CBS and NFL Network combined for an 8.5 overnight rating for the Falcons' blowout win over the Buccaneers on Thursday night, down sharply from a 13.7 rating for last week's Steelers-Ravens "TNF" opener. CBS drew a 6.8 overnight for its telecast, while NFL Net drew a 1.7 overnight. The 56-14 score was the biggest point differential ever for a game aired on NFL Net. Despite the lopsided score early in the game -- it was 21-0 at the end of the first quarter and 35-0 at halftime -- the telecast led CBS to a win in primetime. The telecast peaked early in the game during the 9:00-9:30pm ET window with a 10.0 combined rating. During primetime on Thursday (8:00-11:00pm), the game drew a combined 8.4 overnight, which was 17% higher than the combined primetime rating for NBC, ABC and Fox. Last year, NFL Net's Week 2 Thursday night telecast of Chiefs-Eagles drew a 6.8 overnight rating. Thursday night's game drew a combined 19.9 local rating in Atlanta and a 12.7 rating in Tampa-St. Petersburg. Bucs-Falcons also rated higher than the 2.3 overnight that ESPN drew for Auburn-Kansas State on Thursday night (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
TAKING ON THE ISSUE: The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER's Aaron Couch noted "TNF" addressed domestic violence during its broadcast for the "second week in a row." Analyst Bill Cowher said that he thought "most in the NFL were upset by the damage recent domestic violence scandals were inflicting on the league's image." Meanwhile, Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith "condemned domestic violence in a prerecorded interview broadcast during the pregame show." Unlike last week, the pregame show "didn't dedicate its entire broadcast to the issue of domestic violence, instead spending about 15 minutes on the subject" (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 9/18). In N.Y., Bob Raissman writes if media members are "so outraged, stop covering the damn games." Raissman: "If what’s happening bothers all these columnists and commentators, then boycott the press box. Stay out of the TV and radio booths, too. If you’re so angry, so concerned, take a stand." But that "will never happen" and is a "line the media won't ever dare cross" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/19).
THE MARSHALL PLAN: In Chicago, Ed Sherman notes the latest installment of NFL Network's "A Football Life" looks at Bears WR Brandon Marshall's "turbulent career and his battle to overcome borderline personality disorder." The documentary, which airs Friday at 9:00pm ET, "doesn't use the term 'domestic violence,'" but does acknowledge Marshall's "troubled past." By contrast, the two-year-old "E:60" profile, which re-aired Tuesday on ESPN2, "concentrated heavily on Marshall's previous issues with domestic violence." Marshall is among "only a handful of active players to be featured on 'A Football Life.'" Show producer Shannon Furman: "We normally don't do current players. ... But he's so fascinating. We realized there's so much more than just 10 minutes" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/19).
