Report: Cardinals-Chargers Viewership Was Major Letdown

The NFL messed up by putting the matchup behind a paywall.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon speaks with the referees during their 17-15 win over the Los Angeles Chargers at State Farm Stadium in Glendale on Oct. 21, 2024. / Joe Rondone/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

ARIZONA -- When fans found out the Arizona Cardinals would be playing on Monday Night Football ahead of the 2024 season, there was genuine excitement in the Valley.

The Cardinals didn't find themselves in prime time at all through 2023, and though this season provided just one guaranteed slot, Arizona fans and players were excited to play under the lights and watchful eye of the nation.

Yet the Cardinals hosting the Los Angeles Chargers at State Farm Stadium was the second part of ESPN's doubleheader in Week 7, playing second fiddle to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Baltimore Ravens kicking off 45 minutes prior to their matchup.

The kicker? Chargers-Cardinals was only available on ESPN+ - the game wasn't truly nationally televised.

The numbers showed.

From Pro Football Talk:

"The staggered doubleheader featuring one game on broadcast and cable and the other on the ESPN+ service resulted in, not surprisingly, less than stellar audience numbers for the game that was streamed, between the Chargers and the Cardinals," wrote Mike Florio.

"ESPN didn’t mention the audience numbers in the press release for the Week 7 Monday night games, and for good reason. Per a source with knowledge of the data, the game attracted an audience of 1.8 million.

"And that includes those who watched via over-the-air channels in the local markets of Phoenix and Los Angeles.

"Nowadays, 1.8 million isn’t a bad number for a sporting event. It’s an awful number for an NFL game. And that’s why ESPN didn’t mention the audience numbers for Chargers-Cardinals."

Those numbers are indeed awful, especially when you consider the league averaged 17.4 million viewers for Monday Night Football games last season per Statista.

Perhaps putting the game as part two of a doubleheader and behind a paywall wasn't the best move.

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