Patriots-Broncos Divisional Playoff Duel Sets Ratings Record

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Jan 18, 2012

The matchup between the New England Patriots and the Denver Broncos was the hot ticket last Saturday night as the game was one of the most-watched divisional round games in NFL history.

The Tom BradyTim Tebow duel averaged 34.2 million viewers, making it the most watched Saturday late divisional round playoff game of all-time.

The game only trailed the 1994 matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Raiders for the best rating for a Saturday divisional playoff game, and came in second for the highest-rated prime time divisional game behind the Green Bay Packers-New York Giants came last Sunday.

Locally, the game registered a 44.4 rating in the Boston designated market area, which was the third-highest rating for a divisional round game in Patriots history. The 45-10 victory only trailed last year’s loss to the New York Jets (47.87) and the upset victory over the San Diego Chargers in 2007 (44.90).

Many predicted that the Patriots-Broncos matchup would achieve record ratings on Saturday night. With Tebowmania in full force, the hype going into to the game was substantial.

The game did not achieve the highs that some predicted, with several factors running against it. Saturday night is normally lean on TV viewers, and with the game being well out of reach by the end of the first half, many viewers tuned out by the time the third quarter began.

The record breaking Giants-Packers matchup ended up averaging over 45 million viewers during its run on Fox Sunday evening.

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