Patriots-Giants: Largest TV audience for NFL regular season game SINCE...

[FloridaMan88]

....the Chiefs-Cowboys game on Thanksgiving back in 1995. 34.5 million watched the Patriots-Giants this past Saturday, 35.7 watched the Chiefs-Cowboys back in 1995.

I guess the nation was intrigued by the Dale Carter at WR experiment that game.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/football/nfl/12/30/ratings.ap/index.html?eref=si_topstories

[Frazod]

I remember that game. I was at my best friend's wife's grandparents house, and had to maintain my composure while Dallas kicked the shit out of us. :#

[Deberg_1990]

IM shocked that we played in a game rated that high??

But i guess at the time that game was highly touted as a possible "Super Bowl Preview" LMAO

The only decent Chiefs play i remember was Lake Dawson had a nice catch and TD run over the middle. Probably the best catch he ever had.



We actually played in back to back Thanksgiving day games in 95 and 96 in Detroit.

[alpha_omega]

Yep...i remember that as well....too bad we didn't win.

[sedated]

That turkey day game was huge.

They got off to a good start, but we started to come back until Bono got sacked and fumbled (if memory serves me correctly)

[Amnorix]

Not that it's highly relevant to this thread, but the fact that Detroit and Dallas annually host a Turkey Day game is a huge, huge advantage to them and a disadvantage to their opponent.

Screw tradition, it's unfair. They should rotate the games around.

[Adept Havelock]

I remember that game. I was at my best friend's wife's grandparents house, and had to maintain my composure while Dallas kicked the shit out of us. :#


Yeah, I remember Irvin got Dale Carter to blow up and draw several PI and a couple of PF's that game.

IIRC, in his last year for us, Dale did something that made me proud. We were playing the Cowboys...he waited for the right moment and lit into Irvin with a clean shot that knocked him out of the game. :D

[ChiefsCountry]

We were the best two teams in the NFL at that time and it was on Thanksgiving Day. That is why it was so highly rated.

[jjchieffan]

Not that it's highly relevant to this thread, but the fact that Detroit and Dallas annually host a Turkey Day game is a huge, huge advantage to them and a disadvantage to their opponent.

Screw tradition, it's unfair. They should rotate the games around.

You are preaching to the choir. The Chiefs have been fighting tio change that BS for years. It was because of Lamar, in fact, that the NFL created the third game. Hardly a fair compromise. But I am sure that as long as Jerry Jones has any say, it ain't gonna change.

[Stewie]

I drove down for that game. Yes, Bono's fumble was the nail in the coffin. Jay Novacek (sp?) also made a big catch and run that was crucial.

[Amnorix]

You are preaching to the choir. The Chiefs have been fighting tio change that BS for years. It was because of Lamar, in fact, that the NFL created the third game. Hardly a fair compromise. But I am sure that as long as Jerry Jones has any say, it ain't gonna change.

You're probably right.

I have no skin in that game. Detroit and Dallas don't affect Pats or Chiefs much, due ot the AFC/NFC thing. But if I were a team in their division I'd scream bloody murder.

[jagerdrinker]

That Novacek catch was a killer. Who was the defensive player that he effectively hurdled? Anyone?

[Hydrae]

You're probably right.

I have no skin in that game. Detroit and Dallas don't affect Pats or Chiefs much, due ot the AFC/NFC thing. But if I were a team in their division I'd scream bloody murder.


That is an interesting point that both of the host teams are NFC teams. Do these games pre-date the merger?

[Hydrae]

I think it is interesting that this game was shown on 3 networks and still barely had more viewers than that game of ours. And with an undefeated season on the line too. Under those circumstances, I am not sure this is a win for the league.

[ROYC75]

Not that it's highly relevant to this thread, but the fact that Detroit and Dallas annually host a Turkey Day game is a huge, huge advantage to them and a disadvantage to their opponent.

Screw tradition, it's unfair. They should rotate the games around.

Most coaches hate them ........ playing on a very short week.

[Nightfyre]

I remember that game. I was like 10 tho so the details are a lot fuzzy. I was SO ticked when we lost because I thought it represented the fact that there was NO WAY the chiefs were going to win the SB that year.

[Bob Dole]

I drove down for that game. Yes, Bono's fumble was the nail in the coffin. Jay Novacek (sp?) also made a big catch and run that was crucial.

Didn't he hurdle a would-be tackler who didn't keep his head up?

[Stewie]

That Novacek catch was a killer. Who was the defensive player that he effectively hurdled? Anyone?

Mark Collins

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[siberian khatru]

Didn't he hurdle a would-be tackler who didn't keep his head up?

That's pretty much all I remember from that game.

[Deberg_1990]

That Novacek catch was a killer. Who was the defensive player that he effectively hurdled? Anyone?

Imagine that, a Gunther D burned over the middle!!! LOL

[Amnorix]

Most coaches hate them ........ playing on a very short week.

That's why it's an advantage to Dallas and Detroit.

1. They ALWAYS host. It's the other suckers that need to travel to them on the short week.

2. They ALWAYS play the game, so their players and coaches are the ONLY ones in the NFL who are really well-trained at how to handle a 4 day turn-around time from one game to the next. There's NEVER another game on such a short timeframe.

How to establish a game plan, practice, etc. -- something those teams train to do EVERY year, and the rest of the NFL NEVER ever does.

Completely unfair.

[Spott]

The Dale Carter experiment at WR didn't happen until 1996 when both of our starting WR's(Lake Dawson & Tamarick Vanover) got hurt early on in the season.

We lost that 95 game 24-12 and really had the Cowboys on the ropes until Bono fumbled the ball inside the red zone which led to a big return and score for Dallas. Before that play happened, we had just scored a TD and stopped Dallas 3 and out and knocked Emmitt Smith out of the game. We proceeded to drive into the red zone on the next drive before Bono's fumble.

Irvin and Dale Carter got into a big fight in that game(Carter got his revenge in 98) and Lake Dawson and Deion also got into a big fight.

[Bugeater]

That's why it's an advantage to Dallas and Detroit.

1. They ALWAYS host. It's the other suckers that need to travel to them on the short week.

2. They ALWAYS play the game, so their players and coaches are the ONLY ones in the NFL who are really well-trained at how to handle a 4 day turn-around time from one game to the next. There's NEVER another game on such a short timeframe.

How to establish a game plan, practice, etc. -- something those teams train to do EVERY year, and the rest of the NFL NEVER ever does.

Completely unfair.
You'd never know it by watching Detroit in those games lately, they've lost 6 of the last 7 of them.

[Deberg_1990]

The Dale Carter experiment at WR didn't happen until 1996 when both of our starting WR's(Lake Dawson & Tamarick Vanover) got hurt early on in the season.



I could have sworn that Dale Carter played some WR back in 92 or 93 as well??

I do remember Carter being a pretty dang good punt and kick returner in those early days as well. He was a hell of an athlete and one of Carl Peterson's best picks.

[Spott]

I could have sworn that Dale Carter played some WR back in 92 or 93 as well??

I do remember Carter being a pretty dang good punt and kick returner in those early days as well. He was a hell of an athlete and one of Carl Peterson's best picks.


He ran back a lot of kicks in his first couple of years in the league. I do remember him getting in on offense and did a couple of reverses, but he never actually tried the WR position until 96.

[Thig Lyfe]

I think it is interesting that this game was shown on 3 networks and still barely had more viewers than that game of ours. And with an undefeated season on the line too. Under those circumstances, I am not sure this is a win for the league.

Huh? It's not like showing it on multiple networks would increase viewership. That makes no sense. If you show something on TV, the number of people that are going to watch it will watch it no matter how many networks it's on.

It's a win hands-down because it went from 40% of TV households being able to watch it to 100%. Without the simulcast ratings would have been dismal, and with it they were record-breaking.

[Deberg_1990]

I think it is interesting that this game was shown on 3 networks and still barely had more viewers than that game of ours. And with an undefeated season on the line too. Under those circumstances, I am not sure this is a win for the league.

There are also more cable channels now than there were 12 years ago in 1995. That also means more competition for viewership.

[Brock]

There are also more cable channels now than there were 12 years ago in 1995. That also means more competition for viewership.

So you're saying HGTV siphoned off NFL viewers?

[ChiefsCountry]

That is an interesting point that both of the host teams are NFC teams. Do these games pre-date the merger?

Yes they do. Detroit has done it for long time, Cowboys and the AFL got it on around 66 or so I believe. Chiefs were one of the AFL teams on Thanksgiving. Merger happened, they threw the AFL team wishes out and let the Cowgirls keep theirs.

[Hydrae]

Huh? It's not like showing it on multiple networks would increase viewership. That makes no sense. If you show something on TV, the number of people that are going to watch it will watch it no matter how many networks it's on.

It's a win hands-down because it went from 40% of TV households being able to watch it to 100%. Without the simulcast ratings would have been dismal, and with it they were record-breaking.


Having it on multiple networks (and two of the major networks) cuts down on the competition. Less options to watch, the more likely the man of the house can get his wish to watch the game on a Saturday night (not that there is ever much else to watch on a Saturday night).

[Buck]

Wouldnt the advantage be somewhat less if they guaranteed the Away team in those Thanksgiving game a bye week the week prior?

[Thig Lyfe]

Having it on multiple networks (and two of the major networks) cuts down on the competition. Less options to watch, the more likely the man of the house can get his wish to watch the game on a Saturday night (not that there is ever much else to watch on a Saturday night).
Really just one less option, and even if it were just one network or the other I don't think this game would have much competition. Re-runs of Deal or No Deal wouldn't do that well against an almost-Super Bowl-level NFL game.

[Deberg_1990]

So you're saying HGTV siphoned off NFL viewers?

Not as much as Oxyogen did. :)