Love them or hate them, the New England Patriots are back.
And, love them or hate them, America can’t seem to take its eyes off of them.
During the Divisional Round, the Patriots vs. the Houston Texans became the most-watched event in ESPN history with 38 million viewers. It was also Disney’s most-watched live sporting event, excluding Super Bowls.
New England’s AFC Championship Game win over the Denver Broncos last Sunday drew even more eyeballs. An average of 48.618 million people tuned in with a peak of nearly 58 million people, making it the most-watched game of the NFL postseason.
Unfortunately, the game wasn’t very entertaining. The Patriots held on for an ugly 10-7 win over the Broncos as heavy snow during the second half made the field nearly unplayable. There were only three points after halftime and no points in the fourth quarter as both teams resorted to conservative runs and punts.
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Interestingly, New England’s last two games both started at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, so that seemed to be a good time slot for them.
Regardless, this bodes well for the NFL heading into next week’s surprising Super Bowl matchup between the Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. Both teams have passionate fanbases who are guaranteed to watch the game, which is a rematch of one of the greatest Super Bowls ever played 11 years ago.
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Both teams have completely different rosters now, however. New England is in a new era with Mike Vrabel and Drake Maye after dominating the 2000s and 2010s with Tom Brady and Bill Belichick. Meanwhile, Pete Carroll and Russell Wilson are long gone from Seattle.
Can the Patriots cap off their Cinderella season with another championship? Or will the Seahawks avenge their painful loss at the hands of Malcolm Butler?
Regardless of who they’re rooting for, millions will tune in to find out.
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Featured image via Ron Chenoy/Imagn Images
