Even though the Cowboys and Giants each carried records of 8-7 into Sunday night’s game at MetLife Stadium, it presented a playoff-style win-and-in proposition for both teams -- and as a result it racked up a huge rating.
According to NBC Sports P.R., more than 27.6 million tuned in for the game, making it the most-watched regular-season prime-time game in 15 years. It also was the highest-rated prime-time NFL game on NBC ever, and the final numbers make Sunday Night Football the No. 1 show on TV.
Of the 18 games televised by NBC, 13 enjoyed audiences of 20 million or more.
With Sunday Night Football remaining on broadcast TV until at least 2022, look for those numbers to continue to grow.
The season continues with Bengals-Texans on Saturday afternoon (4:30 p.m. ET) and Lions-Saints on Saturday night (8:00 p.m. ET). Three weeks later comes the Pro Bowl, followed by a little something known as the Super Bowl, on February 5.