Pat McAfee’s Monday Night Football alt-cast keeps running into the same problem: the audience just isn’t showing up.
ESPN’s latest Week 9 numbers are in, and McAfee’s alternate broadcast for Bills-Vikings drew 406,000 viewers, according to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic. That wasn’t enough to top the NFL Network’s Next Gen Stats feed, which pulled 499,000 viewers for the same game.
That result gives Next Gen Stats a 2-0 edge over McAfee’s ESPN2 show this season. In their earlier Week 6 matchup, the NFL Network broadcast had 469,000 viewers, while McAfee’s alt-cast settled for 351,000.
The gap stings even more because ESPN2 reaches roughly 70 million homes, while the NFL Network’s total reach is 50 million. On paper, McAfee had the bigger platform. The numbers say otherwise.
The main Monday Night Football telecast, meanwhile, was a monster success, averaging 21.7 million viewers across all platforms.
McAfee’s broadcast also got a jolt from an unexpected guest: Tony Romo. The former CBS analyst appeared on the ESPN-affiliated alt-cast after his departure from CBS Sports, which became official on October 2, a month after he pleaded no contest to charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated.
McAfee introduced Romo as their “quarterback expert,” and Romo kicked things off by saying he’s “doing good” before offering his thoughts on the Bills-Vikings game.
The cameo set off plenty of chatter online, with fans speculating that ESPN was “soft-launching” him for a possible future move to the network.
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Still, there is enough here to make Buffalo fans a little uneasy. The Jets bring a young roster built around three first-round picks, and the game could hinge on details like red zone execution and whether James Cook can help tilt the matchup in Buffalos favor. The bigger concern may be up front, where injury issues on the Bills offensive line could test a group that cannot afford to lose much stability in a division game. [Read more 🡒]
Bills Suddenly Have A Jets Concern Fans Can't Ignore
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Vikings Loss To Bills Came With One Awkward Sideshow Too
The Bills Week 9 win over the Vikings had plenty of football to chew on, but one odd visual from the afternoon drew its own share of attention. James Cooks pants picked up a yellowish stain that viewers quickly noticed, and the running back pushed back on the idea that it was the result of an accident, even as Buffalo kept leaning on him throughout the game.
Cook still turned in a workmanlike performance, finishing with 107 yards and a touchdown on 31 carries as the Bills handled Minnesota. The game also came at a notable moment for the Vikings, who moved quickly afterward to trade for quarterback Kirk Cousins, adding another layer to a strange day that had football and a little unintended theater all wrapped together. [Read more 🡒]