Fox drew a 15.3 overnight for the Seahawks' win over the Cowboys in the national windowGETTY IMAGES
The NFL saw overnight ratings increase by 1% in Week 3 compared to the same week last year. Fox had the national window yesterday, drawing a 15.3 overnight for Cowboys-Seahawks in 85% of markets. Last year, CBS had the Week 3 national window, drawing a 13.8 for Bengals-Packers. Meanwhile, NBC last night drew a 13.6 overnight for the Lions’ win over the Patriots, marking the best Week 3 “SNF” telecast since ’15. That figure is up 17% from an 11.6 for Raiders-Redskins last year. The rating also gave NBC another primetime win among all networks. CBS also drew an 8.3 overnight for its singleheader yesterday, with no one game dominating coverage. Season to date now for all game coverage, CBS is averaging a 10.5 overnight, up from a 10.4 through Week 3 last year (Austin Karp, Assistant Managing Editor).
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NFL WEEK 3 SUNDAY OVERNIGHT RATINGS
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NET
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'18 GAME
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RAT.
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'17 NET
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'17 GAME
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RAT.
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CBS
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(single)
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8.3
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Fox
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(single)
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10.3
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Fox
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(regional)
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9.0
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CBS
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(regional)
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10.0
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Fox
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Cowboys-Seahawks (85%)
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15.3
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CBS
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Bengals-Packers (80%)
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13.8
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NBC
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Raiders-Redskins
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13.6
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NBC
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Raiders-Redskins
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11.6
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GUESS WHO'S BACK: THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch notes Fox' Sara Walsh worked her "first on-air assignment" since Jan. 22, 2017 when she was a sideline reporter for Saints-Falcons on Fox. She said of the experience, "It was better than I could have imagined. The amount of support I received in terms of people reaching out to say how happy they were to see me back completely blows my mind." She added, "It felt like I had never left. It felt completely comfortable being out there. A lot of the credit for that goes to the Fox crew, who went out of their way to make it feel like I've been a part of their family all along" (THEATHLETIC.com, 9/24).
MELLOWING WITH AGE? In Minneapolis, Michael Rand noted Jets RB Isaiah Crowell somehow "managed to avoid the ire" of announcer Joe Buck with his TD celebration in the Jets' loss to the Browns Thursday night. Buck was "none too impressed" in '04, when then-Vikings WR Randy Moss "celebrated a TD at Lambeau Field with his 'fake moon.'" Buck called Moss' celebration a "disgusting act." Crowell scored and then "used the ball as a prop while mimicking the act of wiping one's own behind before firing the ball into the stands," to which Buck said, "That will draw a flag every time." Rand wrote maybe it was the "decreased magnitude of the game" that brought out the "muted response." Or maybe Buck has "mellowed in the 14 years since Moss" (STARTRIBUNE.com, 9/21).
PONY EXCESS: Pro Football HOFer Eric Dickerson said he is "not worried" that his stance against the NFL and the HOF "could impact his job with Fox. He said, "You heard me say it before: I’m loyal. I’m loyal to this fight, and if they do that, then we know why." AWFUL ANNOUNCING's Andrew Bucholtz wrote that is a "bold stance from Dickerson, and it will be interesting to see if anyone at Fox or the NFL is concerned about it." While the league "undoubtedly isn’t happy to hear about this, trying to push for punishment here would likely lead to even worse publicity for them, especially if their connection to it came out" (AWFULANNOUNCING.com, 9/21).
