Colts have played in the NFL's primetime slots on Sunday and Monday nights just seven times since '16Getty Images
The Colts have not appeared on primetime TV as much in recent years compared to the Peyton Manning era, and it "makes little to no sense" given their 7-3 record this season, according to Joel Erickson of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. The Colts on Sunday "knocked off the Packers in an entertaining, non-stop action flick of a 34-31 overtime win, a game that reportedly drew 23.9 million viewers, making it the second most-watched game of the NFL season so far." The Packers are a "time-tested national draw" and the game "also had little competition in the late afternoon slot." But it is a "mistake to say the Colts deserve no credit for Sunday's ratings bonanza." The Colts have played in the NFL's primetime slots on Sunday night and Monday night "just seven times since 2016, ranking the Colts just 20th in the NFL over that time period." Of the 27 primetime games the Colts have played since '12, 20 "have been on the road." Only seven "have happened at Lucas Oil Stadium, a fact that frustrates" Colts Owner Jim Irsay "to no end." The Colts might not play in a major media market, but the Manning era "produced Colts fans across the country." The Colts "were pedestrian" in '19, finishing 7-9 after the sudden retirement of QB Andrew Luck. But even with Luck, the Colts "were frequently short-changed in the prime time scheduling department" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 11/25).
ATTRACTING EYEBALLS: In K.C., Blair Kerkhoff notes the Chiefs' 35-31 victory over the Raiders on "Sunday Night Football" was the "most watched prime-time show since the NFL Kickoff Game" between the Texans and Chiefs. Average viewership for Chiefs-Raiders was 20.2 million "across all NBC and NFL platforms." In K.C., the game "turned in a 50.0 rating." The only "SNF" game with a higher rating in K.C. was a '13 game against the Broncos, which had a 51.5 local rating (K.C. STAR, 11/25).
