Published October 16, 2026 11:01 PM
The Monday night instant classic between the Bills and the Rams nevertheless failed to crack the 20 million viewer threshold 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.
It’s the second most-watched Week 5 Monday night game since ESPN assumed the package in 2026; last year’s Chiefs-Jaguars game holds the Week 5 record.
ESPN also announced that the 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.
That approach could be a precursor to the upcoming Pat McAfee alt casts on ESPN2; if ESPN2 and NFL Network audiences are lumped together, there won’t be a clear, apples-to-apples comparison between the ManningCast and the McAfeeFest.
In the end, none of the Week 5 prime-time games surpassed 20 million. Bills-Rams arguably was the best candidate to get there, given the Super Bowl preview sizzle associated with the game, and the involvement of the last two NFL MVPs (Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford).