The hype surrounding Peyton Manning‘s touchdown record could not match the hype for his return to Indianapolis a year earlier.
The Week 7 49ers/Broncos Sunday Night Football game drew a 14.8 overnight rating on NBC, down 15% from Broncos/Colts last year (17.3) but up 26% from Steelers/Bengals in 2012 (11.7). Broncos QB Peyton Manning broke the NFL’s all-time touchdown record Sunday night, but last year’s game had a much more enticing storyline — his return to Indianapolis for the first time as an opponent.
Even so, the touchdown record was a sufficient enough draw to make up for the lopsided nature of the game. Sunday’s 14.8 overnight ranks as the third-highest of the season on NBC (eight telecasts), trailing only the Packers/Seahawks NFL Kickoff Game (16.8) and Colts/Broncos in Week 1 (15.1), reports Sports Media Watch.
The overnight peaked at a 17.0 from 9:30-10 PM ET, as Manning broke the record.
Denver was the top market for the Broncos’ 25-point win, with a 47.1 rating. Sacramento (26.8) and the Bay Area (26.1) ranked second and third, with Las Vegas (20.5) and Phoenix (20.4) rounding out the top five.