ESPN’s Monday Night Football’s momentum marches forward, as 14 million viewers watched the New York Giants-Kansas City Chiefs (Nov. 1, 8 p.m. ET) on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPN Deportes.
The audience of 13,990,000 viewers represents MNF’s best Week 8 audience since 2014 (Washington-Dallas) and is the second-best Week 8 game in the ESPN era (2006 – present).
For the sixth consecutive week, MNF was up year-over-year, with the Giants-Chiefs up 14% compared to Buccaneers-Giants in 2020.
For the season, Monday Night Football is averaging 13.7 million viewers/game (eight games), up 17% from both the 2020 and 2019 seasons through eight weeks (nine games).
Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli Sets New ESPN Alternate Telecast Viewership High
Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli continues to shatter its own records, as the alternate telecast delivered its most-watched presentation to date.
The ESPN2 viewing option averaged 1.96 million viewers, besting its previous high of 1.89 million viewers (Week 3) and up 22% from last week (1.61 million).
MNF with Peyton and Eli now represents the four most-watched alternate telecasts for ESPN.
Viewership reported by Nielsen for ESPN and ESPN2 includes streaming audience across ESPN, NFL, and Yahoo Sports properties.
ESPN’s Most-Watched Alternate Telecasts (2014-Present)
| Rank | Alternate Telecast | Date | Viewership |
| 1 | Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli | November 1, 2021 (Week 8) | 1.96 million viewers |
| 2 | Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli | September 27, 2021 (Week 3) | 1.89 million viewers |
| 3 | Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli | September 20, 2021 (Week 2) | 1.86 million viewers |
| 4 | Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli | October 25, 2021 (Week 7) | 1.61 million viewers |
Additional Giants-Chiefs highlights:
- Monday Night Football experienced a three-point game for the third consecutive week; four weeks ago, Colts-Ravens went to overtime, the franchise’s second overtime of the season (Week 1: Ravens-Raiders).
- Monday Night Football was the most-watched telecast of the night among households, viewers and all key demos: Men 18-34, 18-49, 25-54 and 55+, as well as persons 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54 on ESPN.
- Monday Night Footballalso helped ESPN become the most-watched network (broadcast and cable) in primetime among households, viewers and the same key male and people demos, including P55.
- Kansas City was largest local market, drawing a 46.7 across ESPN and ESPN2. New York averaged a 11.5 across both nets (fourth best). Complete top 10
| Rank | Market | Rating (ESPN and ESPN2) |
| 1 | Kansas City | 46.7 |
| 2 | San Diego | 12.1 |
| 3 | Hartford | 11.7 |
| 4 | New York | 11.5 |
| 5 | Sacramento | 11.3 |
| 6 | Nashville | 11.2 |
| 7 | Denver | 10.9 |
| 8 | Baltimore | 10.7 |
| 9 | Cincinnati | 10.7 |
| 10 | San Francisco | 10.4 |
Note: 44 markets currently available
Monday Night Football Week 9: Chicago Bears at Pittsburgh Steelers
Monday Night Football showcases the Pittsburgh Steelers looking to extend their three-game winning streak when they host rookie quarterback Justin Fields and the Chicago Bears (Nov. 8, 8 p.m. on ESPN).
Fields will be making the first primetime start of his NFL career, while Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger makes his 23rd Monday night appearance.
Steve Levy, Brian Griese, Louis Riddick, Lisa Salters and John Parry will be at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
NFL Content on ESPN+
This week’s NFL Turning Point, which premieres on ESPN+ each Wednesday and breaks down pivotal moments from NFL Sundays that define the outcome of each game, features:
- New Orleans Saints win over Tampa Bay Buccaneers: P.J. Williams spoils Tom Brady’s comeback attempt with late pick 6.
- Tennessee Titans win over Indianapolis Colts: Kevin Byard’s overtime interception, after being called for a 42-yard pass interference penalty to allow Colts to tie the game late in the fourth quarter.
- Dallas Cowboys over Minnesota Vikings: Cooper to Cooper comeback with the crazy catch as the turning point.
In addition to NFL Turning Point, ESPN+ also offers weekly episodes of NFL PrimeTime and The Fantasy Show.
