[Report] Seahawks-Cardinals Week 7 "Sunday Night Football" Game Drew Over 12 Million Viewers

NFL fans got, perhaps, the best game of 2020 thus far on Sunday night.

MVP front-runner Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks visited second-year phenom Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday Night Football.

The Cardinals erased a late 10-point deficit and won in overtime, handing the Seahawks (5-1) their first loss of 2020. With the victory, Arizona moved to 5-2 as they inch closer to first in the NFC West.

This game also drew extremely high numbers for NBC, despite competition with Game 5 of the 2020 World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Tampa Bay Rays.

According to Dino-Ray Ramos of Deadline, the thrilling Seahawks-Cardinals game drew 12.01 million viewers. This included a strong 3.6 rating in the 18-49 demographic.

In comparison, Game 5 of the World Series drew 7.41 million viewers, per Ramos, with a 1.7 rating in the 18-49 demographic. Ramos noted that these numbers are likely to see adjustments later on.

The Sunday Night Football program has continued to deliver strong ratings for NBC and the NFL. Last week’s game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams drew over nine million viewers. The week before, the Seahawks’ home game against the Minnesota Vikings reached over 11 million viewers.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers-Las Vegas Raiders game was initially scheduled for the Sunday night slot. But after two Raiders players tested positive for COVID-19, the NFL had to prepare for the possibility of rescheduling that game. Wanting to ensure they had a Sunday Night Football game, the decision was made to move the Seahawks-Cardinals to the evening slot while the Bucs-Raiders moved to the late afternoon slot.

This game marked Seattle’s third Sunday Night Football appearance in six weeks. They also hosted the New England Patriots in Week 2. That thrilling contest, won by the Seahawks, reportedly drew more than 12 million viewers.

Next week’s Sunday Night Football game will pit the Dallas Cowboys against the Philadelphia Eagles. Though both teams enter Week 8 with just two wins, the NFC East is wide open; the Eagles currently lead it with a 2-4-1 record. So yes, this is a meaningful game with massive playoff implications.

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