The gridiron battle between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Denver Broncos on looks like it was a blowout in more ways than one.
Over on TNF, the Chiefs crushed the struggling Colorado team 30 – 6, the victory did not take the spoils when it came to Patrick Mahomes. The Chiefs’ QB suffered a right knee injury in the second quarter of the FOX broadcast that could see him out for several weeks according to team doctors.
Not that the superstar player didn’t keep cheering his teammates and thanking the fans from off the field:
Awesome team win! Love my brothers! Thank you for all the prayers! Everything looking good so far! #GodisGood #ChiefsKingdom
— Patrick Mahomes II (@PatrickMahomes) October 18, 2019
In a very different manner, Fox took a hit too, when it comes to the ratings. After three weeks of solid results, the Murdoch-owned network’s flagship NFL show succumbed to the gravity of decline that many believed pro-football was proving immune to this season.
Snagging a 3.0/14 among adults 18-49 and a touch over 10 million viewers in the fast affiliates, Thursday Night Football took a double-digits tackle from last week. Down 19% in the key demo and 20% in total audience from the New England Patriots demolition of the New York Giants on October 10, last night’s TNF is a season low.
Once the numbers were adjusted in the final ratings, last week’s Fox broadcast game went on to earn a 4.8/23 among the 18-49 and 16 million viewers. This week’s game will see some movement but from where it stands now and lacking the big market team and national attraction of the Patriots, don’t expect those final ratings to look anything like last week in the end.
However, over the long term, there is some good news for Fox and the NFL – who still easily won primetime last night.
Year-to-year, the Chiefs win last night was up nearly 50% in viewership and 43% in the 18-49s over the fast affiliates for last year’s comparable game between the then victorious Broncos over the Arizona Cardinals. That October 18, 2018 game was a then season low for that season of TNF.
We’ll update with more TNF ratings when the final numbers for last night’s game come in. In the meantime, check out all the Big 4 and CW results below:
