ESPN earned an 8.7 overnight Nielsen rating for the Chiefs' 23-20 OT win over the Chargers on "MNF" from 8:30pm-12:30am ET, up slightly from an 8.6 for Colts-Titans in Week Eight last year. Ratings for N.Y., Boston, Philadelphia and Hartford remain unavailable due to the snow storm over the weekend. In K.C., the game earned a 14.3 local rating on ESPN and a 29.8 rating on KMBC-ABC. In San Diego, the game earned a 15.8 local rating on ESPN and an 18.3 rating on KFMB-CBS (Austin Karp, THE DAILY). Last night’s “MNF” broadcast featured a taped introduction from former Chiefs QB Len Dawson. The intro begins with a Halloween-like spooky moon and a howling wolf, with Dawson saying, “Shadows of a glorious past, whispers of a storied legacy. Yet the memories of that age still live. At the start of the season, we buried ourselves. But we clawed our way out of the darkness with the will to survive. Now, the spirits of great Chiefs past and present are in the air tonight, All Hallows Eve. Kansas City will rise again on ‘Monday Night Football.’” As Dawson was speaking, video was shown of past and present Chiefs players making plays on the field and the music was provided by the Philharmonia of Greater K.C. (“MNF,” ESPN, 10/31). SI.com's Peter King wrote on his Twitter feed, "The ESPN opens are fantastic. Len Dawson, you were terrific, because you feel what you said." Yahoo Sports' Doug Farrar: "It took Hitler to shove ESPN into show-intro relevance, but it's nice to see."
NOT MUCH FLEXING: On Long Island, Neil Best noted the Patriots and Jets “will remain the Sunday night game on NBC Nov. 13, the first weekend in which flex scheduling is in effect.” In recent years there “hasn’t been much flexing out of the original schedule, and the only sure target on the slate this fall is Colts-Patriots Dec. 4.” It is “highly unlikely Eagles-Giants Nov. 20 or Giants-Cowboys Dec. 11 will move out of prime time” (NEWSDAY.com, 10/31).
THE ART OF SWEARING: In Houston, David Barron reports there have been no "widespread calls for delays" following several high-profile profanities making NFL and college broadcasts, including Jaguars QB Blaine Gabbert’s 12-letter word on Sunday at Reliant Stadium, and no net “is likely to trim its audio-technological sails absent complaints from regulators or viewers.” The FCC has rules against "'fleeting expletives,' which would fit Gabbert's outburst Sunday." Dallas-based attorney Robert Miller said that the organization "can impose a fine if it finds that a broadcaster acted recklessly in causing indecent material or unscripted obscenities to be transmitted over the public airways." However, he added that it is "unlikely the FCC will act on its own in the Gabbert case" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 11/1).
