Viewership increased for all three primetime NFL windows last week.
Last week’s edition of NFL Sunday Night Football (Bears-Packers) averaged a 10.2 rating and 18.56 million viewers on NBC, marking the highest rated and most-watched Sunday night game since Tom Brady’s return to New England in Week 4 (Buccaneers-Patriots: 14.6, 26.75M).
The Packers’ win, which increased 6% in ratings and 9% in viewership from last year (Steelers-Bills: 9.6, 17.05M), ranks as the most-watched Week 14 edition of SNF since 2018 (Rams-Bears: 11.2, 19.39M).
Including additional streaming data not tracked by Nielsen, the game averaged 19.4 million and SNF is now averaging 19.2 million — up 11% from last year.
Shifting to Monday Night Football, Rams-Cardinals drew an 8.4 and 15.90 million across ESPN and ABC — marking the largest Monday night audience since Ravens-Raiders in Week 1. Not coincidentally, that game was also simulcast on ABC (8.7, 16.97M).
The Rams’ win ranks as the most-watched Week 14 edition of MNF since 2013 (Cowboys-Bears: 16.19M), with the caveat that previous games aired on ESPN alone. Ratings increased 14% and viewership 28% from last year’s solo ESPN broadcast of Ravens-Browns (7.4, 12.42M).
MNF is now averaging 13.39 million viewers for the season, up 11% from last year and up 6% from 2019.
Rounding out the primetime slate in Week 14, last week’s Steelers-Vikings Thursday Night Football game averaged an 8.0 and 14.04 million on FOX and NFL Network — down a tick in ratings but up 3% in viewership from Patriots-Rams last year (8.1, 13.64M). Compared to Cowboys-Bears in 2019, ratings fell 26% (from 10.8) and viewership 24% (from 18.00M).
Shifting to the afternoon windows, CBS averaged an 11.6 and 21.42 million for its late doubleheader window (mostly Bills-Buccaneers) — down 5% in both measures from last year (mostly Steelers-Eagles: 12.3, 22.52M) and down 28% and 24% respectively from 2019 (mostly Chiefs-Patriots: 16.1, 28.11M).
Despite featuring two overtime thrillers, the late window was the lowest rated in Week 14 of the season since at least 2000 and the least-watched in a decade (2011: 20.79M).
The first half of the doubleheader (mostly Raiders-Chiefs) chipped in a 7.0 (flat) and 12.16 million (-1%).
Over on FOX, singleheader coverage featuring Dallas-Washington in most markets averaged an 8.2 and 15.70 million — down 11% in ratings and 2% in viewership from last year (9.2, 16.01M) and down 21% and 12% respectively from 2019 (mostly 49ers-Saints: 10.4, 17.76M).
NFL games were averaging 16.8 million viewers across TV and digital platforms through Week 14, up 7% from last year. For a full list of 2021 NFL ratings, see this page.
[Nielsen estimates from ShowBuzz Daily 12.14, network PR]
