Published October 15, 2026 04:48 PM
Star players continue to sell. The absence of star players continues to not.
Without two-time NFL MVP Lamar Jackson available for Sunday night’s game between the Ravens and Falcons, the NBC broadcast averaged 17 million, per Nielsen’s weekly audience report.
Yes, the game was up against a Brewers-Dodgers game on Fox that drew 10 million. But not having Lamar Jackson playing in the game surely made an impact.
With Tyler Huntley replacing Jackson, the game itself delivered, with the Ravens winning in overtime, 30-23.
The showing underscores the NFL’s desire to protect franchise quarterbacks. The players who most move the needle are more likely to draw roughing-the-passer fouls than the rest. Not having the best of the best players available will indeed have a negative impact on the NFL’s business interests.
Ultimately, there wasn’t much daylight between Ravens-Falcons and Buccaneers-Cowboys on Prime Video, which generated an audience of 16.725 million for the Week 5 Thursday night game.
This week, it’s Cowboys-Packers on Sunday night. And the numbers will surely reflect the presence of two significant teams with multiple star players, in a game that will have a significant impact on the standings in the NFC, given that the Cowboys are 2-3 and the Packers are 3-2.