Big ratings for Packers-Vikings

Brett Favre’s matchup with his former team has attracted the largest cable television audience ever.

His Minnesota Vikings’ 30-23 win over the Green Bay Packers on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football� was watched by more than 21.8 million people. The previous record was more than 18.6 million viewers for last year’s Monday night game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys.

Crabtree close?

Three top San Francisco 49ers executives have met with unsigned wide receiver Michael Crabtree and his agent, Eugene Parker.

Team spokesman Bob Lange confirmed the Tuesday meeting to the Associated Press but said the 49ers would not get into particulars of discussions or negotiations.

The former Texas Tech star is the only first-round draft pick who has yet to sign.

Polamalu braced

Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu is expected to practice on a limited basis today for the first time since tearing the medial collateral ligament in his left knee Sept. 10 against Tennessee.

Polamalu, who has been out three games, will wear a brace. He must show that he can stop and start and change directions before he plays again.

Cable watch

Commissioner Roger Goodell said the league is watching as authorities investigate allegations that Oakland Raiders Coach Tom Cable assaulted one of his assistants.

The district attorney’s office in Napa County, Calif., said this week that it is reviewing the police report from the investigation. Raiders defensive assistant Randy Hanson was hospitalized with a broken bone in his face after an Aug. 5 attack.

Cable denied the allegations in August. On Monday, he said he would not comment on the most recent reports, saying he’ll let the legal process play out.

Help for Zorn

Their offense languishing, unable to make much headway even against the NFL’s worst defenses, the Washington Redskins called in some help for Coach Jim Zorn.

The Redskins hired longtime NFL assistant Sherman Lewis as an offensive consultant, offering a “fresh set of eyes� to a team that ranks 27th in the league in scoring.

Around the league

Conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh said he is teaming up with St. Louis Blues owner Dave Checketts in a bid to buy the St. Louis Rams, owners of the NFL’s longest losing streak at 14 and 5-31 since 2007. . . . The Dallas Cowboys’ practice facility collapsed last May in winds it should have been able to withstand, according to a draft report released Tuesday by a federal agency that investigated the accident that injured a dozen people. The National Institute of Standards and Technology said the steel and fabric building fell during a May 2 thunderstorm in the Dallas suburb of Irving during winds of 55 mph to 65 mph, far less than the 90 mph wind speed specified by engineering standards for that location. . . . Cornerback Will Billingsley, who is on the Miami Dolphins’ practice squad, has been arrested after a domestic incident in South Florida. Billingsley was released from Broward County jail on $4,000 bond Tuesday. He faces charges of battery and resisting an officer without violence.