NFL Week 8 Overnights: "SNF" Lowest Since '11 With Blowout, World Series Competition

NBC posted its lowest NFL regular-season overnight rating in two years for the Packers' 44-31 win over the Vikings on "SNF" last night. The game, which was NBC's lowest since Colts-Saints in Week 8 of '11, had competition from Fox' World Series Game 4. NBC is reporting the rating for the game at 10.3 overnight for the period 8:31-11:06pm ET. The full-game overnight, going until the game ended at 11:25pm, came in at a 9.9 rating. The Colts-Saints game in '11 had competition from Cardinals-Rangers World Series Game 4, as well as the absence of QB Peyton Manning. Last night’s game also is down 10% from Saints-Broncos in Week 8 last year, which had competition from the series-clinching Giants-Tigers Game 4. Packers-Vikings drew a 48.2 local rating in Milwaukee and a 41.8 rating in Minneapolis-St. Paul. The top five markets were rounded out by New Orleans (16.7), Las Vegas (14.8) and Richmond (13.4). Meanwhile, Fox led all Sunday NFL ratings with a 17.5 overnight for its national window featuring Redskins-Broncos. That figure is down from an 18.8 rating for Giants-Cowboys last season. Both games led into World Series Game 4. Fox' early regional window earned a 10.9 overnight, down 2% (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).

UNNECESSARY ELEMENTS: In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes the number of hours networks "devote to NFL pregame shows has increased dramatically, adding to the amount of time afforded a lame tradition -- analysts picking games." NFL execs have "no use for these 'pick' segments." In their "world no one actually places bets on football games," which is "why these prediction segments have been sanitized." Raissman notes ESPN "Sunday NFL Countdown" analyst Keyshawn Johnson picked the Jets to beat the Bengals, but the Jets lost 49-9. Fellow analyst Cris Carter said, “He is making sure he gets access (to the players and coaches) in case the Jets continue a good run when he goes to New York. He’s setting up the Jets.” Johnson "didn't disagree" with Carter's theory (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/28).

LACKING ANY BITE: With the winless Jaguars playing the 49ers yesterday in London, some of the NFL pregame shows had some fun at Jacksonville's expense. NFL Network's Rich Eisen said, "Yes, we export winless teams to London. That’s how we roll in the National Football League and America.” He added, "Somebody is going to have to explain to the Londoners why some of us Americans call them the Jaguars” (“NFL GameDay Morning,” NFL Network, 10/27). NBC's Dan Patrick, while introducing highlights of the game, said, "We begin … at London's Wembley Stadium for the first of four games over the next four years for the Jacksonville Jaguars. And London, we apologize" ("Football Night In America," NBC, 10/27). Meanwhile, ESPN's Chris Berman referenced the Vikings-Steelers game in London earlier this season, where neither team had a win beforehand, and said, "The locals finally get to see an American football team that has actually won a game” ("Sunday NFL Countdown," ESPN, 10/27).