ESPN drew a 7.6 overnight rating for the Lions' 30-17 win over the Packers last night, marking the net's lowest Week 9 "MNF" rating since Ravens-Steelers drew a 7.2 in '07. Lions-Packers is down 3% from a 7.8 last year for Bills-Seahawks in Week 9, and that game aired on the eve of the Presidential election. Last night's game peaked at an 8.6 rating from 9:15-9:30pm ET. Milwaukee led all markets with a 37.6 local rating (10.8 on ESPN, 26.8 on WISN-ABC), while Detroit ranked No. 2 with a 25.0 rating (9.3 on ESPN, 15.7 on WXYZ-ABC). Rounding out the top five markets were Minneapolis-St. Paul (13.6), New Orleans (11.9) and San Diego (10.2). Despite the drop last night, ESPN is still up 3% for the season, averaging a 7.7 overnight through Week 9 compared to a 7.5 last year (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
SHOOTING STARS: In Dallas, Barry Horn notes CBS' Chiefs-Cowboys in the Sunday afternoon national window drew a 31.4 local rating in the Dallas-Ft. Worth market, marking the "second-best hometown rating for a Cowboys game" in '17. Only the season-opening "SNF" game against the Giants "scored higher, at a 36.5." Still, the local rating "paled in comparison" to the 42.4 rating that the K.C. market drew (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/7).
FISH OUT OF WATER: In Miami, Barry Jackson notes the Dolphins are in the "midst of three consecutive prime time games for the first time in their history." But the Dolphins "continue to disappoint when given a national stage." Since the start of '15, the Dolphins are 1-8 in "games televised to the entire country." The team "hasn’t exactly been a huge national draw this season." Raiders-Dolphins on NBC's "SNF" in Week 9 won the night, but also was the lowest rating for a Week 9 "SNF" game since NBC acquired the package in '06. Miami-Ft. Lauderdale drew a "disappointing" 13.6 local rating for the game, "curiously behind cities including New Orleans, Buffalo and Richmond." In Week 8, the audience for the Ravens' 40-0 win against the Dolphins was the "lowest for a CBS Thursday night game this season" (MIAMI HERALD, 11/7).
OLD FRIENDS: Cowboys TE Jason Witten said that he "enjoyed the Cowboys' production meeting with CBS," where he "had the chance to talk football" with his former teammate, Tony Romo. In Dallas, Jori Epstein notes Witten also "realized something else about his longtime peer." Witten: "I can tell the camaraderie he has with ... the CBS group." Witten said that he "enjoyed narrating the Cowboys' tribute video to Romo that the team played before the game." When he "learned after the game some of Romo's compliments -- on his leverage and blocking, for example -- during the broadcast, Witten smiled." Witten: "I appreciate Tony recognizing that" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/7).
THEIR TRUE CALLING: THE ATHLETIC's Phil Taylor wrote Romo and Fox' Alex Rodriguez have "begun a second act that appears to suit them even better than their first." Taylor: "No one could have guessed that two such different men from different sports would both move into the broadcast booth and find such immediate satisfaction." It just "might be their true calling." Romo and Rodriguez, both "targets of more than their share of criticism, even mockery, as players, have been almost universally praised in their new careers with the microphone." With his well-received work during the World Series telecasts, Rodriguez has "emerged as the clear star of the baseball studio show on Fox." Romo has been "an even bigger revelation." He is "gifted in his ability to give his audience an Xs and Os view of the game" through a QB’s eyes while "invigorating the telecasts with a clearly natural joy and enthusiasm" (THEATHLETIC.com, 11/6).
