Monday Night Football on ESPN has had some incredible NFL games this year, with tonight’s matchup being one of the best. Taking to the MNF stage tonight are two of the NFL’s hottest teams, the 9-2 New Orleans Saints, who are traveling to Seattle to take on the 10-1 Seahawks. The New Orleans Saints have played better at home this season, where they’ve put up a ton of points in the Superdome, but their road performance has been solid. Tonight though, they’re the away team against the Seahawks, who play in one of the most difficult stadiums in the league. Tonight’s live MNF game is set to be an epic shootout. You’ll definitely want to take a break from finding the best Cyber Monday deals to watch Monday Night Football online free live using one of several different tools.
The Seahawks and Saints haven’t faced off in two years, when Seattle beat New Orleans 41-36. The two previous games were both won by New Orleans, and while the Saints scored 28 and 34 points in those two games, Seattle only scored in the teens. The Seahawks are a much different team now, but ESPN experts are still picking Seattle to win. Interestingly, the Las Vegas odds for tonight’s live MNF game also favor the Seahawks.
I say “interestingly” because while both teams have potent defenses, New Orleans has a much better offense. Through 12 weeks, the Seahawks have the NFL’s second-ranked defense, while the Saints ranks fifth. Fans of stout defense will watch Monday Night Football online free with bated breath to see whether the scoreboard lights up or stays dark. Based on rankings, it would seem to favor the Saints, who will test the Seahawks defense with the NFL’s second-ranked passing game and third-ranked offense. The Seahawks, meanwhile, will face a solid New Orleans defense with just the league’s 25th-ranked passing game and 12th-ranked offense.
The difference is the teams’ rushing games. Marshawn Lynch has gone into “beast mode” this season, having carried the ball 208 times for 929 yards and nine touchdowns. The Robin to Lynch’s Batman is Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who’s carried the ball 72 times for 409 yards and a 5.7 yards-per-carry average. Wilson is built for MNF excitement, as dual-threat quarterbacks always put on a show. But Wilson’s legs this year have seemingly performed better than his arm, as he’s gone 176-275 for 2,362 yards and 19 TDs. Those are good numbers, good enough for a #9 spot on ESPN’s QBR chart.
But New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is having an even bigger year. Brees has led his team to a 9-2 record while going 300-439 for 3,647 yards and 28 touchdowns. Those stats are second only to Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, though he’s been less efficient, earning the #5 ESPN QBR. Part of Brees’ performance has been required, as the Saints lowly ground game has mustered only the NFL’s 23rd-ranked rushing offense.
With the Seattle secondary holding opposing quarterbacks to 180 yards per game this season, Brees could have a rough time in tonight’s live MNF game on ESPN. And that’s a big reason Seattle is favored by a solid margin. The Seahawks opened betting for tonight’s MNF game as five-point favorites, with some oddsmakers widening the margin to favor the Seahawks by 6 points or slightly more. Most books have Seattle at 5.5-point favorites over the Saints.
Tonight is one of the most hotly anticipated MNF games of the season, so if you can’t watch Monday Night Football on ESPN tonight live on your HDTV, make sure you watch Monday Night Football online free. You can do so on DirecTV’s website if you have the NFL Sunday Ticket with MAX package, which does require a subscription but allows anyone with it to watch the live streaming version free of any game, including tonight’s MNF game. ESPN also offers subscribers to their cable sports network through a satellite or cable package access to easily watch Monday Night Football online free on ESPN3, which is also available through the ESPN mobile app and ESPN app on Xbox 360. You may also be able to watch online with the Verizon NFL mobile app, which costs $5 per month.
