Cardinals vs. Packers highest-rated primetime Saturday Divisional Playoff game ever
Jan 17, 2016, 8:32 PM
Green Bay Packers defensive end Datone Jones (95) stops Arizona Cardinals wide receiver John Brown (12) from scoring during the second half of an NFL divisional playoff football game, Saturday, Jan. 16, 2016, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
(AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
There’s no doubt about how good Saturday’s night’s 26-20 instant classic between the Arizona Cardinals and the Green Bay Packers was and the ratings back that up.
The game — which aired on NBC — is the highest-rated primetime Saturday Divisional Playoff game ever according to Fast National data from the Nielsen Company.
Primetime Saturday Divisional Playoff games began in 2001 for the NFL.
The game was the second-most watched game of that type ever with an average of 33.7 million viewers. That is a nine percent increase from last season’s games and only trails the 34.2 million viewer average for the 2012 game between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots .
The viewership reached an all-time high of 38.7 million viewers during Aaron Rodgers’ miraculous Hail Mary to tie the game at the end of regulation and Larry Fitzgerald’s incredible 75-yard catch that set up the game-winning touchdown on a shovel pass to Fitzgerald.
There was also a milestone set for NBC Sports Live Extra, which is a streaming service viewers can use to view games on their computers, tablets and phones. The game was the most viewed non-Olympic event on the service in its history.
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