With the Cowboys and Eagles battling for control of the NFC East, NBC earned strong numbers for Sunday Night Football.
The Week 15 Cowboys/Eagles Sunday Night Football game drew a 14.9 overnight rating on NBC, up 37% from Bengals/Steelers last year (10.9) but down 2% from 49ers/Patriots in 2012 (15.2). The 14.9 is the highest for an NFL telecast on NBC since Colts/Broncos in Week 1 (15.1) and the network’s third-highest of the season.
The 37% increase is also easily the largest of the season on NBC. The previous high was an 11% bump for Packers/Saints in Week 8.
Despite the strong numbers, Cowboys/Eagles was the fifteenth-straight NFL telecast on NBC to fall below a 15.0 overnight. Only two telecasts this season have topped the 15.0 mark, compared to five at the comparable point last year and four in 2012.
The Cowboys led at one point 21-0 en route to an 11-point win. Though the game was not akin to the blowouts that marked the early season schedule, it may be the case that a closer start would have resulted in slightly better numbers.
Locally, the game drew a 39.2 rating in Dallas — the market’s highest for SNF in three years. Philadelphia ranked second with a 33.3, with San Antonio (27.3), Austin (20.8) and Norfolk (20.5) rounding out the top five, reports Sports Media Watch.