ESPN earned a 7.4 overnight rating for the Ravens' last-second win over the Browns last night from 8:15-11:45pm ET, marking the net's lowest-rated "MNF" telecast of the '15 season to date. However, that number is up 4% from a 7.1 for last year's comparable Ravens-Saints matchup in Week 12. That game aired head-to-head with Jets-Bills, which was moved to Monday night due to a snowstorm in Buffalo. Last night's game peaked with an 8.5 rating between 11:30-11:45pm. Ravens-Browns earned a 30.8 local rating in Baltimore (10.9 on ESPN, 19.9 on WBAL-NBC) and a 29.8 in Cleveland-Akron (8.0 on ESPN, 29.8 on WKYC-NBC). Ravens-Browns also drew 410,000 unique viewers on WatchESPN (Josh Carpenter, Assistant Editor).
UP TO THE CHALLENGE: In Buffalo, Alan Pergament wrote CBS play-by-play man Kevin Harlan and analyst Rich Gannon were "up to every challenge" for Sunday's Bills-Chiefs game. That includes "what can be one of the most challenging aspects of an analyst's jobs -- harshly criticizing NFL coaches when they deserve it." As a general rule, TV analysts "don’t usually do it." But it would have been "extremely challenging for Gannon to avoid criticizing" Bills coach Rex Ryan and his staff after the team’s loss. Gannon and Harlan, who has "one of the best excitement levels of any play-by-play man, covered just about every angle that will be addressed on talk shows" (BUFFALONEWS.com, 11/30).
SPEAKING OUT: In N.Y., Daniel Popper notes ESPN's Robert Flores yesterday "shed light on the ridiculousness" of the recent criticism surrounding Panthers QB Cam Newton's end zone celebrations, while "simultaneously jabbing 'First Take.'" Flores was talking over the Bills-Chiefs highlights from Sunday when Chiefs TE Travis Kelce's third-quarter receiving touchdown "was shown on the screen." Kelce "proceeded to dance extravagantly in the end zone after scoring." Flores said, "I'm wondering why there's no letters to the editor or why First Take's not doing 'Should Travis Kelce be dancing in the end zone?'" Co-Anchor Jay Crawford quipped, "Are you sure they didn't?" Flores responded, "They didn't. I wonder why they're not doing that? Oh, because he's not black. That's probably what it is" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/1). Author Jeff Pearlman tweeted, "Huge props to @RoFloESPN for telling it like it is on white-black NFL dancing." The Florida Times-Union's Ryan O'Halloran: "Me and @HaysCarlyon just spent two minutes predicting what Robert Flores' I-have-to-apologize-but-not-really-mean-it statement will entail." Awful Announcing's official Twitter account: "Has ESPN suspended Robert Flores for calling out First Take yet?"
