Texans-Cowboys delivers 17 million viewers

Monday night's lopsided game between the Texans and Cowboys nevertheless lit up the ratings.

According to ESPN, the ABC/ESPN/ESPN2 multicast racked up an audience of 17 million viewers, on average. The Texans won the game, 34-10.

The placement of the game on ABC surely pumped up the numbers. Still, given that the Texans had been lackluster in a pair of prime-time games and the Cowboys have played poorly for most of the year (especially at home), an audience that big for a game that lacked sizzle says something.

ESPN didn't provide a specific number for the ManningCast. That's a trend that began earlier this year. When ESPN thinks the number for the Peyton and Eli show is good, it's disclosed. When ESPN thinks it's not, it isn't.

Next Monday, the numbers should be much better. On the Monday night before Thanksgiving, the Chargers host the Ravens in the first Harbaugh bowl since Super Bowl XLVII.