The hype surrounding Peyton Manning‘s touchdown record could not match the hype for his return to Indianapolis a year earlier.
The Week 7 49ers/Broncos Sunday Night Football game drew a 14.8 overnight rating on NBC, down 15% from Broncos/Colts last year (17.3) but up 26% from Steelers/Bengals in 2012 (11.7). Broncos QB Peyton Manning broke the NFL’s all-time touchdown record Sunday night, but last year’s game had a much more enticing storyline — his return to Indianapolis for the first time as an opponent.
Even so, the touchdown record was a sufficient enough draw to make up for the lopsided nature of the game. Sunday’s 14.8 overnight ranks as the third-highest of the season on NBC (eight telecasts), trailing only the Packers/Seahawks NFL Kickoff Game (16.8) and Colts/Broncos in Week 1 (15.1).
The overnight peaked at a 17.0 from 9:30-10 PM ET, as Manning broke the record.
Denver was the top market for the Broncos’ 25-point win, with a 47.1 rating. Sacramento (26.8) and the Bay Area (26.1) ranked second and third, with Las Vegas (20.5) and Phoenix (20.4) rounding out the top five.
(Sun. numbers from NBC via The Futon Critic)
