While declining ratings could have been expected given the lopsided score, the season opener of “Monday Night Football” earned unusually low numbers on ESPN.
The Bengals/Ravens Week 1 “Monday Night Football” game drew a 7.0 U.S. rating and 10.904 million viewers on ESPN, down 23% in ratings and 25% in viewership from Patriots/Dolphins last year (9.1, 14.568M), and down 26% and 27%, respectively, from Ravens/Jets in 2010 (9.4, 14.973M).
The game ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed season premiere of “MNF” since ESPN began airing the games in the 2006-07 season. The previous lows were a 7.3 and 11.080 million viewers for Ravens/Bengals in 2007.
Overall, Bengals/Ravens ranks as the lowest rated and least-viewed NFL season debut on ESPN since Chiefs/Broncos on “Sunday Night Football” in 2004 (6.9, 10.109M).
Also Monday night, the Chargers/Raiders nightcap drew a 6.8 U.S. rating and 10.450 million viewers — down 4% in ratings and 6% in viewership from Raiders/Broncos last year (7.1, 11.109M), and down 11% and 12%, respectively, from Chargers/Chiefs in 2010 (7.6, 11.889M).
Of note, Chargers/Raiders drew a higher rating among adults 18-49 Monday night (4.9) than Bengals/Ravens earlier in the night (4.7).
Ratings/Viewership For Week 1 NFL Telecasts on ESPN
Past decade
| # | Date | Away | Home | Net | Rating | Viewers (000) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Mon., 9/10/12 | Bengals | Ravens | ESPN |
7.0
|
10,904
|
| Chargers | Raiders | ESPN |
6.8
|
10,450
|
||
| 2011 | Mon., 9/12/11 | Patriots | Dolphins | ESPN |
9.1
|
14,568
|
| Raiders | Broncos | ESPN |
7.1
|
11,109
|
||
| 2010 | Mon., 9/13/10 | Ravens | Jets | ESPN |
9.4
|
14,973
|
| Chargers | Chiefs | ESPN |
7.6
|
11,889
|
||
| 2009 | Mon., 9/14/09 | Bills | Patriots | ESPN |
8.9
|
14,001
|
| Chargers | Raiders | ESPN |
7.6
|
11,945
|
||
| 2008 | Mon., 9/8/08 | Vikings | Packers | ESPN |
7.9
|
12,501
|
| Broncos | Raiders | ESPN |
6.2
|
9,665
|
||
| 2007 | Mon., 9/10/07 | Bengals | Ravens | ESPN |
7.3
|
11,080
|
| 49ers | Cardinals | ESPN |
5.8
|
8,500
|
||
| 2006 | Mon., 9/11/06 | Vikings | Washington | ESPN |
8.2
|
12,570
|
| Chargers | Raiders | ESPN |
7.0
|
10,495
|
||
| 2005 | Sun., 9/11/05 | Colts | Ravens | ESPN |
7.4
|
11,248
|
| 2004 | Sun., 9/12/04 | Chiefs | Broncos | ESPN |
6.9
|
10,109
|
| 2003 | Sun., 9/7/03 | Raiders | Titans | ESPN |
7.2
|
10,795
|
| 2002 | Thu., 9/5/02 | 49ers | Giants | ESPN |
7.6
|
10,799
|
| Sun., 9/8/02 | Cowboys | Texans | ESPN |
7.8
|
12,103
|
(Monday’s numbers from ESPN, with additional information from The Futon Critic)
