The Patriots are back to being one of the biggest draws in the NFL, despite running out a rookie quarterback who might only throw three passes in a snowy prime-time game.
Once again, credit goes to Bill Belichick, and the mystique he’s built around the Patriots’ organization.
The Patriots’ ratings tumble last season was substantial: they were down 26% year-to-year with Cam Newton under center instead of Tom Brady. At times, it seemed like Patriots fans were more interested in Brady’s adopted team than their listless club. More people in Boston watched the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl win than in Tampa Bay.
But it only took one preseason contest to establish the anomaly of last year. The Patriots’ matchup against Washington saw a 37% ratings increase from the first exhibition contest in 2019. A higher percentage of TV viewers also tuned in to get their first peak at Mac Jones than in Week 3 of the ’19 preseason, when Tom Brady suited up for the first time all summer.
Some people, including WEEI’s Lou Merloni, say this is the most intriguing Patriots season in years, because the results aren’t as predictable as they were with Brady. While that’s up for debate — the daily palace intrigue drama from 2017-19 was the best ongoing soap opera around — it’s apparent the rest of the country agrees with that statement. Patriots’ Super Bowl ratings declined precipitously during Brady’s final years, falling from 114 million viewers in Super Bowl XLIX to 98 million in Super Bowl LIII.
Those numbers promise to rebound if the Patriots make it this season. TV execs are already giddy about the prospect of a Pats-Bucs Super Bowl, and they should be. The Brady-Belichick grudge match on Oct. 4 reached 28.5 million viewers, meaning more than one-third of U.S. TVs tuned into the game. It was the second-most watched edition of “Sunday Night Football” in NBC history.
And that was when the Patriots were a sub-.500 team.
Overall, NFL ratings are surging in 2021. Viewership is up 7% from last season, and NFL games account for 47 of the top 50 shows on TV since September.
The Cowboys remain the biggest draw in the league, as they’re played in three of the five highest-rated games this season. So it should come as no surprise the Patriots’ epic late-afternoon game against Dallas was a huge ratings winner as well. It averaged 23.22 million viewers, making it CBS’ most-watched October telecast since 2015. That was a whole different era, considering the number of cord-cutters has more than tripled since 2014.
While the Patriots aren’t on the Cowboys’ level, they proved Monday night the NFL-watching world digs what they’re doing. New England’s 14-11 win against the Bills — where again, Jones only attempted three passes — averaged 14.97 million viewers. That was the largest Week 13 “Monday Night Football” audience since 2013.
Belichick didn’t just prove he can win a game in the modern NFL without a quarterback: he can capture our attention as well.
Even for those who don’t know the difference between a 4-down even front and 3-down odd front (hi!), there’s something enrapturing about watching Belichick’s genius at work. In a passing dominant league, opposing quarterbacks have completed 117-for-214 passes (54.6%) for an average of 158 yards per game with six touchdowns and 14 interceptions. He is a mastermind.
At 69 years old, it’s apparent Belichick is still in the prime of his coaching career. NFL fans may bemoan the Patriots’ return to greatness, but they’re watching, and at this point, it’s not about Mac Jones.
An elderly man holding a clipboard with a pencil in his ear is all we need.
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ManningCast is the best thing on sports TV: On Monday, Peyton and Eli Manning proved watching them watch football is an excellent way to spend an evening. Within the first few minutes, Peyton revealed Patriots PR denied his request to speak to Mac Jones.
The broadcast never lost its momentum.
Admittedly, I spent most of my time watching the regular broadcast, because I wanted to hear the crowd noise and stuff. I’m a serious sports journalist. I can’t have people talking over the referee when he’s announcing a holding call.
But I swear I’m no fraud. I DVR’d the ManningCast, and watched most of it Tuesday morning. Where else would I have learned how the Patriots mentally exhaust quarterbacks, or Aqib Talib talk about how Belichick permitted players to wear onesies at the stadium?
And therein lies the best part about the ManningCast: Peyton Manning is one of the best players in history, and two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning could be a Hall of Famer as well. It’s not every day you get to hear two all-time greats talk candidly about the game, and players they’ve played against.
As a viewer, it’s also refreshing to hear how much effort Peyton and Eli put into the show. I mean, Peyton Manning is taking the time to call quarterbacks to prepare for the telecast. They’re not just winging it, and it shows.
Also, Peyton and Eli are hilarious. Their segment with Joe Buck was funnier than anything that’s been on network late-night TV in years.
It’s too bad Peyton is too rich (net worth of $250 million) to call games full-time. For now, we’ll settle for 10 Monday nights.
Bayless exposed on Brady: If we needed further evidence that shows like “First Take” are ridiculous, watch the latest episode of “Man in the Arena.” In the opening minutes, viewers hear a 2006 clip from Skip Bayless, in which he says Brady’s reign of excellence is over. “I think they’ve lost a lot of faith in that quarterback of theirs. I don’t think he’s Tom Brady anymore,” Bayless said.
In other words, Bayless’ cliff was eight years ahead of Kellerman’s. Perhaps all of our vitriol has been misdirected.
Petty Bron Bron: Michelle Beadle revealed this week LeBron James tried to convince ESPN to fire her after she was critical of his “Decision” special. "He does not like me, and I honestly have stopped trying to figure out why,” she said on the House of Strauss podcast. “For some reason, it goes back years. I’ve been around Maverick Carter. He refuses to shake my hand.”
Beadle reveals LeBron wanted somebody else with whom he was friendly to host NBA Countdown. Rachel Nichols, who’s conducted many 1-on-1s with LeBron, is a pretty good guess.
LeBron is the best basketball player ever and a great philanthropist. But he grips the NBA media more tightly than he grips the ball.
