Posted by Sabrina B. @gametimegirl
NBC’s first “Sunday Night Football” game of the year was the highest-rated Week 1 prime-time game in 15 years, according to overnight numbers released by Nielsen Monday.
The New York Jets’ thrilling 27-24 victory over the Dallas Cowboys registered a 16.9 overnight rating, the best opener for “Sunday Night Football” since it debuted on NBC in 2006.
The rating represents a three percent increase over last season’s Sunday night opener between the Cowboys and Washington Redskins, and a 26 percent jump from 2009’s opener between the Bears and Green Bay Packers.
Taking into account Sunday and Monday prime-time openers, the rating was the highest since 1996 when the Cowboys and Chicago Bears recorded a 20.2 rating on “Monday Night Football” on ABC, according to TVbythenumbers.com.
Thursday night’s NFL kickoff on NBC between the Packers and New Orleans Saints recorded a 16.1 overnight rating.
