Los Angeles Rams’ ‘Monday Night Football’ Debut Gets Sacked in Ratings

The Los Angeles Rams not only lost their first “Monday Night Football” game of the season on the field but they were also defeated in the ratings.

The former St. Louis-based team got shut out by the San Francisco 49ers 28-0 in the second “MNF” game of the season. In doing so, they drew only a 7.1 rating in metered households according to Nielsen estimates. That is down 25 percent from the second “MNF” game last year.

In addition, Los Angeles fans got beaten by San Francisco in terms of viewership. The game drew a 16.1 rating in L.A., versus a 23.7 rating in San Francisco.

To be fair, the game had several things working against it. The fact that it was a blowout and the second game of a double-header — meaning it didn’t start until after 10 p.m. on the East Coast — most definitely took a bite out of the ratings.

But, on the other hand, this was the Rams’ first regular-season game since moving back to L.A., so one would think there would be a healthy dose of curiosity for football fans.

Not to mention all the attention that San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick has drawn in recent weeks after refusing to stand for the national anthem in protest of the treatment of black people in America.

The first game of the night, which saw Pittsburgh topple Washington, drew a 9.1 rating. In Pittsburgh, the game pulled in a staggering 41.5 rating, while in Washington, it drew a 25.0 rating.