• Buck, Aikman, Salters and Rutledge call the game on ESPN and ABC
• Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli welcome guests J.J. Watt and Ben Roethlisberger
• MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats available for avid fans
• Monday Night Countdown, NFL Live and SportsCenter with SVP on-site; First Take live from downtown Pittsburgh
• Postseason NFL Countdown and NFL Primetime on Saturday and Sunday
• Notable coverage found across ESPN digital platforms

ESPN will cap off the NFL’s Wild Card Weekend for the fifth consecutive year with its Monday night presentation, this season featuring the AFC’s fifth-seed Houston Texans and the four-seed and AFC North Champion Pittsburgh Steelers (Jan. 12, 8 p.m. ET). Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge will have the call on ESPN and ABC, with Peyton and Eli Manning on ESPN2, MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats on the ESPN app and Spanish-language on ESPN Deportes. Each of those presentations will be available on mobile on NFL+.

Complementing and enhancing ESPN’s Monday night Wild Card finale, six hours of ESPN’s premier studio shows will precede Texans-Steelers from Pittsburgh. NFL Live (3-5 p.m.) and Monday Night Countdown (6-8 p.m.) will be from inside Acrisure Stadium and First Take (10 a.m.-Noon) earlier in the day, live from Shorty’s GoodTimes Bar in downtown Pittsburgh. After the final whistle, SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt (Approx. 11:30 p.m.) will end the night in the Steel City.

Rutledge, Ryan Clark, Mina Kimes, Dan Orlovsky, Marcus Spears and Peter Schrager will be on NFL Live, followed by Scott Van Pelt, Clark, Jason Kelce, Spears, Schefter, Michelle Beisner-Buck – who sits down with Texans defensive stars Danielle Hunter and Will Anderson Jr. – and Stephen A. Smith (for multiple segments) on Monday Night Countdown, leading into the game. Earlier in the day, Smith and host Shae Cornette will be joined by Clark and Cam Newton on First Take.

Postgame, SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt will feature an interview with a winning player alongside Van Pelt and Clark. ‘Stanford Steve’ Coughlin will join SVP in the latter portion of the show.

On Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli, the legendary quarterbacks will be joined by former Texans defensive end J.J. Watt and, for the first time, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

In addition to the shows originating from Pittsburgh, ESPN will extensively cover the matchup, as well as the entirety of Wild Card Weekend across its studio shows, beginning with SportsCenter (7 a.m.). Get Up (8-10 a.m.) and The Pat McAfee Show (12-2 p.m.) will surround First Take, before Christine Williamson co-hosts SportsCenter from Acrisure Stadium, first for the 2 p.m. and then the 5 p.m. edition.

ESPN will have extensive Wild Card Weekend coverage on Saturday and Sunday with Postseason NFL Countdown, NFL Primetime, NFL Matchup and multiple additional episodes of SportsCenter.

Following this week’s Wild Card showdown, and for the third year in a row, ESPN will air a Divisional playoff game on either January 17 or 18 across ESPN, ABC, ESPN Deportes and the ESPN app, 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 and Aikman add to historic playoff portfolio; Salters, Rutledge add to individual playoff resumes Texans-Steelers adds to Buck, Aikman, Salters and Rutledge’s extensive individual – and pair – NFL postseason resume. In total, Buck and Aikman have called over 60 playoff games and six Super Bowls, the second-most of any broadcast pairing in NFL history. Salters (Steelers) works her 14th NFL postseason game and Rutledge (Texans) records her sixth. Officiating analyst Russell Yurk will join Buck and Aikman in the broadcast booth for his third playoff game.

Alternate viewing options headlined by Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli
The Manning brothers will put an exclamation on their fifth season of Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli as the popular alternate-telecast brings their customary format to fans with Watt and Roethlisberger in tow. MNF Playbook with Next Gen Stats — ESPN’s newest data- and analytics-driven alternate presentation— will feature Mike Monaco, Luke Kuechly, Chase Daniel and Seth Walder and be available to stream on the ESPN app. Both alternative viewing options will begin at 8 p.m.

Extensive Coverage of Wild Card Weekend on Saturday and Sunday
Prior to ESPN’s Monday action, Postseason NFL Countdown, with Mike Greenberg, Tedy Bruschi, Randy Moss, Rex Ryan, Alex Smith and Schefter, will set the table for Saturday and Sunday’s Wild Card games. 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: Rams vs. Panthers (Sat.)
• Kimberley A. Martin: Packers vs. Bears (Sat.)
• Jeff Darlington: Bills vs. Jaguars (Sun.)
• Dan Graziano: Chargers vs. Patriots (Sun.)
• Sal Paolantonio: 49ers vs. Eagles (Sun.)

Both editions of Postseason NFL Countdown will feature in-depth storytelling, showcasing the biggest names around the league:

• Good, Better, Best: Bears rookie HC Ben Johnson brought a high school–era victory chant to Chicago—now a post-win rallying cry that unites the team and the city (featuring Courtney Cronin).
• One-on-One with Rams QB Matthew Stafford: NFL MVP front-runner Matthew Stafford reflects on his bond with Sean McVay, a career year in his late 30s, and how a summer trip to Hawaii brought the team closer (featuring Besiner-Buck).
• The 4 H’s: Patriots HC Mike Vrabel united his team by asking them to share stories of hometown, hero, heartbreak, and hope—four H’s that forged one common goal (featuring Mike Reiss).
• Hurling QB: Bills QB Josh Allen reveals how pregame nerves affect him—and why throwing up has become a coping mechanism that helps him calm down (featuring Marty Smith).

NFL Matchup & NFL Primetime contribute to Wild Card Weekend
NFL Primetime, with Chris Berman and Booger McFarland, will be live on the ESPN App 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), multiple editions of SportsCenter (7 a.m., 9 a.m., 12:30 a.m., 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. Highlights include:

• “NFL playoff preview: Predictions for every game and round right through the Super Bowl” by Bill Barnwell
• “What’s driving the Eagles’ defense this season? Meatballs!” by Tim McManus
• “How the Caleb Williams-Ben Johnson duo has evolved in Chicago” by Courtney Cronin
• Coming soon: “What ending the Steelers’ playoff win drought would mean for Mike Tomlin and the franchise” by Brooke Pryor
• Coming soon: “How Drake Maye and Josh McDaniels led the Patriots back to the playoffs” by Mike Reiss
• Coming soon: “Debunking one myth about each of the 14 playoff teams” by Dan Graziano

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