A much-anticipated Packers-Vikings matchup could be a boon for "MNF" ratingsGETTY IMAGES
ESPN's "MNF" is poised to post its best viewership in years thanks to an unusually strong lineup over the final seven weeks of the season. This season-closing stretch is filled with high-quality matchups that ends Dec. 23 with Packers-Vikings in a game that could decide the NFC North. ESPN Exec VP/Programming & Scheduling Burke Magnus said of the remaining schedule, "There's not a bad one in the bunch. This is the strongest I've seen in the five years that I've been in this role." Viewership for "MNF," not including Cowboys-Giants last night, is up 3% even though it suffered through several clunkers earlier this season, including two from the Jets, who have been outscored 56-3 on "MNF" this year. Some luck is involved with the schedule, as the 49ers, who host next week's "MNF" against the Seahawks, were not expected to be undefeated heading into Week 10. Magnus also expressed relief that so much less attention is focused on ESPN's booth this year as compared to last season, when analyst Jason Witten was a lightning rod and Booger McFarland provided his analysis from a mobile contraption that roamed the sidelines (John Ourand, SBJ Media).
MAN-TO-MAN COVERAGE: In Philadelphia, Rob Tornoe notes "repeated flubs" from Fox' Dick Stockton during Bears-Eagles on Sunday "became a sore spot among fans and sports media pundits, who took to social media to complain about the veteran broadcaster." Stockton said that the broadcast "in its entirety was 'spot on,' and that viewers knew exactly what was going on at any given moment." He said, "The average viewer watches the game and in a three-hour telecast may hear things that aren't right. They know overall whether the game was covered properly. There are others who sit and wait for moments and pounce. It's a different audience" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 11/5).
ATTENTION GRABBER: In Baltimore, David Zurawik notes Sunday night's Patriots-Ravens "SNF" game drew 568,371 viewers on WBAL-NBC, the "largest audience for an NFL telecast on the channel in five years." Overall, Baltimore "came in third behind the Patriots' markets of Boston and Providence" (BALTIMORE SUN, 11/5).
WRONG DIRECTION: In Chicago, Phil Rosenthal notes the Bears' local ratings for their last four games (all losses) are down 22.3% from what they "averaged for their first four games." Sunday's loss to the Eagles "averaged a 22.1 household rating" on WFLD-Fox, a "new season low for Matt Nagy's Bears, undercutting the 22.9 they earned a week earlier in falling to the Chargers." For the "second week in a row, it's the Bears' lowest-rated telecast since Dec. 31, 2017." Buoyed by "optimism and two prime-time appearances, the Bears averaged a 30.9 household rating in the Chicago-area TV market over their first four games," but have now fallen to 3-5, last in the NFC North (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 11/5).
