ESPN's Laura Rutledge and the "Monday Night Football" crew were in the nation's capital this evening to cover a preseason showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders. It didn't take long for fans to compliment her performance and appearance. Rutledge, who received a journalism ...
Laura Rutledge Impresses NFL Fans With 'Monday Night Football' Look originally appeared on The Spun.
ESPN's Laura Rutledge and the "Monday Night Football" crew were in the nation's capital this evening to cover a preseason showdown between the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders. It didn't take long for fans to compliment her performance and appearance.
Rutledge, who received a journalism degree from the University of Florida, has been with ESPN since 2014. She initially hosted "SEC Nation" and covered countless college football games before being named the host of "NFL Live" in June 2020. Last week, she officially added "Monday Night Football" reporter to her list of job titles.
Lisa Salters will remain the main sideline reporter for ESPN's "Monday Night Football" broadcasts this fall, but she won't be alone. Rutledge, the 2011 winner of the Red Barber Award for Excellence in Broadcasting, will share the spotlight with her.
"Rutledge, now a two-time Emmy recipient as the host of NFL Live and reporting for SEC on ABC, has joined Buck, Aikman and Salters for marquee MNF regular season games and ESPN’s Wild Card and Divisional playoff games for the past few seasons, sharing the sidelines with Salters more than a dozen times. In those same seasons, Rutledge was the sideline reporter with Fowler, Orlovsky, and Riddick for select MNF dual game weeks. This season, in addition to appearing on MNF each week, fans will continue to see Rutledge host NFL Live and SEC Nation on Saturday mornings," ESPN's press release stated.
Prior to Monday night's preseason game, Rutledge admit that ESPN's crew was greeted with unexpected weather conditions.
“Alright, we didn’t realize that rain was in the forecast, but here we are,” Rutledge said, via Athlon Sports. “You can’t see it, but it’s raining. Either way, Monday Night Football preseason coming your way.”
A few hours later, NFL fans raved about Rutledge's outfit for the Bengals-Commanders game.
"Laura Rutledge is a goat," one fan said.
"Doesn’t get much better than seeing the Beautiful and Talented Laura Rutledge on MNF! Life is Good," a second fan wrote on X.
"Laura Rutledge looking absolutely stunning in that dress," another fan commented.
Laura Rutledge reveals an unexpected development ahead of the Commanders-Bengals game
— Paolo Songco (@PaoloSongcoNBA) August 18, 2025
(via @lauramrutledge on IG) pic.twitter.com/zEpYOzS87G
As for Rutledge's performance on Monday night, she had excellent sideline interviews with Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase.
Rutledge also provided an update on Bengals defensive end Trey Hendrickson's contract situation. She said the main issue during contract negotiations has been guaranteed money, not duration or total value of the deal. Apparently, trade talks haven't materialized at this time.
NFL fans should expect to see Rutledge back on the sideline on Sept. 8 when ESPN covers a Monday night showdown between the Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings.
Laura Rutledge Impresses NFL Fans With 'Monday Night Football' Look first appeared on The Spun on Aug 19, 2025
This story was originally reported by The Spun on Aug 19, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Football
