It would not have been much of a draw under any conditions, but against the first presidential debate, Falcons/Saints was about as minuscule a draw as Monday Night Football has ever seen.
The Week 3 Falcons/Saints Monday Night Football game earned a 5.7 overnight rating, down 36% from Chiefs/Packers last year (8.9), down 38% from Bears/Jets in 2014 (9.2) and the lowest for any NFL telecast through the first three weeks of the season. Ratings peaked at a 6.9 from 8:45-9 PM ET, the final quarter-hour before the debate started.
The 5.7 is likely the lowest in the history of Monday Night Football. Complete overnight records were unavailable, but the lowest final rating in franchise history is a 5.1. No other MNF telecast has gone lower than 5.7 in the final nationals.
Coverage aired opposite the first presidential debate, which had a combined 46.2 rating across nine broadcast and cable networks. The last time MNF faced a presidential debate, Week 7 in 2012, Lions/Bears scored a 7.3 overnight. That game faced both a presidential debate and Game 7 of the MLB National League Championship Series.
ESPN’s telecast earned a 14.1 rating in Atlanta and a 12.5 in New Orleans. Coverage was simulcast on local affiliates in both markets, earning a 25.8 on New Orleans NBC affiliate WDSU. Local affiliate ratings in Atlanta were not immediately available. Denver was the top neutral market with an 8.7, with Richmond (7.7) and Nashville (7.4) rounding out the top five.
(Mon. numbers from ESPN; debate overnight from Michael Mulvihill/Twitter 9/27)
