The Arizona Cardinals are unlikely participants in two of the three highest rated NFL games this season.
The Cardinals’ loss to the defending Super Bowl champion Giants on Sunday drew a 14.5/27 final rating and 23.3 million viewers on FOX Sunday, up 6% and 7%, respectively, from a 13.7 and 21.9 million for the comparable Broncos/Bears game on CBS in ’07.
The 14.5 rating is the third-highest of the season, behind only a 15.3 for Patriots/Jets in September and a 14.7 for the Cardinals’ win over the Cowboys in October.
So far this season, the late afternoon NFL window is averaging a 13.6 rating on FOX and CBS, down 3% from a 14.0 through the same point in ’07. On FOX in particular, late afternoon telecasts are averaging a 13.9 rating, up 1% from a 13.8 last year.
Ratings for late window NFL games.
13.0: Cowboys/Browns (Sun., 9/7, 4:15 PM FOX); down 4% from ’07.
15.3: Patriots/Jets (Sun., 9/14, 4:15 PM CBS); up 42% from ’07.
12.0: Steelers/Eagles (Sun., 9/21, 4:15 PM CBS); up 7% from ’07.
13.0: Washington/Cowboys (Sun., 9/28, 4:15 PM FOX); up 7% from ’07.
12.6: Bengals/Cowboys (Sun., 10/5, 4:15 PM CBS); up 32% from ’07.
14.7: Cowboys/Cardinals (Sun., 10/12, 4:15 PM FOX); down 18% from ’07.
14.2: Colts/Packers (Sun., 10/19, 4:15 PM CBS); down 4% from ’07.
13.8: Giants/Steelers (Sun., 10/26, 4:15 PM FOX); up 5% from ’07.
14.3: Cowboys/Giants (Sun., 11/2, 4:15 PM FOX); down 29% from ’07.
13.6: Colts/Steelers (Sun., 11/9, 4:15 PM CBS); down 13% from ’07.
12.1: Chargers/Steelers (Sun., 11/16, 4:15 PM CBS); down 19% from ’07.
14.5: Giants/Cardinals (Sun., 11/23, 4:15 PM FOX); up 6% from ’07.
