-8%
Eagles Bring Out “Philly Special” To Win But NFL Kickoff Ratings Down From 2017
by
Dominic Patten
September 7, 2018 6:47
AP
The Heavens did not seem well disposed to the official beginning of the
NFL season last night as rain and possible lightening in the City of Brotherly Love pushed back the start of the
Philadelphia Eagles gridiron battle against the
Atlanta Falcons.
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With only Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett taking to the bench in protest during the national anthem, when thing finally did kick-off on
NBC around 9 P ET, it certainly didn’t seem to be the most inspiring game. At one point with tell-it-like-it-is Philly fans were booing the current Super Bowl champs on live TV for their lame efforts on the field.
Then, as it looked like Atlanta would be grinding out a win, the action really started right near the end as the Eagles dusted off a variation of their Super Bowl move the Philly Special. With some quick moves, QB Nick Foles snagged a 15-yard pass from teammate Nelson Agholor on a reverse to seal a 18-12 victory for the Eagles and some respect from the more than just the fans at Lincoln Financial Field.
Sadly, that glory did not translate into the ratings
With a 13.4/5 in the metered markets, the post-midnight ending game is down 8% from last year’s kickoff
of September 7, 2017. In one of the lowest season openers ratingswise and facing portions of a cable news covered rally by a very NFL critical President
Donald Trump, last night’s game is not only down from last year, but 2016, 2015 and 2014 – all of which saw successive declines.
Even in a TV landscape where ratings and viewership are dipping, unless you are
This Is Us or
Game Of Thrones, those results have to worry the NFL and the broadcasters, especially the still Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox with its pricey
Thursday Night Football debuting this year
We’ll update with more NFL kickoff numbers and other ratings, yes
Big Brother was on too last night, as we get them later today