Wild-Card Ratings Drop 13%

Numbers Down
Ratings For NFL's Wild-Card Weekend Decline 13% From 1999

NEW YORK (AQB)--Four teams won on the field this weekend, but only CBS won in the television ratings as the numbers for the NFL's wild-card games dropped 13 percent from a year ago.

The biggest loser was ABC and its Saturday doubleheader. The network garnered a 14.8 rating and 34 share for the exciting Tennessee-Buffalo game, down from the 17.9 rating and 37 share it got for the first game last year between Buffalo and Miami.

For its second game Saturday, the dreadful Detroit-Washington contest, ABC received a 15.7 rating and 31 share, a drop from the 20.9/38 it registered last year for the second game between Arizona and Dallas.

On Sunday, Fox scored a 20.2 rating and 42 share for the Dallas-Minnesota contest, down from the 24.2/40 it received last year for its wild-card game between Green Bay and San Francisco. To be fair, the Dallas-Minnesota game was the early game this year, while Green Bay-San Francisco was the late contest last year.

CBS had the late game this year, and it helped. Its telecast of Miami's win over Seattle registered a 20.7 rating and 37 share, up 11% from last year's 18.7/36 for the first game of the Sunday doubleheader between New England and Jacksonville.

Miami-Seattle was the highest-rated AFC wild-card Sunday game since 1995, when New England at Cleveland scored a 21.9/47.

Overall, the four games registered a 17.8 rating, down from 20.4 a year ago.

Each rating point represents 1 million homes. The share represents the percentage of working television sets tuned to the show.

This week, CBS kicks off the divisional round at 12:30 p.m. Saturday with Miami at Jacksonville. Verne Lundquist, Dan Dierdorf and sideline reporter Bonnie Bernstein describe the action. The second game Saturday, Washington at Tampa Bay, begins at 4 p.m. Dick Stockton, Matt Millen and sideline reporter Pam Oliver make the call.

Sunday, at 12:30 p.m., St. Louis hosts Minnesota at the Trans World Dome. Pat Summerall, John Madden and sideline reporters D.J. Johnson and Ron Pitts call the shots. CBS closes the divisional round with Tennessee-Indianapolis at 4 p.m. Sunday. Greg Gumbel, Phil Simms and sideline reporter Armen Keteyian are the announcers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.