ESPN scores with its highest rated ‘Monday Night Football’ opener
Michael Vick couldn’t be beat Monday and neither could ESPN.
Monday night’s NFL double-header on ESPN – in which the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Washington Redskins and the Houston Texans prevailed over the San Diego Chargers – gave the network a strong start in ratings for the season.
The Eagles’ 33-27 victory against the Redskins, the defending NFC East champions, was the highest rated “Monday Night Football” opener since ESPN started airing the games in 2006.
PHOTOS: Cable versus broadcast ratings
The Eagles-Redskins game drew an average of more than 16.5 million viewers and generated a household rating of 10.1, according to Nielsen.
Previously, the highest rated “Monday Night Football” opening game was the 2010 contest between the Baltimore Ravens and the New York Jets, which brought in an average of nearly 15 million viewers and a rating of 9.4.
The Eagles’ victory had more than 20.9 million viewers at its peak, which happened at 10-10:15 p.m. Eastern.
The second game, in which the Texans came from behind to beat the Chargers, 31-28, took in nearly 11 million viewers and earned a rating of 7.1.
The games were the No. 1 and No. 2 telecasts of the night across all networks, drawing an average of almost 14 million viewers and a rating of 8.7.
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