The Baltimore Ravens have officially eclipsed the Washington Redskins in popularity in their own backyard, if only for one Sunday.
Sunday's Ravens-49ers broadcast received a 9.5 TV rating in the D.C. market, far outdrawing the Redskins-Panthers broadcast which aired at the same time on CBS, garnering a paltry 5.3 rating.
Ravens game ratings in DC —> 9.5Redskins game ratings in DC —> 5.3This is a major, major problem for Ashburn. Major.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS)
December 2, 2019 The 2-9 Redskins facing the 5-6 Panthers, while it turned out to be a great game, wasn't exactly a marquee matchup. Alternately, the 9-2 Ravens vs. the 10-1 49ers was a matchup billed as a potential Super Bowl preview, the game of the year, and may very well have lived up to the hype.
Objectively speaking, would you rather watch two bad football teams or two elite teams square off?
All that considered and it's still fairly stunning that the Ravens are nearly doubling the Redskins' TV ratings in the D.C. market. Even when the Redskins have been bad, which has been more often than not over the past two decades, Redskins fans, if not attending the games, were at least watching from home.
Now they're not only
not doing that, they're
choosing to watch someone else.
Point remains- For a long time it would be absolutely unthinkable for the Redskins not to be the highest rated team in town. Unthinkable. It took a perfect storm but that time has ended.
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS)
December 2, 2019 Whether this is in an aberration or the beginning of a trend, only time will tell. But for the time being, the Redskins aren't drawing at the gates or in your living room, something that should give the organization great pause while considering how to win their fans back. Or it may just lose them to the Baltimore Ravens.
