The Baltimore Ravens may have taken their time getting into the game against the Houston Texans last night on Monday Night Football, but they were able to come out of it with a 23-16 victory, which keeps the Super Bowl XLVII champs on track for their first playoff appearance in three years, according to Deadline. But the win was a dark one for ESPN and the NFL when the ratings for Monday Night Football hit a season low.
This low rating will most likely add to President Donald Trump’s tweet this morning:
At least 24 players kneeling this weekend at NFL stadiums that are now having a very hard time filling up. The American public is fed up with the disrespect the NFL is paying to our Country, our Flag and our National Anthem. Weak and out of control!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 28, 2017
There were plenty of empty seats at M&T Bank Stadium, which might have been a warning sign for the first post-Thanksgiving Monday Night Football after another controversial weekend. No player from either team protested during the anthem last night, which shows how worried the league and the networks are that politics have contributed to the massive ratings decline this season, reports Deadline. There are other options, of course, neither team has a big national following, and injuries have affected their ranks.
But whatever the reason, Monday Night Football was down 17 percent from the Nov. 20 game that saw the Atlanta Falcons beat the Seattle Seahawks. It also dipped two percent from the previous season low of the Oct. 16 matchup between the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts, according to Deadline.
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