Monday Night Football Week 15: TV Schedule, Live Stream for Lions vs. Saints

This week's episode of Monday Night Football isn't exactly a clash of contenders. Both the 4-9 Detroit Lions and 5-8 New Orleans Saints have been eliminated from playoff contention. We may even be watching the last few games that both head coaches man the sidelines for their respective teams.

After an 11-5 season and a playoff berth in 2014, Jim Caldwell is likely on the hot seat in Detroit. Sean Payton still has two years left on his contract after this season at $8 million per campaign, but there has been speculation he and the Saints may part ways.

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

With few on-field storylines to look forward to, expect the fates of the coaches to take center stage during the ESPN broadcast.

What: Monday Night Football at 8:30 p.m. ET

Where: Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans

TV: ESPN

Live Stream: WatchESPN

Milestones and Predictions

The Saints' Drew Brees is just 206 yards away from reaching 4,000 on the season. Barring an injury, he's a lock to hit the mark. It'll be Brees' 10th straight season with at least 4,000 yards passing. As a matter of fact, if he can push his total to 5,000, it'll be his fifth season over that mark.

He's already the only quarterback in NFL history with multiple 5,000-passing-yard seasons. There's still a chance to add to his record. As ESPN NFL points out, the single-season milestone is just one of many Brees is approaching:

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Drew Brees needs 173 Pass yds to become the 4th QB in NFL history with 60,000 career yards. pic.twitter.com/kg9wsjCNSR

— ESPN Monday Night (@ESPNMondayNight) December 20, 2015"

The 36-year-old future Hall of Famer is still a joy to watch perform. He moves into the final year of his contract in 2016, when he's scheduled to make a whopping $19.75 million. The major question in the Big Easy should be whether he or Payton will be back next season. There's no doubt their fates could be intertwined.

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The Lions' Calvin Johnson is just 19 receiving yards short of 1,000. If and when he reaches the mark, it'll be his sixth straight season reaching the gold standard for players at his position.

Rick Osentoski/Associated Press

Megatron might have received a label for being less than durable during his career, but in truth, he's only missed 10 games in his nine NFL seasons. That's not too shabby.

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The Saints snapped a three-game losing streak in Week 14 with a 24-17 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That win came on the heels of a near-miss against the undefeated Carolina Panthers the week before. 

After winning three games in a row to tease their fanbase with a potential playoff berth, the Lions have dropped two in a row, which precipitated their elimination from postseason consideration. To put it plainly, the Saints have looked like the better team of late.

Brees still has his offense playing inspired football, and the much-maligned defense has looked slightly improved over the last three weeks. After a three-game stretch that saw them allow 43.3 points per game, the Saints have surrendered just 27.3 in their last three contests.

The Lions are a mess. Beginning with their egregious loss to the Green Bay Packers in Week 13 on a Hail Mary pass, the Lions simply find ways to lose. Expect New Orleans to defend its home field with a victory Monday night.

Contract information courtesy of Spotrac.