Steelers vs. Redskins (6:55 p.m. ET) and Rams vs. 49ers (10:15 p.m.) on Sept. 12

Photos via ESPN Images

The 47th season of Monday Night Football (11th on ESPN) kicks off with a doubleheader on Monday, September 12:

The opener features a matchup of 2015 playoff teams – Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers against Kirk Cousins and the defending NFC East champion Redskins. It is the third time in 11 years that ESPN’s MNF is opening the season in the Nation’s Capital (2006 vs. Minnesota; 2013 vs. Philadelphia).

The late game reignites a West Coast rivalry as running back Todd Gurley and the new Los Angeles Rams make their regular-season debut on the road against the San Francisco 49ers under new head coach Chip Kelly.

MNF Production

Sean McDonough, the son of legendary Boston Globe NFL writer Will McDonough, will make his regular-season debut with Steelers-Redskins game, becoming just the fifth play-by-play voice in MNF history. McDonough joins analyst Jon Gruden (eighth season) and Lisa Salters (fifth) to call the opener in Washington and the remainder of ESPN’s 16-week regular season schedule, plus Pro Bowl and a NFL Wild Card game. Producer Jay Rothman and director Chip Dean enter their 11^th season on MNF and 26^th overall as a producer-director duo, including their time together on ESPN’s Sunday Night Football (2001-05) and college football for ESPN/ABC. [Note: ESPN’s MNF team participated in a media conference call last week to preview the new season. Full replay and transcript.]

ESPN’s veteran NFL host Chris Berman will handle play-by-play for the Rams-49ers game alongside analyst and 49ers Hall of Fame quarterback Steve Young and reporter Lindsay Czarniak.

Before the Steelers-Redskins opener, ESPN will debut a new Monday Night Football open for the 2016 season. The 75-second open features more than 20 current NFL stars and Pro Football Hall of Famers and a Hollywood red carpet theme. Release.

Suzy Kolber Hosts Monday Night Countdown Live from FedEx Field

Leading into Steelers-Redskins, Suzy Kolber will host a special two-hour Monday Night Countdown (5 p.m., ESPN) live from FedEx Field in Landover, Md. with ESPN’s new analyst team of Trent Dilfer, Matt Hasselbeck, Randy Moss and Charles Woodson.

NFL Insider Adam Schefter will appear on the show from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., studios, while Berman, Young and Czarniak will be at Levi’s Stadium.

Kolber will host halftime of game 1 from FedEx Field with Dilfer, Hasselbeck, Moss and Woodson. Trey Wingo will host halftime of the late game with Herm Edwards from Bristol, Conn. SportsCenter’s Steve Levy will anchor postgame coverage from Washington.

Special ESPN TV Schedule on Monday, Sept. 12:

MNF Ad Campaign

ESPN’s advertising campaign for the MNF doubleheader debuted with “Double the Football,” a 30-second spot highlighting ESPN’s two NFL kickoff games. Created by ESPN Consumer Marketing and Weiden+Kennedy New York with NFL Films, the spot showcases top players in both games. ESPN’s “No Other Night is Monday Night” campaign will continue throughout the season with weekly topical spots previewing each MNF game.

Steelers’ Antonio Brown Featured in New “This Is SportsCenter” Ad

ESPN has also debuted a new This is SportsCenter commercial this week starring Steelers All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown and SportsCenter anchor Neil Everett. In the 30-second “Phone Calls” spot, Brown boasts to Everett about his potential record-breaking performance, while working as a receptionist at ESPN. Wieden+Kennedy New York is the creative agency for the This is SportsCenter franchise. To view the spot.

ESPN’s Season-Opening MNF Doubleheaders (since 2006):

Home teams in CAPS

-30-