NFL Week 14 ratings predictions and more, including the Heisman Trophy Presentation and MLS Cup.
Last week’s results at bottom of page. All times Eastern.
NFL: Mostly Eagles-Rams (4:25 PM Sun FOX)
The NFL had enough confidence in Sunday’s Eagles-Rams matchup to flex Cowboys-Giants to 1 PM. On paper, it was a sensible move. A pair of big market teams at the top of the NFC — each led by a young star quarterback — would ordinarily deliver strong numbers. In this particular season, however, nothing is a sure thing. It has been a whopping nine weeks since the NFL national window cracked a 13.0 rating, a number that would have been considered ‘middling’ in previous seasons. This week’s game seems unlikely to break that streak. Even if it does, ratings should still fall from last year’s 14.4 for coverage featuring Seahawks-Packers. Prediction: 12.7.
NFL: Mostly Cowboys-Giants (1 PM Sun FOX)
Usually one of the NFL’s marquee matchups, Cowboys-Giants airs in the 1 PM ET window for the first time since 2005, per Pro Football Reference. One could argue that is because of New York’s poor season, but there are ratings considerations as well. With FOX already having a marquee game in the late window (Eagles-Rams), flexing Cowboys-Giants allowed the network to strengthen its early game — which otherwise would have featured the Bears, Buccaneers, 49ers or Browns. The high water mark for the early doubleheader game this season is a mediocre 8.4. Last year’s comparable window had a 7.5. Prediction: 9.3.
NFL: Ravens-Steelers (8:30 PM Sun NBC)
NBC’s Sunday Night Football has posted an increase in ratings for three straight weeks, with each game managing at least an 11.0 rating. Normally that would not be headline news, but this is not a normal season. At least one of those streaks will end this week — there is no NFL matchup in 2017 that could match last year’s 14.9 rating for Cowboys-Giants. Even so, expect a solid (by 2017 standards) number. Ravens-Steelers looks a lot stronger now than three weeks ago, when Baltimore was under .500. Prediction: 10.5.
CFB: Army-Navy (3 PM Sat CBS)
There are few events in sports that have followed the trajectory of the Army-Navy game. Since moving to the week after college football’s conference championship games in 2009, ratings have increased in all-but-one year — rising almost exponentially from a 2.0 in 2008 to a 5.0 last year. In the past four years alone, ratings have increased nearly 30 percent. Eventually, there will be no more room to grow. Perhaps that will be the case this year, but the safe prediction is another increase. Prediction: 5.2.
Heisman Trophy Presentation (8 PM Sat ESPN)
When Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy in 2012, the ceremony had a 3.1 rating — trailing only 2009 as the highest ever. Ratings have declined each successive year, bottoming out at last year’s 1.6, the lowest since 2001. Can this year’s crop of candidates reverse the declining trend? Probably not. Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield is the overwhelming favorite, but neither he nor the Sooners have made much of a dent on the ratings this year. Last year’s winner Lamar Jackson is back, but if last year is any indication, he will not move the needle either. At best, expect ratings to pull even with last year. Prediction: 1.5.
Top Rank Boxing (9 PM Sat ESPN)
In a shift, ESPN will air live sports after the Heisman presentation instead of a 30 For 30 premiere. Top Rank Boxing has gotten some prime timeslots on ESPN this year, most recently after an Alabama football thriller last month. That telecast had a 0.9 rating, less than what ESPN could expect for a West Coast football game in that timeslot, but pretty good for boxing on cable. Expect similar results this week. Ratings should fall from last year’s 1.3 for the Catholics vs. Convicts documentary, but do well by boxing standards. Prediction: 1.0.
MLS Cup: Toronto-Seattle (4 PM Sat ESPN)
Airing in primetime on broadcast television for the first time ever, the MLS Cup tied its highest rating since 2001 last year – a 0.8. That was despite the presence of a Canadian team, usually a drag on U.S. TV ratings. This year’s final features the same Toronto-Seattle matchup, but this time in the afternoon on cable. Ratings will surely drop from last year, but expect an increase over the last time ESPN carried the event in 2015 (0.4). That year, coverage aired opposite NFL games. Saturday’s game faces Army-Navy and not much else. Prediction: 0.6.
Last Week’s Results
— SEC Championship: UGA-Auburn. Prediction: 7.3; result: 8.0
— Big Ten Championship: Ohio State-Wisconsin. Prediction: 5.6; result: 7.3
— ACC Championship: Clemson-Miami. Prediction: 4.8; result: 3.2
— Big 12 Championship: Oklahoma-TCU. Prediction: 3.8; result: 3.8
— NFL: Eagles-Seahawks. Prediction: 11.2; result: 11.3
— NFL: Mostly Panthers-Saints. Prediction: 12.2; result: 12.0
— Golf: World Challenge. Predictions: 1.8 and 1.6; results: 1.3 and 1.2
