The NFL is officially underway. With the weekend kicking off the 2026 NFL season, the organization wasted no time presenting matchups like the Buffalo Bills and the Houston Texans. At the same time, it wouldn’t be the NFL without Carrie Underwood. The country singer debuted her newest rendition of “Waiting All Day for Sunday Night.” But with it being Monday, it seemed that Underwood was leaving the stage to make room for Ludacris as he makes his NFL debut with a special “In the Air Tonight” performance for Monday Night Football.
Although it’s Monday, the NFL had a way of making the start of the week feel a little better. How? By scheduling the Denver Broncos to face the Kansas City Chiefs. Marking the start of each team’s season, the Broncos and Chiefs want to set the tone for the rest of the year. But no matter what the future brought, Ludacris will be there to celebrate another Monday Night Football milestone.
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Since 2023, the NFL has used the classic hit from Phil Collins to welcome fans to Monday Night Football. Teaming up with Chris Stapleton and Cindy Blackman Santana, the original version featured Snoop Dogg. It should come as no surprise that Snoop contributed to the theme song since he has appeared at the Super Bowl, NBA games, and even helped NBC cover the Olympic Games. But this year, ESPN went a different route.
[RELATED: Sheryl Crow, John Legend, and More to Perform in Nashville During First-Ever ‘America’s Tailgate’ Ahead of NFL Season]
Ludacris Helps Bring “New Dimension” To Monday Night Football
While a first for Ludacris, he has some help from Stapleton and Blackman Santana. Returning for another year, Julie McGlone, the executive producer of the In the Air Tonight segment, harped on the importance of keeping those voices. “Chris and Cindy have helped make ‘In the Air Tonight’ an integral part of the Monday Night Football experience over the last three seasons.”
Thrilled over the finished product and kicking off another Monday Night Football season, McGlone promised, “Adding Ludacris to the legacy MNF anthem brings a new dimension to the creative and continues our tradition of celebrating the intensity, anticipation and shared emotion of American sports culture, where music, competition and spectacle come together to make each game feel like a cultural event.”
The Broncos and Chiefs still have an entire season ahead of them, but Ludacris is already checking off an NFL milestone of his own. Snoop Dogg might have helped introduce “In the Air Tonight” to Monday Night Football, but Monday now belonged to Ludacris.
(Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)
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