The Cowboys may be out of playoff contention, but they can still pull in a strong audience.
Sunday night’s Eagles/Cowboys game earned a 16.5 overnight rating on NBC Sunday night, up 20% from Week 14 last year (PHI/NYG: 13.8), and up 77% from Week 14 in 2008 (BAL/WSH: 9.3).
The 16.5 overnight is the second-highest for an NFL telecast on NBC since the network resumed airing games in 2006, behind only this year’s NFL Kickoff Game (MIN/NO: 17.7).
Additionally, the 16.5 is tied as the highest overnight for any Sunday or Monday night NFL telecast since 1998. Of course, this excludes the Thursday night Kickoff Games.
Six of the nine highest NFL overnights on NBC since 2006 have taken place this season alone, including five of the top six.
It should be pointed out that the NFL national window has topped a 16.5 overnight on ten separate occasions this season, illustrating the gap between the national window and Sunday Night Football.
Sunday marked the thirteenth time in fourteen weeks this season that the national window has topped SNF in the overnights.
The Eagles’ win drew a 38.4 rating in Philadelphia and a 38.0 in Dallas. San Antonio (27.3), Norfolk, VA (25.1), Richmond, VA (24.2) and New Orleans (24.2) rounded out the top five.
* In Monday’s press release, NBC said the September 12 Cowboys/Washington game drew a 16.4 overnight rating. However, the network’s September 13 press release on that game had it drawing a 16.6 overnight.
(NBC press release from TV By The Numbers)
