Why are there two 'Monday Night Football' games this week?

(WBOY) — Fantasy football managers and obsessed NFL fans are celebrating the extra "Monday Night Football" game, but why are there two this week?

On Monday, Dec. 16, the Chicago Bears will head to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Vikings, and the Atlanta Falcons will land in Las Vegas to take on the Raiders. Two NFL games being played on Monday night isn't a new thing and has been happening on and off for the past few seasons.

The answer, as with many things in professional sports, is money. Broadcasting agreements completed in 2021 between the NFL and ESPN grant ESPN and ABC — two networks owned by Disney — more games each season, according to The Athletic. This practice began in 2022 and has continued into this season with matchups aired simultaneously on the two networks.

Those who watched last year may remember that ABC channels aired "Monday Night Football" games more frequently than planned. This was due to strikes by the Writers Guild of America and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists which cleared more time slots on the network that were filled by football due to a lack of programming.

This week marks the final of four doubleheaders this season.