Although the game may have been over by the time many of them turned on their TV sets, 16.5 million fans tuned in for Monday night’s AFC East “showdown” between the Jets and Patriots.  According to a press release posted on TV by the Numbers, the 45-3 Patriots victory was the fourth most-watched MNF game this season and brought the broadcast’s 13-week average to 14.4 million viewers.

Despite the romp Nielsen reports that ESPN’s MNF scored an 11.6 household coverage rating (10.0 U.S. rating) and became the 10th highest-viewed cable program of all-time.  As one would expect, the Patriots scoring frenzy notched a solid 12.7 rating in Boston.  The Jets debacle earned a 10.8 rating in New York, a surprisingly high number which begs the question: are Jets fans masochists or is Monday night programming really that bad?

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.

The scoreboard wasn’t the only thing that the Giants and Cowboys lit up as their week eight Monday night shootout earned its place in history as the fourth most-watched cable program ever.  According to a press release posted on TV by the Numbers, football fans in nearly 13 million U.S. homes tuned into ESPN for last night’s NFC East grudge match.  The game, which scored an 11.2 national HH rating, surpassed ESPN’s week three MNF showdown between the Packers and Bears to become cable’s highest viewed show of 2010.

Not to anyone’s surprise, last night’s game topped all other Monday night shows in major male demographics.  Through the season’s first seven weeks, ESPN’s eight MNF games are averaging a 10.9 HH rating nationwide.  This number marks a small improvement over the 2009 season.

New Career Opportunities Daily: The best jobs in media.