Monday night’s Falcons-Eagles game brought a mixed bag from the folks who measure TV audiences.
The ManningCast on ESPN2 dramatically rebounded from last week’s if-we-don’t-put-it-in-the-press-release-it-didn’t-happen all-time low of 872,000 viewers. Last night, the ESPN2 number shot to 1.34 millon.
Given the absence of an ABC simulcast, however, the total audience fell sharply, from 20.5 million in Week 1 to 15.038 million.
It’s still not clear why the Week 1 ManningCast dropped as far as it did. Not having the DirecTV audience surely was a factor.
Last night’s alternate broadcast benefited from the frank, blunt criticism from the Mannings and fourth-quarter guest Matt Ryan in real time, regarding the Eagles’ decision to throw a pass on third and three, late in the game.