Three of the four NFL Wild Card games saw their ratings decline from last year, though none of the declines were major.
The four NFL Wild Card games averaged a 17.0 rating on NBC, CBS and FOX, down 1% from a 17.2 average for last year’s Wild Card games. The highest rated game of the weekend was Titans/Chargers, which drew an 18.6 rating in the 4:30 PM Sunday timeslot on CBS — down 9% from a 20.4 for Giants/Eagles in the same timeslot last year.
NBC averaged a 16.1 overnight for its Wild Card Saturday doubleheader, up 4% from a 15.5 last year. Most of the increase can be attributed to the Washington/Seahawks game, the only Wild Card game to see increased ratings from last year. NBC drew a 15.4 overnight for the Seahawks’ victory, up 12% from a 13.8 for the comparable Chiefs/Colts game last year.
The second half of the NBC doubleheader, Jaguars/Steelers, drew a 16.7 rating in prime time, off 3% from ’07. The game drew 22.5 million viewers in prime time, according to preliminary numbers, beating the competing New Hampshire Presidential Debates on ABC by 162%.
Of the three games that drew declining ratings, Giants/Buccaneers saw the smallest drop. FOX drew a 17.1 overnight for the Giants’ victory, down only 2% from a 17.3 for Jets/Patriots in ’07. The Giants’ win sets up the first postseason meeting between the Giants and Cowboys — which could give FOX huge ratings next Sunday.
Wild Card overnights.
15.4: Washington/Seahawks (1/5/08, 4:30 PM NBC)
16.7: Jaguars/Steelers (1/5/08, 8 PM NBC)
17.1: Giants/Buccaneers (1/6/08, 1 PM FOX)
18.6: Titans/Chargers (1/6/08, 4:30 PM CBS)
