Chiefs-Saints a Ratings Bonanza or Bust?
Patrick Mahomes pointing to the haters. | Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Much has been made this week of the 2020 NFL ratings slip costing broadcasters money. Simultaneously, the NFL is reportedly nearing a $100 billion broadcasting deal with those same networks plus Amazon, which is to say the financial sky isn't falling at NFL HQ despite the downward trajectory of viewership.
This week, the NFL gets another chance to redirect the ratings narrative as the AFC's top-seeded Kansas City Chiefs face off against the NFC's second-seeded New Orleans Saints in a potential Super Bowl preview.
Even with Drew Brees not expected to play as he continues to rehab from broken ribs, it's a dream matchup for CBS featuring the defending Super Bowl champions, the best quarterback in the NFL in Patrick Mahomes, two of the league's best offenses and two of the most loyal fanbases around. That it's being broadcast in the late window (4:25 p.m. ET) with Tony Romo and Jim Nantz on the call against two other unappealing matchups (Rams-Jets, Cardinals-Eagles) further solidifies the belief that this should be a ratings hit at a time the NFL would like a win in that department.