Saints-Raiders Monday night game to be simulcast on ESPN, ABC

The NFL and its broadcast partners are pulling out all the stops for Week 2’s headlining game. When the New Orleans Saints visit the Las Vegas Raiders at the brand-new Allegiant Stadium, their kickoff on “Monday Night Football” will be simulcast to a national audience on ESPN and ABC, with an alternate broadcast featuring guest stars on ESPN2, and Spanish-language coverage on ESPN Desportes.

While the main broadcast on ESPN and ABC will be led by a three-man booth of Steve Levy, Brian Griese, and Louis Riddick with Lisa Salters reporting from the sidelines, Raiders greats Tim Brown, Gene Upshaw, and Art Shell will join a cast of sports, music, and entertainment personalities on ESPN2 to discuss the game and the Raiders’ move to Las Vegas. Expect plenty of features showcasing Allegiant Stadium, the NFL’s newest venue, too.

Viewership ratings took a hit over last year’s Monday night opener, with a sleepy Steelers-Giants game followed by a Titans-Broncos nightcap failing to draw a crowd. The top storyline of the night was whether Titans kicker Stephen Gostkowski’s Hall of Fame candidacy was threatened by four missed field goals at Mile High Stadium; maybe Drew Brees and the Saints will catch more attention after setting a four-year high in TV ratings for FOX last week.