For a preseason game, Monday’s Cleveland-Washington preseason game drew a lot of attention — and viewers.
But it wasn’t the most viewed NFL exhibition contest in ESPN’s history.
According to ESPN’s Bill Hofheimer, Cleveland-Washington drew a 4.8 overnight rating, the second-highest rating ever for an NFL preseason game on the network.
So which ESPN exhibition game outdrew Johnny Manziel’s second-ever preseason game?
As it turns out, Brett Favre’s second-ever game with Minnesota garners the award. According to Hofheimer, the 2009 Minnesota-Houston exhibition got a 5.5 overnight rating.
From a ratings standpoint, advantage, Favre.
But from a memorability standpoint? Advantage, Johnny Football.