The Chicago Bears wilted under the bright prime-time lights in Hollywood on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football,” and with their flaws exposed against the Los Angeles Rams, they saw both their record and their local TV ratings sink.
Carried on both ABC-7 and ESPN, the Bears’ 24-10 road loss to the Rams averaged a combined 26.9 household TV rating in the Chicago market, according to Nielsen estimates.
That’s 26.9% of area homes with televisions, or more than 933,000 households, a decline of nearly 70,000 homes from the Bears’ Week 6 victory over the Carolina Panthers.
That Sunday afternoon game on Fox-32 averaged a season-high 28.9 household rating in the Chicago area, the Bears’ best rating since September 2019 and a full two points higher than Monday’s game.
The vast majority of viewers in the Bears TV market watched on over-the-air ABC-7, which averaged a 19.2 household rating between 7:15 and 10:30 p.m., rather than cable’s ESPN, which averaged a 7.5.
Ratings peaked about the time it became clear the Bears offense was sputtering with a combined 30.4 rating between 8:15 and 8:30.
Nationally, the game attracted an average of 10.5 million viewers, despite the Rams leading late by as many as 21 points.
Chicago was the highest-rated market by a wide margin. Next-highest were San Diego (12.0) and Milwaukee (10.7). Los Angeles, which like Chicago had the game available via cable and broadcast outlets, managed only a 10.6 rating.
This story has been changed to account for revised figures and national ratings.