Two heavily hyped games between undefeated teams have vaulted CBS into rare territory.
Just weeks after Patriots/Cowboys drew an 18.0 rating with 29 million viewers, the Sunday afternoon battle between the Patriots and Colts drew a 20.1 rating with 34 million viewers — making the game the highest rated regular season NFL telecast in eleven years.
The 20.1 rating for Patriots/Colts marks a 53% improvement over the 13.1 rating for Broncos/Steelers on the comparable week last year. The game is the highest rated NFL regular season game since Cowboys/49ers drew a 20.2 in 1996.
Excluding other NFL games and the Olympics, Patriots/Colts was the third-highest rated sporting event of the decade. Only twice since 2000 has a non-Olympic, non-NFL sporting event drawn a 20 rating: the 2006 Rose Bowl (which drew a 21.7 rating) and Game 7 of the 2001 World Series (which drew a 23.5 rating).
10 highest rated sporting events of the decade.
(excluding Olympics and postseason NFL games)
23.5: 2001 World Series, Game 7 (11/4/01, FOX)
21.7: 2006 Rose Bowl (1/3/06, ABC)
20.1: 2007 NFL: Patriots/Colts (11/4/07, CBS)
19.4: 2004 ALCS, Game 7 (10/20/04, FOX)
18.2: 2004 World Series, Game 4 (10/27/04, FOX)
18.0: 2007 NFL: Patriots/Cowboys (10/14/07, CBS)
17.9: 2002 World Series, Game 7 (10/27/02, FOX)
17.8: 2006 NFL: Cowboys/Giants (12/3/06, FOX)
17.8: 2001 Orange Bowl (1/3/01, ABC)
17.5: 2000 Sugar Bowl (1/4/00, ABC)
