Saints-Panthers game scores second-highest “MNF” ratings of season - NOLA.com

For the New Orleans Saints, the 12-9 victory on Monday night (Dec. 17) over the Carolina Panthers was the textbook definition of an ugly win. For ESPN, on the other hand, the NFC South donnybrook was anything but ugly from a ratings standpoint.

In fact, it earned the second highest overnight ratings -- a 9.1, according to Nielsen -- of any "Monday Night Football" game this season. The Chiefs-Rams shootout on Nov. 19 was the only "MNF" game to earn higher ratings so far this season, drawing an 11.3.

Ratings for the Saints-Panthers game also represented a 40 percent increase over ratings of the game from the same weekend a year ago. That game, between two other NFC South teams -- the Atlanta Falcons and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- earned a 6.5 rating.

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The Saints-Panthers game earned its highest ratings in New Orleans, where it aired on both ESPN and WDSU for a combined 59.8 rating in the market. That means 59.8 percent of households in the market were tuned in to the game.

In Charlotte, where the game aired on ESPN and local station WJZY, the game earned a combined 26.4 rating.

The 10 metered markets where the game earned the highest ratings are as follows, per Nielsen:

1. New Orleans: 59.8 rating
2. Charlotte: 26.4 rating
3. Greensboro, North Carolina: 16.9 rating
4. Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina: 13.3 rating
5. Norfolk, Virginia: 12.7 rating
6. Kansas City: 12.3 rating
7. San Diego: 11.9 rating
8. Seattle-Tacoma: 11.9 rating
9. Richmond-Petersburg: 11.6 rating
10. Washington, D.C.: 11.5 rating

In addition, ESPN's post-game edition of "SportsCenter" earned its highest rating for a postgame "SportsCenter" all season, with a 3.1 overnight rating.

While Monday night's game saw Saints offense struggling to build momentum for the three straight week, the defense rose to the occasion, stifling the Panthers for a key late-season win.

With the victory, the Saints' record on the season rises to an NFL best 12-2. With two games left in the regular season, it also puts the black-and-gold one win away from locking up home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The Saints have already locked up their second consecutive NFC South championship.

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