The ratings for the NFL “Thursday Night Football” hit a new low last night, dropping 15 percent in early numbers over last week’s game, Deadline reported.
Whether it was because of the total blowout by the Baltimore Ravens over the Miami Dolphins 40-0 or the ongoing controversy over national anthem protests, the game scored a 8.4/14 in metered market results.(RELATED: NFL Popularity Plummets In New Poll, Especially Among Republicans)
BALTIMORE, MD – OCTOBER 26: Members of the Baltimore Ravens and the Miami Dolphins pray together after the Ravens 40-0 win over the Miami Dolphins at M&T Bank Stadium on October 26, 2017 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Before the game, all the players from the Dolphins and Ravens stood for the national anthem, except for a few who stayed back in the locker room to protest.
Last Thursday night’s nail-bitter between the Oakland Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs ended up with 14.38 million viewers and a 4.5/17 rating.
The “TNF” was the last one this season to air both on CBS and the NFL Network. Next week the game can only be seen on the NFL Network. The remainder of the Thursday games will air on NBC and the NFL Network.
According to Sports Illustrated, 25 of the 31 teams are drawing lower local numbers in their market than they did in 2016. Nineteen have dropped five percent or more, with only three teams slightly improving by three percent.