The Eagles' 34-7 win over Dallas proved to be must-see TV on Sunday night as it generated a 14.7 overnight rating to earn the top spot among all TV programming, according to a press release sent out Monday morning by NBC. In fact, the game was the third-highest rated Sunday Night Football game of the 2011 season.
Due to the snowstorm in Philadelphia on Saturday, the Nielsen overnight ratings were not available for the Eagles' home market. However, Philadelphia has averaged a 32.7 rating and 46 share in eight Sunday Night Football games over the past three seasons. In last year's Eagles-Cowboys game in Week 14, the Philadelphia market averaged a 38.4 rating and a 51 share.
NBC also noted that the viewership for the Eagles-Cowboys game was 25 percent higher than the Week 8 game in 2010 which was the Steelers against the Saints. The ratings remained high despite the fact that the Eagles led 34-0 in the fourth quarter before giving up a late touchdown.
Sunday Night Football has been the most-watched primetime show in 35 out of 36 occasions dating back to Week 7 of the 2009 season (32 Sundays, two Thursdays and the infamous Tuesday night game last season).
Also excluded from the overnight ratings were the New York, Boston and Hartford markets due to the snowstorm.
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