ESPN’s Monday Night Vikings vs. Rams Wild Card Presentation Punctuates the Playoff Weekend; Signature NFL Studio Programing & Digital Content to Enhance Start of the Postseason on ESPN

• Game Relocated to Arizona in the Interest of Public Safety
• Buck, Aikman, Salters and Rutledge Call the Game on ESPN/ABC/ESPN+
• Manning Brothers Return to ESPN2 with Belichick; Spanish-Language Telecast on ESPN Deportes
• Monday Night Countdown and NFL Live On-Site from State Farm Stadium
• ESPN’s Full Slate of Wild Card Studio Programming Begins Saturday
• Notable Coverage Found Across ESPN Digital Platforms

For the fourth consecutive year, ESPN will put an exclamation on the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend on Monday, as the NFC’s fifth seed – and 14 win – Minnesota Vikings take on the four-seed, NFC West Champion Los Angeles Rams (January 13, 8 p.m. ET). In the interest of public safety, the game has been moved from SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, CA to State Farm Stadium, the home of the Arizona Cardinals, the NFL announced on Thursday, Jan. 9. The Los Angeles Rams will remain the home team.

The Vikings, NFC’s second highest-seeded Wild Card team, become the first 14-win team in NFL history to play on Wild Card Weekend; adding to the storyline, one of the Vikings’ three losses was against the Rams.

Monday Night Football’s Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge will have the call for ESPN’s traditional telecast on ESPN and ABC. Peyton and Eli Manning’s Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli returns to ESPN2, and ESPN Deportes will showcase the Spanish-language presentation. All telecasts will be available on ESPN+ and on mobile with NFL+.

Complementing and enhancing ESPN’s Monday night Wild Card finale, four hours of ESPN’s premier NFL studio shows will precede Vikings-Rams and originate from the site of the game as planned, with, NFL Live (3-5 p.m.) and Monday Night Countdown (6-8 p.m.) from inside State Farm Stadium.

In between the two shows and earlier in the day, ESPN will extensively cover the matchup on SportsCenter (7 a.m., 2 p.m.), Get Up (8-9 a.m.), First Take (10 a.m. – 12 p.m.), The Pat McAfee Show (12-2 p.m.), Around the Horn (5-5:30 p.m.) and Pardon the Interruption (5:30-6 p.m.). More information on Monday’s studio programming can be found below.

In addition to the game and studio show coverage, the Vikings-Rams and the entire Wild Card Weekend will be dissected and explored on ESPN digital platforms. Fans of Epic Games’ Fortnite will also have the opportunity to partake in the excitement of the weekend with a Wild Card themed ESPN Football Island.

Following this week’s Wild Card showdown, and for the second year in a row, ESPN will air a Divisional playoff game on either January 18 or 19 across ESPN, ABC, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes and on mobile with NFL+. ESPN’s Divisional programming will be announced next week.

ESPN’s Wild Card presentation follows the second-most-watched season of Monday Night Football since the network acquired the franchise in 2006.

Buck, Aikman, Salters and Rutledge Bring Extensive Playoff Resume to Wild Card Game
The longest-tenured broadcast pairing in NFL history, Buck and Aikman, will further boost their impressive playoff portfolio this month. During their 23 seasons together, they have called more than 60 NFL playoff games and six Super Bowls, the second-most Super Bowls of any broadcast pairing in NFL history.

Salters, who is set to work her 12th NFL playoff game, all for ESPN, will be reporting on the Vikings. Rutledge, joining Salters on the sidelines for her fourth NFL postseason assignment, will report on the Rams. Making his NFL playoff debut, officiating analyst Russell Yurk will join Buck and Aikman in the broadcast booth.

The Vikings-Rams matchup marks the fourth playoff game the broadcast team of Buck, Aikman, Salters and Rutledge have called together.

Peyton and Eli Return, Welcome Back Bill Belichick
The Manning brothers will conclude their fourth season of Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli as they return for their fourth Wild Card game presentation. As he has throughout the season, Bill Belichick will join the brothers for the majority of the first half. Additional guest(s) to be announced in the coming days.

ESPN Deportes Presents Vikings-Rams in Spanish
Rebeca Landa, Sebastian Martinez-Christensen, MJ Acosta and John Sutcliffe will provide fans the Spanish-language call on ESPN Deportes.

ESPN Studio Shows Live from the Field
Details on the shows taking place from State Farm Stadium:

• NFL Live (3-5 p.m.) – Rutledge, Ryan Clark, Mina Kimes, Dan Orlovsky, Marcus Spears and Adam Schefter will officially kick off ESPN’s coverage from Arizona, previewing Vikings-Rams while also recapping Wild Card Weekend.

• Monday Night Countdown (6-8 p.m.) – Scott Van Pelt, Clark, Jason Kelce, Spears, Schefter and Michelle Beisner-Buck will take fans right up to the start of the game, bringing their top-notch NFL analysis, discussion, debates and feature storytelling.
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• Remembering Vikings Rookie Khyree Jackson: Beisner-Buck sits down with Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell, Vikings players and Khyree Jackson’s parents to discuss how the team has kept Jackson’s memory alive throughout the season.

• SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt (Approx. 11:30 p.m.) – Van Pelt and Clark will break down the game and receive instant reaction from Buck and Aikman while also speaking with a player from the winning team.

Postseason NFL Countdown, NFL Matchup & NFL Primetime to Cover Wild Card Weekend
Five hours of Postseason NFL Countdown, with Mike Greenberg, Bruschi, Ryan, Alex Smith and Schefter, will set the table for both slates of Wild Card games on Saturday and Sunday from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., studios. On Saturday, the pregame show will air on ESPN from 10 a.m.-noon and on Sunday from 10 a.m.-1 p.m. ESPN betting analyst Erin Dolan will contribute to both shows, while reporters will be stationed at all of the weekend’s games:

• Lindsey Thiry – Chargers vs. Texans (Sat.)
• Kimberley A. Martin – Steelers vs. Ravens (Sat.)
• Dan Graziano – Broncos vs. Bills (Sun.)
• Sal Paolantonio – Packers vs. Eagles (Sun.)
• Jeff Darlington – Commanders vs. Buccaneers (Sun.)

More information on Postseason NFL Countdown will be announced.

NFL Primetime, with Chris Berman and Booger McFarland, will be live on ESPN+ immediately following the final game each night (approximately 11:20 p.m.) and then available on-demand via the same platform.

NFL Matchup (Saturday, 6:30 a.m., ESPN; 7:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m., ESPN2), multiple editions of SportsCenter (7 a.m., 9 a.m., 12:30 a.m., ESPN) and the latest episode The Breakdown with Peyton and Belichick (multiple airings on ESPN2, available on ESPN+) will also surround the NFL pregame and postgame shows.

ESPN Digital Platforms to Provide Extensive Wild Card Weekend Angles
ESPN digital platforms will include coverage from various NFL reporters on ESPN.com and ESPN+. Highlights include:

• “Saquon Barkley and the making of ‘2K Sa’,” by Tim McManus (available on ESPN.com)
• “NFL playoff preview: Predictions for every game and round through the Super Bowl,” by Bill Barnwell (available on ESPN+)
• “Why Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell is the quintessential head coach for the modern NFL,” by Kevin Seifert (available on ESPN.com)
• “NFL Wild Card game guide,” by NFL Nation (available on ESPN.com)

ESPN Fortnite Island Celebrates Wild Card Weekend
The ESPN Football Island on Fortnite is joining the excitement of Wild Card Weekend, with Vikings and Rams colors and logos integrated throughout gaming experience. Log on to the ESPN Football Island now using the Island Code 4481-0077-4190 to enjoy all the activities, challenges, and mini-games, all centered around the Island’s main event – Touchdown Rush, a multiplayer competitive “Payload Push” take on football. For more information on ESPN Football Island and ESPN’s collaboration with Fortnite, click here.

By: Lily Blum