NFL Delivers Massive TV Ratings On Championship Sunday, Despite One Poor Game And One With Controversy

Published|Updated

The NFC Championship Game was a complete dud. The AFC Championship Game featured poor officiating. Despite that, TV ratings show that the NFL is king, no matter what it does.

The NFC championship between the San Francisco 49ers and Philadelphia -- a game where one of the starting quarterbacks left the game only to return without the ability to actually throw the ball -- delivered an average of 47.5 million eyeballs over the course of the contest.

At one point, over 52 million people watched one of the worst NFL games of the year.

Not to be outdone, the AFC battle between Joe Burrow's Cincinnati Bengals and Patrick Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs delivered an even BIGGER audience.

That's not surprising, given that the game was more in the primetime window, featured two of the best quarterbacks in the league, and was a much more competitive game.

But the story is just how big that audience was. At one point, nearly 60 MILLION Americans tuned into the AFC championship. The AVERAGE was well over 50 million people (53.1 million).

NFL delivers massive ratings, despite controversy

So, while #NFLRigged trended on Twitter, people couldn't keep their eyes off the screens. People might believe the NFL is rigged. But even if they do, they still watch.

Whether the game is bad or good, controversial or not, the TVs are on. And they're all tuned to the same channel.

When Sunday rolls around, America's attention is focused on the NFL.

RELATED: OVER 45 MILLION PEOPLE WATCHED THE 49ERS ELIMINATE THE COWBOYS FROM THE NFL PLAYOFFS

With a Super Bowl matchup between Philadelphia and Kansas City, two of the best offenses in the league, and plenty of storylines to go around, just imagine what kind of numbers that game will produce.

Expect Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes to deliver massive ratings for the NFL in the Super Bowl. (Photos via Getty Images)

Expect Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes to deliver massive ratings for the NFL in the Super Bowl. (Photos via Getty Images)

Stay tuned to find out. And I know you will.

The NFL knows it, too.

Tags
Written by
Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to Outkick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named “Brady” because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.