If “anyone is boycotting the NFL over recent controversies enveloping the league, they must not be living in central Indiana,” as the local TV audience for the Colts’ three games to date is “running very near to what it was over the first three games” in ’13, according to Anthony Schoettle of the INDIANAPOLIS BUSINESS JOURNAL. Colts-Jaguars in Week 3 drew a 33.0 local rating in Indianapolis as part of CBS’ early regionalized window, which was below the 37.0 rating for Colts-49ers in Week 3 last year. But the team saw gains in the first two weeks. Eagles-Colts drew a 35.9 local rating on ESPN’s “MNF” in Week 2, up from a 35.0 rating for Dolphins-Colts as part of CBS’ 1:00pm ET window last year. Week 1 saw Colts-Broncos draw a 38.1 local rating on the opening NBC “SNF” telecast of ’14, up from a 36.7 rating for Raiders-Colts in CBS’ 1:00pm window last year (IBJ.com 9/23). In Jacksonville, Vito Stellino reported there was "one bright spot" for Colts-Jaguars last Sunday, as the audience "bumped up" to an 18.6 local rating in Jacksonville during the second half when Jaguars QB Blake Bortles came into the game. The complete game drew a 16.1 local rating. It will be "interesting to see what the ratings will be Sunday” when Bortles makes his starting debut against the Chargers. Jaguars-Eagles earned a 22.9 local rating on CBS for the team’s season opener (JACKSONVILLE.com, 9/24).
THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: Raiders-Patriots earned a 33.0 local rating in Boston on Sunday and was the most-watched program of the week in the market. The game marked the Patriots’ best game rating for the ’14 season to date and was the second-best Week 3 audience in franchise history -- behind only a Ravens-Patriots “SNF” game in '12 (Patriots). The Cardinals' first three games in '14 have averaged a 25.2 local rating in Phoenix, up 12% from the same period last year (Cardinals).
SUPER MEN: CBS finished with a 15.8 national rating and 27.3 million viewers for its NFL national window at 4:25pm ET on Sunday, which featured the overtime matchup between the Broncos and Seahawks. That telecast, which bled nearly an hour into primetime, marks the most-viewed NFL window for the ’14 season to date on any network. The comparable Week 3 national window on CBS last year, with Colts-49ers featured, drew a 15.5 rating and 25.6 million viewers (CBS).
