NFL Week 7 Overnights: Cross-Flex Delivers Again For CBS

Pats-Bears, which aired in 69% of markets on CBS, helped the net to an uptick for its regional windowGETTY IMAGES

NFL ratings rose again in Week 7, with the four traditional windows on CBS (x2), Fox and NBC drawing a combined 45.3 overnight rating, up 4% from the same week last year. Sunday overnights across the three nets have now been up year-over-year in all seven weeks of the season. Sunday’s total rating also does not include the 4.4 overnight that CBS drew yesterday from 9:30am-12:30pm ET for Titans-Chargers from London. CBS led all windows yesterday with a 14.4 overnight in the national window, in which the net aired Cowboys-Redskins as part of the NFL's cross-flex rules. It was the first time CBS aired a Cowboys-Redskins regular-season game since ’93. The 14.4 is CBS’ best figure for the ’18 NFL season to date and was up 14% from a window that featured Bengals-Steelers last season. Cowboys-Redskins peaked at a 16.6 rating from 7:00-7:30pm. CBS also benefited from the close Patriots-Bears game in the regional window (69% of markets). That helped CBS to a 12% lift in that window. Meanwhile, NBC drew an 11.0 overnight for the Chiefs’ 45-10 win over the Bengals last night, marking the largest scoring margin for “SNF” in three years. That rating was down 13% from Falcons-Patriots in Week 7 last year, which was a Super Bowl rematch and saw the second half almost completely shot from SkyCam due to fog in Foxboro. Despite the drop, Bengals-Chiefs was still the No. 1 show in primetime last night. K.C. led all markets with a 47.9 local rating, while Cincinnati was second at a 28.1. Fox saw a 7% ratings increase for its singleheader yesterday. New Orleans was top market in that window with a 43.3 local rating for Saints-Ravens, followed by a 34.7 in Minneapolis-St. Paul for Vikings-Jets (Austin Karp, THE DAILY).

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HEAD FIRST: In Dallas, Brad Townsend noted CBS' Tony Romo yesterday interjected a "stunningly quick and profound diagnosis" when it came to a "scary hit" on Cowboys QB Dak Prescott in the first quarter against the Redskins. Romo: "Oh, that's a concussion. Helmet, yeah, he's going to be done." He "blurted football's dreaded C-word in real time," and Romo's diagnoses had "every appearance of being correct." Prescott "clearly was woozy as he climbed to his feet." While CBS cameras "showed a dazed Prescott on the bench, Romo predicted Prescott soon would go into concussion protocol." However, Prescott returned to the field for the Cowboys' next series, although CBS cameras caught him "taking a whiff of smelling salts as he trotted onto the field" (DALLASNEWS.com, 10/21).

KNOWING THE SCORE: In DC, Des Bieler writes audiences "don’t know if Al Michaels actually bet the over" for Bengals-Chiefs last night, but it "sure as heck sounded like he did -- and was not at all pleased to have lost his wager." Michaels is "well known for his on-air gambling references and he was at it again late in the fourth quarter." The "over/under figure for the game had settled at 56.5," and when the Chiefs failed to score a TD while driving late, "frustrated gamblers watching at home knew that Michaels felt their pain." Michaels "tsked, drew his breath in between his teeth and offered another 'hunh'" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 10/22).

RULES TO LIVE BY: THE ATHLETIC's Richard Deitsch notes CBS NFL rules analyst Gene Steratore did "quality work" on Titans QB Marcus Mariota’s shoulder being down "just short of the goal line with 25 seconds left in the Titans-Chargers game." Steratore "explained to the audience in a clear and concise manner why he thought" Mariota's TD would be overturned, and he "bailed out his announcers too." Steratore also "could not have done that without the terrific shots by CBS’s cameras which clearly showed Mariota’s shoulder was down on the half-yard line." Deitsch: "Terrific sequence" (THEATHLETIC.com, 10/22).

PERFECT STORM: A bevy of sports competition and a lopsided score for Broncos-Cardinals on Thursday led to the least-watched NFL primetime game on record for broadcast TV. Fox and NFL Net combined for 9.1 million viewers for the Broncos' 45-10 win, well below the previous low for broadcast TV, which was the Seahawks-Buccaneers “SNF” matchup on NBC in ’08. That game in ‘08 aired opposite Rays-Red Sox ALCS game 7 on TBS. “TNF” had stiff competition on Thursday night, which included “Big Bang Theory” on CBS, an NBA doubleheader on TNT that included LeBron James’ debut with the Lakers and the clinching Red Sox-Astros ALCS Game 5 on TBS. Despite the blowout, “TNF” was still the best audience figure among those sports telecasts (Karp).

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