With networks slowly rolling out fall premieres, viewership on many cable programs were down for the week ending Sunday, Sept. 21. Those dips, while minor, allowed ESPN to rise to the top of the cable heap for the week, airing the most watched program and topping the network charts as well.

Overall the sports network averaged 2.82 million viewers per night in primetime, far in front of second place Disney Channel's 2.17 million. TNT took third with 2.14 million viewers, while HBO, suffering from a week without "Sex and the City," dropped to 2.07 million and fourth. USA was fifth with 1.91 million viewers.

The week's most watched program was the Sunday night battle between the Bills and the Dolphins. The ESPN game drew 10.53 million viewers, more than twice the number who watched the week's second most popular program, "NFL Primetime," also on ESPN. The strength of the Sunday football also carried the night's edition of "SportsCenter" to the No. 8 position with 3.53 million viewers.

The semi-sport of professional wrestling also proved popular as the WWE Entertainment double bill on Spike TV averaged 4.68 million viewers to take the No. 3 spot for the week.

The No. 4 position went to the first of three listworthy episodes of "SpongeBob SquarePants" on Nickelodeon, drawing 3.84 million kids, parents and hallucinating college students. The least watched of the episodes came in at No. 13 with just over three million viewers. Two episodes of "Fairly Odd Parents" were also in the Top 15, peaking at No. 11 with 3.27 million viewers.

TNT placed two episodes of "Law & Order" on the list. The most watched drew 3.74 million at No. 5, while the second was close behind at No. 6 with 3.6 million viewers.

Three networks had single programs in the Top 15. FX placed "Nip/Tuck" at No. 9 with 3.52 million viewers. "Trading Spaces" came in at No. 10 with 3.48 million TLC fans. On Lifetime, the Sunday movie was No. 14 with 2.91 million.

Over on premium cable, the list was all about HBO. A screening of "The Tuxedo" lead the way as 3.83 million viewers did their own stunts and watched. In its second week, "Carnivale" dropped to 3.49 million viewers, but still took second place. The controversial fight between Oscar De La Hoya and Shane Mosley took the fourth and fifth slots on the list, averaging around 3.15 million, just behind a repeat of "The Sopranos."