Bengals-Steelers Sees Huge Ratings Increase on Monday Night Football
CINCINNATI — The Bengals shocked the football world on Monday night by upsetting the Steelers 27-17 at Paul Brown Stadium.
Cincinnati never trailed, despite being 14-point underdogs.
Only 10,249 people were in attendance due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but millions of people across the country were watching the game.
ESPN announced that the ratings for the Bengals' upset victory were 15% higher in year-over-year audience gains.
Over 12.7 million viewers watched the game. It was the second highest audience in the previous 12 weeks, only trailing the Bills matchup with the 49ers, which aired nationally on ESPN and ABC.
The audience grew in the second half, as the Bengals' chances for an upset continued to rise. ESPN averaged 13.4 million viewers or more from 10:15 p.m. through the end of the game.
The fantasy football playoffs might've had an impact, but the Bengals' performance in front of a national audience shouldn't be dismissed.
They've struggled in primetime games, but that wasn't the case on Monday night. They looked comfortable, even when the Steelers made their run in the third quarter.
Most people expected Monday's game to be a blowout. Cincinnati had other plans.
Their upset win was the most-watched Bengals Monday Night Football game since 2015 when they started the season 8-0.
It's only one game and Cincinnati is just 3-10-1 on the year, but a win over the Steelers was long overdue. Pittsburgh had won 11-straight matchups in the series before Monday night.
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