The instant classic on Monday night between the Bills and the Rams nevertheless failed to cross the threshold of 20 million viewers on the various Disney networks.
Via ESPN, the final game of Week 5, broadcast by ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes and NFL Network, generated 19.8 million viewers.
This is the second most-watched Monday night game in Week 5 since ESPN picked up the package in 2026; Last year’s Chiefs-Jaguars game holds the Week 5 record.
ESPN also announced that alternate broadcasts on ESPN2 (the ManningCast) and NFL Network (a NextGen Stats production) attracted 1.1 million viewers, without specifying the audiences on either network.
This approach could be a precursor to Pat McAfee’s upcoming alternate castings on ESPN2; If the audiences of ESPN2 and NFL Network are combined, there will be no clear and concrete comparison between the ManningCast and the McAfeeFest.
In the end, none of the primetime games in Week 5 topped 20 million. Bills-Rams was arguably the best candidate to make it happen, given the Super Bowl preview associated with the game and the involvement of the last two NFL MVPs (Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford).
Gn sports
