It was one of the biggest games of the weekend, with the 7-2 Raiders facing the 6-3 Texans in Mexico City. It could have/should have sparked a significant rating on ESPN.
It didn’t.
Via SportsBusiness Daily, the telecast generated an overnight rating of 8.1. This made it the lowest-rated Week 11 Monday Night Football broadcast since 2007, ESPN’s second season with the package.
Last year, Bills-Patriots in Week 11 drew a 10.0 rating, and Steelers-Titans in 2014 managed an 8.5 rating.
It continues a troubling trend for NFL TV ratings in 2016. Thursday’s tripleheader of consequential games becomes the next big test. If there’s a drop in comparison to 2015 on the day when pro football enjoys a captive audience with limited viewing options and maximum levels of tryptophan that will keep them from reaching for the remote, it may be time to put down the pumpkin pie and press the panic button.
