With the Patriots missing Tom Brady and the Cardinals never a big draw, the 11th season of Sunday Night Football got off to a slower start.
The Week 1 Patriots/Cardinals Sunday Night Football game scored a 14.8 overnight rating on NBC, down 11% from Giants/Cowboys last year (16.7), down 2% from Colts/Broncos in 2014 (15.1) and the lowest rated SNF opener in the metered markets since Packers/Bears in 2009 (13.4).
NBC hit multi-year lows for both of its Week 1 telecasts, as Thursday’s Kickoff Game posted its lowest overnight since 2013.
Though low overall, Sunday’s 14.8 overnight is the highest yet for a regular season Cardinals game on NBC (since the network resumed airing NFL games in 2006).
Boston led all markets with a 37.6 rating, down just 5% from the Patriots’ opener in last year’s Kickoff Game (39.5). Phoenix ranked second with a 30.4, followed by Providence (27.7), Denver (22.3) and New Orleans (18.4).
(Sun. numbers from NBC Sports)
