Ratings predictions for an NFL-dominated weekend. Can Patriots-Steelers match last year’s high bar?
All times Eastern; last week’s results at the bottom of the page.
NFL: Patriots-Steelers (4:25p Sun CBS)
Only one NFL regular season game in the past two years has cracked a 15.0 rating. That was last year’s Week 15 Patriots-Steelers game, a thrilling and controversial matchup of the AFC’s top two teams. It will be hard for this year’s game to measure up, either on the field or in the ratings. Pittsburgh is a middling 7-5-1 and New England has not been as dominant as usual this season. Even if the game is another classic, a ratings decline seems likely. Given last year’s high bar, the numbers should still rank near the top of the season. Prediction: 13.9.
NFL: Eagles-Rams (8:20p Sun NBC)
Eagles-Rams was one of last year’s highest rated NFL games, but do not expect a repeat this time around. The defending Super Bowl champion Eagles are just 6-7 and again missing quarterback Carson Wentz. While the game still has playoff implications for the Rams, Sunday’s game should have a hard time matching last year’s 11.1 for Cowboys-Raiders. Prediction: 10.3.
NFL: Mostly Cowboys-Colts or Seahawks-49ers (1 or 4:05p Sun FOX)
The surging Cowboys highlight Sunday’s NFL singleheader on FOX. Nearly half of the country will get either Dallas against a playoff contending Colts team, with an additional 11 percent receiving Packers-Bears. Expect a strong rating. The current season-high for the singleheader is a 10.3. Last year’s comparable window had a 10.6. Prediction: 10.8.
NFL: Browns-Broncos (8:20p Sat NFLN)
Capping the first of two Saturday doubleheaders on NFL Network, the Browns face the Broncos in a matchup of sub-.500 teams. While both Cleveland and Denver are technically in the playoff race, it would be overly generous to even call them dark horses. Still, Cleveland’s return to basic competence has been one of the NFL’s biggest stories this season – which could be enough to keep ratings close to last year’s 4.0 for Chargers-Chiefs. Prediction: 3.8.
New Orleans Bowl: Middle Tennessee-App State (9p Sat ESPN)
With the exception of the Las Vegas Bowl, which gets over-the-air exposure on ABC, the first week of the college football bowl season is a reliably weak draw. The first set of bowls usually features unranked group of five teams that rarely make national television during the regular season. With all of that said, expect low numbers for Saturday’s New Orleans Bowl, which has had a 0.9 rating in three straight years. Prediction: 0.8.
NCAA Women’s Volleyball National Championship (9p Sat ESPN2)
Ratings for the NCAA women’s volleyball championship soared 57 percent last year, hitting a 0.52. Can this year’s game keep pace? Prediction: 0.45.
Last week’s results
— NFL: Mostly Eagles-Cowboys. Prediction: 14.0; result: 14.2
— NFL: Rams-Bears. Prediction: 12.0; result: 11.2
— CFB: Army-Navy. Prediction: 5.5; result: 5.0
— Heisman Trophy Presentation. Prediction: 1.7; result: 1.8
— MLS Cup: Portland-Atlanta. Prediction: 0.9; result: 0.9
