The ratings for NBC's Sunday Night Football program declined this week, but they remained strong nonetheless.
According to Dino-Ray Ramos of Deadline, the Week 6 showdown between the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers drew 9.43 million viewers. It finished with a 2.8 rating in the 18-49 demographic.
As Ramos noted, this game had competition with Game 7 of the NLCS between Atlanta and Los Angeles. Surely, plenty of L.A. sports fans were focused more on the Dodgers' triumph than the Rams game.
Game 7 drew 6.40 million viewers, per Ramos, with a 1.8 rating. Game 1 of the World Series between the Dodgers and Tampa Bay takes place on Tuesday evening.
Last week's Sunday Night Football game between the Minnesota Vikings and the Seattle Seahawks reportedly drew 11.42 million viewers. So yes, it was a considerable decline this week. And it should be noted that last week's Sunday nighter had competition with Game 1 of the ALCS (Houston vs. Tampa Bay) and Game 6 of the NBA Finals, where the Lakers defeated the Heat to capture the championship.
The 49ers came away with a close 24-16 victory over the Rams, thus avoiding a third straight loss. With the win, San Francisco moved to 3-3 on the season, while the Rams fell to 4-2.
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A loss would have put a serious dent in the 49ers' playoff hopes, but quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo and the defense flexed their muscles in the potential season-saving victory.
The 49ers also played at home on Sunday Night Football two weeks ago against the Philadelphia Eagles. That game reportedly drew 11.71 million viewers with a 3.5 demographic rating. The Eagles won that game 25-20.
The NBA and NHL won't begin their respective 2020-21 seasons until some point in the new year. Game 7 of the World Series, if necessary, would take place on Oct. 28. So in short time, the NFL will find itself with much less sporting competition for the rest of 2020.