ESPN to Air Two NFL Preseason Games as Part of MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL

ESPN will televise two NFL preseason games as part of its 2016 MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL schedule - the Pro Football Hall of Fame game for the first time, and the Los Angeles Rams' first game at home since the franchise returned to Southern California this offseason.

ESPN kicks off the NFL preseason Sunday, Aug. 7 at 8 p.m. ET when Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts face Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame game in Canton, Ohio. The night before, Packers legend Brett Favre and Colts' Super Bowl-winning coach Tony Dungy and wide receiver Marvin Harrison will headline the Hall's 2016 class of inductees.

While ESPN has televised the annual Enshrinement Ceremony in Canton since 1995 - and will again in 2016, the Colts-Packers telecast will be the first Hall of Fame game for ESPN. (NBC, which normally televises the game, will be carrying THE 2016 SUMMER OLYMPICS in early August.)

Later in the week, the ESPN crew heads west to Los Angeles when the Rams host Tony Romo and the Dallas Cowboys at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday, Aug. 13 (8 p.m. ET). It will be the Rams' first home game back in Southern California since 1994.

"Our MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL preseason schedule features two milestones - ESPN's first Hall of Fame game and the Rams' long-awaited return to LA," said John Wildhack, executive vice president, production and programming, ESPN. "We thank the NFL for the opportunity to televise these two high-profile games and look forward to the 2016 season."

ESPN's MNF crew features play-by-play commentator Mike Tirico, analyst Jon Gruden and reporter Lisa Salters. Both MNF preseason games will be preceded by a one-hour MONDAY NIGHT COUNTDOWN pregame show.

ESPN Deportes, ESPN's 24-hour Spanish-language domestic sports network, will once again offer a Spanish-language production of MNF preseason and regular-season games in 2016. All games will also be available to stream live on tablets, computers and connected devices via WatchESPN and the ESPN app. WatchESPN is accessible in more than 93 million households nationwide to fans who receive ESPN's networks as part of their video subscription.

The 2016 ESPN MNF regular-season schedule is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

ESPN'S MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL 2016 NFL PRESEASON SCHEDULE:

Date	Time (ET)	Game
Sun, Aug. 7	8 p.m.	Indianapolis Colts vs. Green Bay Packers (Canton, Ohio)
Sat, Aug. 13	8 p.m.	Dallas Cowboys vs. Los Angeles Rams

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