversial moment of Howard Cosell's career, the announcer called Washington Redskins wide receiver Alvin Garrett a "little monkey." Cosell felt immediate backlash and Rev. Joseph Lowery, then-president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, even demanded a public apology. Cosell refused, saying that it was an affectionate term he used for white players as well. He's actually on record calling Mike Adamle (a white running back) the same term over a decade earlier. Many believe the controversy contributed to him leaving MNF at the end of the season.

Date: 1/3/1983
Game: Dallas Cowboys @ Minnesota Vikings

In some shit straight out of Madden, Tony Dorsett put the Vikings D to shame by breaking the line for the longest run from scrimmage in NFL history. Our bad for leaving it off this list, we'll include it next time.

Date: 9/5/1994
Game: Los Angeles Raiders @ San Francisco 49ers

In front of thousands at Candlestick Park, Jerry rice passed Jim Brown's record of 126 career touchdowns. It only took Rice nine seasons to take over the top spot and by the time he was done in 2004, he finished with 208 touchdowns. Homie was well deserving of that Hall of Fame induction and a song dedicated to him by Lil B.

Date: 11/25/2006
Game: Atlanta Falcons @ New Orleans Saints

A year after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the Saints returned to the Superdome and offered some comfort to a region that had seen so much destruction. In front of a sell-out crowd of over 70,000, the Saints routed the Falcons in a 23-3 victory. The game also featured pre-game performances by Green Day, U2, and the Goo Goo Dolls.

Date: 12/8/1980
Game: New England Patriots @ Miami Dolphins

It's not too often that live sports broadcasts are looked to for the latest (non sports-related) breaking news, but this night many people first heard of John Lennon's assassination through Monday Night Football. During a timeout, MNF announcers Howard Cosell and Frank Gifford discussed whether making the announcement was the right thing to do and after some convincing, Cosell informed the nation once they came back on the air. The slain Beatles member had actually appeared on Monday Night Football in December of 1974.

Date: 11/30/1987
Game: Los Angeles Raiders @ Seattle Seahawks

This showdown between two promising rookies had tons of anticipation, mostly due to the Boz running his mouth the week before claiming he'd shut down Bo Jackson. Well, as you can see that didn't happen. In fact, Jackson ran for 221 yards and scored three touchdowns. How to son overrated, steroid-using, loudmouth linebackers? Bo knows.

Date: 12/22/2003
Game: Green Bay Packers @ Oakland Raiders

In the days before he became known for negative things like constant speculation over his comeback attempts or sending out lewd photos of himself, Brett Favre was looked at as NFL and Packer royalty. The best performance of his career came only a day after his father died of a stroke, when he threw for four touchdowns, 399 yards, and had a QB rating of 154.9 in the Packers 41-7 victory over the Raiders. Even Raider Nation gave Favre a round of applause as he left the field.

Date: 10/23/2000
Game: Miami Dolphins @ New York Jets

In one of the most memorable games in Jets history, Vinny Testaverde and the Jets came back from being down 30 - 7 in the fourth quarter to winning one of the most wackiest games to be played. Laveranues Coles would pull down a bobbled ball from two defenders that appeared to be intercepted to help the Jets roar back and pull out the epic come from behind win, 40-37 in OT. #itsnotovertillitsover

Date: 11/6/2000
Game: Minnesota Vikings @ Green Bay Packers

In one of the most ill circus catches in league history, Antonio Freeman used concentration, athleticism, and some luck to secure this victory for the Packers over the Vikings. Oh yeah, did we mention he made that grab in the rain? #unfuckwitable

Date: 11/18/1985
Game: New York Giants @ Washington Redskins

Yikes. The sack that ended Theismann's career. LT came after him like he stole something and snapped Joe's leg like a twig. This play is so gruesome it was voted "Most Shocking NFL Moment" in an ESPN poll and featured near the top of our Most Brutal NFL Hits of All Time list. To this day Lawrence Taylor refuses to watch any replays of the incident.