BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) – ESPN’s telecast of the New York Giants’ 36-22 win over the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night was viewed by the largest audience in cable history.

The network announced Tuesday that the game, featuring two of the NFL’s biggest rivals, was seen in an average of 11,807,000 homes, based on a 12.8 rating. That translates to 16,028,000 viewers.

The previous record for cable television was the debate over NAFTA in November 1993, between then-vice president Al Gore and Ross Perot.

This has been a big season for ESPN and “Monday Night Football.” The return of football to New Orleans on Sept. 25, when the Saints topped Atlanta, drew the third-biggest cable audience, while Chicago’s shocking 24-23 victory over Arizona last Monday is fourth.

A cable ratings point represents 923,000 households.