Eagles Christmas Day Win Over Giants Put Up Massive Ratings
Even if the Philadelphia Eagles and their fans may not have felt especially merry after a 33-25 Week 16 win over the New York Giants, the NFL was more than happy with how the Christmas Day dinner time window played out.
USA TODAY
The game -- called by Joe Davis and Daryl Johnston on FOX -- produced an average viewership of 29 million, the network revealed. Not surprisingly, FOX adds that it was the "most-watched Christmas Day telecast of any kind" on the network.
At halftime, it seemed the Eagles may blow the Giants out, given that they led 20-3. However, the Giants outscored the Eagles 15-0 in the third quarter, setting up an interesting finish. That would explain why FOX says that the game peaked with over 31.6 million viewers between 7:30 and 7:45 p.m. ET.
This is the second consecutive season that FOX has had a Christmas Day telecast, as they broadcast a 51-14 win by the Los Angeles Rams over the Denver Broncos a year ago. Granted, that was a matchup of two bad teams that produced an awful game. But FOX says that this year's Christmas telecast between the Eagles and Giants produced a 29% increase in ratings.
If you need an idea of how much the NFL rules America, even on Christmas, it will probably interest you to know that Eagles and Giants wasn't the highest-rated of the three Christmas Day games. The Las Vegas Raiders upset of the Kansas City Chiefs -- which was simulcast on Nickelodeon and featured Taylor Swift in attendance -- slightly outdid Eagles-Giants, garnering 29.1 million viewers between CBS and Nick. The Baltimore Ravens statement win over the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football received over 27 million viewers on ABC and ESPN Deportes.
