NFL Week 13 Finals: MNF Barely Avoids Record Lows

The Colts and Jets were nearly as big a drag on Monday Night Football as the first presidential debate.

Colts/Jets earned a 5.0 final rating and 8.1 million viewers on the Week 13 edition of ESPN’s Monday Night Football, down 43% in ratings and viewership from Dallas/Washington last year (8.7, 14.2M) and down 32% and 31%, respectively, from Dolphins/Jets in 2014 (7.4, 11.8M).

The Colts’ blowout win, which peaked at a 6.4 and 10.4 million from 9:15-9:30 PM ET, delivered the second-lowest rating and viewership in the history of Monday Night Football — barely exceeding the all-time worsts of 4.9 and 8.0 million for Falcons/Saints in Week 3 of this season. That game aired opposite the most-watched U.S. presidential debate in modern TV history.

Four of the five lowest rated Monday Night Football games have taken place this season alone, as have the three least-watched. The Jets’ previous MNF appearance this season, Week 6 against the Cardinals, ranks as the fourth-lowest rated and third-least watched.

Monday’s game marked the fourth time this season that Monday Night Football has fallen below a 6.0 rating and 10.0 million viewers. Prior to this season, no MNF telecast had slipped below a 6.0 since 2008 and none had fewer than 10 million since 2012. One would have to go back to 2007 to find the last time that so many MNF games fell below those bottom-of-the-barrel marks in a single season.

Ten of ESPN’s 14 telecasts this season have had less than a 7.0 and 12.0 million, compared to just two such games all of last season.

MNF scored a 2.6 rating in adults 18-49, down 46% from last year (4.8) and a season-low. Even Falcons/Saints had a 3.1 in the demo. Despite the low numbers, MNF was still the night’s top program in each of the major adult demos (18-34, 18-49 and 25-54). ESPN has been television’s top rated network in those demos on 12 of 13 Monday nights this season, the lone exception being the night of the debate.

(Mon. numbers from ESPN)