N OT even John Madden or a Bon Jovi Times Square concert could stop “Monday Night Football” from bleeding ratings.

For the seventh year in a row, ratings for the first official “MNF” game of the season are down from the year before.

The New England Patriots’ 30-14 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers Monday on ABC was watched by an average of 19.1 total viewers and scored a rating of about 12.8.

That’s almost 4 percent fewer viewers than a year ago, when the Denver Broncos beat the New York Giants in front of an average TV audience of 19.8 million.

The news wasn’t all bad for ABC – “MNF” was up 14 percent over last year in adults 18-34 years old, and was up about 25 percent with men 18-34.

Viewership peaked Monday night just before halftime with a 14.6 rating from 10 to 10:30 p.m., when the Patriots held a 10-7 lead. But the final 16 minutes of the telecast saw the ratings drop to 8.8.

Last Thursday, the NFL spent millions to take over Times Square for a pre-season kickoff party – featuring singer Jon Bon Jovi – which drew crowds equivalent in size to New Year’s Eve.

NFL execs hoped that the party, which snarled midtown traffic, would boost awareness of the season opener.