The Dallas Cowboys are always a draw, even against poor competition.
The Cowboys’ victory over the winless Bengals drew a 14.0/27 overnight rating on CBS Sunday, up 32% from a 10.6/21 for Chargers/Broncos last year. The 14.0 overnight is the fifth highest of the season for an NFL telecast.
Through their first five games, the Dallas Cowboys account for the largest ratings of the season on FOX, NBC and ESPN, and four of the five largest overnights of the season.
The early game on CBS drew an 8.9/19 overnight, up 5% from an 8.5 for comparable coverage in ’07. Overall, CBS averaged an 11.5 overnight for its NFL doubleheader, up 20% from a 9.6 for the doubleheader on the comparable date last year.
While CBS saw gains on Sunday, FOX and NBC both had declining ratings for their NFL coverage.
FOX drew a 9.9/21 overnight for its single game coverage on Sunday, down only 3% from a 10.2/21 in ’07. Meanwhile, NBC drew a 10.2/16 for the Steelers/Jaguars Sunday Night Football game, down 16% from a 12.2/20 for Bears/Packers last year.
Largest overnights for NFL games this season.
15.3: Washington/Cowboys (Sun., 9/28, 4:15 PM FOX)
15.2: Patriots/Jets (Sun., 9/14, 4:15 PM CBS)
14.4: Cowboys/Packers (Sun., 9/21, 8:30 PM NBC)
14.3: Cowboys/Browns (Sun., 9/7, 4:15 PM FOX)
14.0: Bengals/Cowboys (Sun., 10/5, 4:15 PM CBS)
