NFL Week 3 Overnights: CBS Tops With 14.9; "SNF" Wins Big Over "Primetime Emmys"

CBS earned a 14.9 overnight Nielsen rating for the NFL national window yesterday, which featured Texans-Broncos in 64% of markets. That figure is down 6% from a 15.8 overnight for the Fox’ national window in Week 3 last year, which featured Packers-Bears in 81% of markets. CBS did earn an 11.4 overnight for regional coverage in the early window, up 20% from the comparable window last year. Meanwhile, last night’s Patriots-Ravens “SNF” earned a 14.3 overnight, up 8% from a 13.2 rating for Steelers-Colts in Week 3 last year. The 14.3 overnight also marks the NBC’s second-best “SNF” Week 3 overnight ever and the second best NFL Week 3 primetime rating in 15 years. The game peaked at a 15.5 rating from 9:30-10:00pm ET. Patriots-Ravens also won NBC the night among all nets despite competition from the “Primetime Emmys” on ABC (9.6 overnight). Baltimore topped all markets for “SNF” with a 38.3 local rating, while Boston earned a 37.1 rating (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).

SWEET CAROLINA: NFL Network's Giants-Panthers "Thursday Night Football" broadcast averaged 7 million viewers, ranking as the net's fifth-best audience since it began airing regular-season games seven seasons ago (NFL). In N.Y., Bob Raissman wrote NFL Network analyst Mike Mayock "must have been getting paid by the word" during the telecast. Mayock "just keeps on talking," and he "can't close his yap" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 9/23). 

JOINED IN PROGRESS: In San Antonio, Jerry Garcia reports the decision made by KENS-CBS to join yesterday's Texans-Broncos game "42 minutes after it began was made by CBS and not by the local affiliate." KENS showed the overtime finish of Chiefs-Saints, and "when that game ended, viewers were switched" to Jets-Dolphins, which also ended in overtime. When KENS joined Texans-Broncos, the Texans led 14-5 "with 10:42 remaining in the second quarter." CBS Sports Exec Communications Dir Jerry Caraccioli said, "Because San Antonio was not a secondary market, it was not required to join the game at the start. We took our audience to the more compelling games" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 9/24).

DREADED GLITCH AWARD: PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Michael David Smith writes DirecTV during yesterday's Lions-Titans game "sent some viewers to commercial at the worst possible time." Just as Lions WR Titus Young was "catching the deflected pass and falling into the end zone, the game went to a commercial for some viewers who were watching the game on DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket feed." DirecTV PR Dir Robert Mercer said, “I don’t have all the details, but it was our error. We sincerely apologize to you and all the viewers who missed the TD." Smith writes, "This isn’t the first time a game has mistakenly been taken to a commercial break while live game action was going on, but this is about the worst possible time it could have happened" (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 9/24).

ZEBRA WATCH: In Dallas, Barry Horn writes the replacement refs in yesterday's Buccaneers-Cowboys game "took heat" from Fox' Troy Aikman and Joe Buck "throughout" the telecast. Additionally, Fox showed Cowboys WR Kevin Ogletree "slipping on a cap haphazardly thrown by an official in the end zone just before halftime." Fox studio analyst Howie Long said during the halftime show, "Not only do you have to beat the defensive back, you have to beat foreign objects in the end zone" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 9/24). NBC's Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth also criticized the referees during the Patriots-Ravens game last night.

WHAT'S UP, DOC? USA TODAY's Michael Hiestand writes CBS' addition of physician Neal ElAttrache to its NFL studio show is "promising." Using a model of ankle bones, ElAttrache yesterday talked about "the lower ligaments of the outer bones of the ankle to the keystone bone of the ankle," as well as the fibula and tibia. ElAttrache in an interview said that there is "at least one topic he won't discuss -- his treatment of specific players." He added, "I take care [of] a lot of these players. I wouldn't be able to go into a specific athlete's treatment or prognosis. I don't want them, or any players coming to me, to think of me as a 'media doctor'" (USA TODAY, 9/24).