Monday Night Football Schedule 2014: TV and Live Stream Info for Week 1

To finish off the opening week of the 2014 NFL season, Monday Night Football presents fans with two games that are sure to be hotly contested.

The first sees Eli Manning and the New York Giants travel to Detroit to take on Calvin Johnson and the Lions in a game that should feature plenty of scoring from two teams on the hunt to take the proverbial next step.

Later, Patrick Peterson and the Arizona Cardinals welcome Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers to the desert in a matchup designed to showcase two teams that have all the ingredients for playoff runs this year.

Below, let's take a look at how to catch the action and some of the biggest storylines to watch.

2014 Monday Night Football Week 1 Schedule

Matchup	Time	Where	TV	Live Stream
Giants vs. Lions	7:10 p.m. ET	Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan	ESPN	WatchESPN
Chargers vs. Cardinals	10:20 p.m. ET	University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona	ESPN	WatchESPN

Storylines to Watch

Defenses on the Mend

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This one certainly applies to both matchups.

Look at the Giants, a team that allowed 23.9 points per game last season and had major questions in the secondary before some offseason additions.

One addition is former Denver standout Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who ranked as the No. 6 overall corner last season at Pro Football Focus (subscription required). That acquisition surely angered the cornerback-needy Jets, who share the same city. The other addition is Walter Thurmond, who spent last season with the defending champion Seattle Seahawks and ranked No. 33 on the same list.

The duo joins a safety pair that includes Antrel Rolle and Stevie Brown. Fans understand that the unit needs to get off to a hot start, as it is tasked with stopping the Detroit offense, which features one Calvin Johnson.

Coach Tom Coughlin made it known recently that DRC will be the one with the most responsibility come Monday.

“Are you the best receiver on their team?” Coughlin asked, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “[He’s] following you, then. He’s got great big, long arms, he’s tall, he’s fast, he can match up.”

No pressure, right?

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San Diego's unit has a similar hurdle to overcome. In theory, a pass rush highlighted by Melvin Ingram and Dwight Freeney sounds great, but the two have yet to play a lot on the field at the same time.

Both ranked in the top 20 3-4 outside linebackers in PFF's 2012 rankings (subscription required), but they better be everything the coaching staff has hoped for and more against an offense that features Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd and offensive guru Bruce Arians at the helm.

Veteran QBs Making the Leap

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San Diego's Rivers, under the tutelage of Mike McCoy, was named the Comeback Player of the Year last season for good reason. 

In other words, Manning should be quite inspired as he heads into the matchup with a rather shaky Detroit secondary. A turnaround is certainly possible.

Last year, he led the NFL in interceptions with 27 and threw for just 3,818 yards and 18 scores in the process. While a miserable line was partially to blame—and by the looks of the hodgepodge of names in front of him, it won't be much help Monday, either—whispers of regression for the 33-year-old quarterback were not unfounded.

The only problem is that the veteran is now being asked to learn a new offense. As ESPN's Jon Gruden put it, via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, it might prove to be an uphill battle:

Manning is not alone in his plight, though. Arizona's Carson Palmer was not horrific last season, throwing for 4,274 yards and 24 touchdowns to 22 interceptions, but one would expect more yards and touchdowns and fewer turnovers given the wealth of weapons around him.

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Now 34 years old, Palmer makes the Cardinals tick in 2014. According to Arians, per Kent Somers of AZCentral.com, Palmer and Co. are way ahead of last year's form now that they are in the second year of his playbook.

"Where we're at this point is like light-years from last year," he said last week after the team's first full-squad workout of the offseason. "They are getting on the same page. Every play, they come back and there is good dialogue—'Why did you break out? Why did you break in?'"

Palmer needs to prove that Monday against an underrated San Diego defense that seems to be healthy once again. Like Manning, if Palmer stumbles, the rest of the team will follow suit.

When it comes to Monday Night Football affairs, nothing beats a little intrigue or controversy at the quarterback position.

Note: Stats courtesy of NFL.com. Advanced metrics via Pro Football Focus (subscription required).