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Why is Cardinals vs. Chargers exclusively on ESPN+?

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The “Monday Night Football” doubleheader returns to ESPN and its family of networks in Week 7. ABC and ESPN are showing another NFL game on Monday night; However, there is a caveat.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens will face off in the early game, which will air on ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN2 (“ManningCast”).

The later opener between the Arizona Cardinals and the Los Angeles Chargers will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN+. the first game in prime time streamed exclusively on the platform.

Here's everything you need to know for the Cardinals vs. Chargers game.

Why is Cardinals vs. Chargers on ESPN+?

Monday night's first kickoff between the Ravens and Buccaneers will air on both ESPN and ABC, while the Cardinals and Chargers will stream exclusively on ESPN+.

Where to watch Cardinals vs. Chargers?

  • Cable TV: N/A
  • Streaming: ESPN+

The Cardinals and Chargers matchup will take place not be broadcast on national television. The game will only be available to stream on ESPN+. This game is the first exclusive NFL game for the ESPN streaming service.

Stream NFL on ABC with an ESPN+ subscription

You must have an ESPN+ subscription to watch the Monday Night Football matchup between the Cardinals (2-4) and Chargers (3-2). This is the only way to follow the game. ESPN+ is part of the Disney family of networks, but traditional ESPN and ABC broadcasts are generally not available on ESPN+.

ESPN+ is one of four streaming platforms with exclusive rights to NFL game broadcasts in 2024. Previously, ESPN+ exclusively aired two games in London in 2022 and 2023, but the Cardinals and Chargers will be the first exclusive primetime games.

Recently, the NFL granted exclusive broadcast rights to several streaming services. “Thursday Night Football” is only available on Amazon Prime Video. Peacock has also joined the fight for exclusive streaming rights to NFL games. Later this season, Netflix will get exclusive rights to two NFL games on Christmas for the first time.

This massive shift to streaming services has been under scrutiny, but the shift makes sense as media consumption habits favor streaming services among the younger generation.

What time is the NFL game tonight?

ESPN is pushing back the start time of its “Monday Night Football” games. The games will overlap significantly, but will not start at the same time.

Here are the kick-off times for each game:

  • Buccaneers vs. Ravens: 8:15 p.m. ET
  • Cardinals vs. Chargers: 9:00 p.m. ET

The Cardinals (2-4) and Chargers (3-2) will face off in a battle of two teams looking to prove they have playoff contention in 2024.

Los Angeles is off to a solid start under head coach Jim Harbaugh. Last week, the Chargers head coach suddenly left the field during the first quarter against the Denver Broncos. It was later learned that Harbaugh's heart condition was the reason for his brief exit.

Los Angeles is led on the field by 26-year-old signal-caller Justin Herbert. The Chargers have allowed the sixth-fewest yards per game (289.2) while also having a top-10 rushing offense and running the ball at the third-highest rate in the league.

On the other side is a hungry Cardinals team that is desperate to get back in the win column. Arizona enters the “MNF” after an ugly 34-13 loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Cardinals' offense scored 69 points in their first two games, but only 64 in their last four games combined.

Star rookie wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. suffered a concussion in Week 6 but is expected to return to the lineup Monday night. Arizona faces a difficult task against the Chargers' defense, which ranked second in EPA per plays allowed and third in defensive DVOA heading into Week 7.

By Vanessa

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