Bills-Jets generates huge audience for ESPN, ABC
Aaron Rodgers delivers. Even if it will be the only time all year that he does.
The Week 1 Bills-Jets game generated 22.615 million average viewers late night on the various ESPN/ABC platforms, via @SportsTVRatings. That surpasses the Brett Favre revenge game against the Packers as one of the highest-rated Monday Night Football game since ESPN took over the package.
The October 2009 Packers-Vikings game drew 21.8 million viewers, but it was available only on ESPN. Last night's game was also on ESPN2 and, more importantly, ABC.
Still, it's a huge number for a modern Monday night game.
January's Bills-Bengals game averaged 23.8 million viewers, largely due to Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest and its aftermath.
In 1990, 41.55 million watched a December Giants-49ers game. In December 1985, 39 million tuned in for Bears-Dolphins. Numbers like that might never happen again on a regular-season Monday night.
