The 2016 debut of on NBC last night saw the Carolina Panthers beat the New Orleans Saints 23-20, but it will likely always be remembered for the images of Panthers star Luke Kuechly being carted off the field. Having smashed into the Saints’ Tim Hightower, the distraught linebacker was poignantly seen hyperventilating and in tears before being taken off in the fourth quarter with a possible concussion.
There was no update on his condition after the game, but Kuechly did miss a trio of games last year due to a concussion.
Luke Kuechly has been carted off the field in Charlotte. #NOvsCAR pic.twitter.com/B3zryCEghK
— SNF on NBC (@SNFonNBC) November 18, 2016
There was also some ratings pain for NBC and the NFL, with the primetime matchup drawing a 9.3/16 in metered market results. While steady with the last TNF game on CBS and the NFL Network on October 20, last night’s game was down 44% from the Thursday NFL Kickoff game on September 8 on NBC, when the Panthers lost to Super Bowl 50 opponent the Denver Broncos. Having said that, the Panthers-Saints game was the best anything has done on NBC this season since that opening game, and will certainly win the net the night.
However, in a season that has seen the NFL plagued by double-digit declines on all nets, last night’s game was down 18% in MM result from the September 15 debut of TNF on CBS and the NFL Network this season. That game, which saw the New York Jets beat the Buffalo Pills 37-31, went on to pull in 15.4 million viewers for the House of Moonves – a drop of 27% from the 2015 opener.
Unlike last year, CBS and NBC are sharing TNF this year in an estimated $450 million deal. Upping the play from eight games to 10, each net gets five games to simulcast with NFL Network as well as being streamed live on the likes of Twitter.
We’ll update later with the rest of Thursday’s ratings, including those How To Get Away With Murder and Grey’s Anatomy winter-finale numbers. In the meantime, here are the top 10 local markets for last night’s game:
1. New Orleans – 40.7/55
2. Charlotte – 25.7/42
3. Greensboro – 20.7/32
4. Raleigh – 14.5/24
5. Norfolk – 13.7/22
6. Denver – 13.6/23
7. Richmond – 13.3/21
8. Seattle – 12.7/23
9. Greenville – 12.5/20
10. Atlanta – 11.6/19
