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Pat McAfee MNF alt-cast struggled in its debut
Pat McAfee’s first Monday Night Football alt-cast premiered this week, and the viewership has proven to be dismal.
According to reports, “Field Pass With The Pat McAfee Show” drew 351,000 viewers on ESPN2 for Monday’s Commanders-49ers game.
According to The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand, “that is around half of what the Mannings have received. The ManningCast pulled 705,000 viewers in Week 1 and 661,000 in Week 2.
Pat McAfee’s debut “Field Pass” alt-cast for Monday Night Football drew 351,000 viewers on ESPN2 for Commanders-49ers
According to Marchand, ESPN declined to confirm McAfee’s numbers, “which is not common practice.” The network’s release did include the game’s overall viewership: 17.9 million across ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, NFL Network and ESPN Deportes.
Pat McAfee’s first MNF alt-cast had 351K viewers, according to a source.
That is around half of what the Mannings have received.
ESPN declined to confirm the McAfee numbers, which is not common practice.
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) October 21, 2026
ESPN’s Next Gen Stats alt-cast, “Playbook,” on NFL Network drew 469,000 viewers, which was also more than McAfee’s show.
McAfee leads Field Pass from behind an end zone with Dan Orlovsky and Darius Butler, per Sports Video Group. ESPN has announced more Field Pass games, including November 9 (Bills at Vikings), November 30, December 14, and December 28. McAfee’s show is also set to appear on the Super Bowl LXI alt-cast lineup.
McAfee’s Monday Night Football Field Pass broadcast marks another way in which ESPN is featuring the former Indianapolis Colts punter, who is now featured on the network’s airwaves six out of the week’s seven days.