For whatever the reason — pre-holiday activities, housecleaning, work, or simply catching up on sleep — most people had better things to do than watch Thursday Night Football in Week 15.
As such, Thursday’s tilt featuring the Denver Broncos playing at the Indianapolis Colts drew the lowest ratings of this year’s Thursday night games. According to a report by Dominic Patten of Deadline, last night’s game drew 7.4/13 in “metered market results.”
Per the report, this year’s Thursday night finale attracted 26 percent less viewership than the final TNF game that took place last season.
The Colts and Broncos are nowhere near playoff contention. The Broncos scraped up their fifth win on the season with backup quarterback Brock Osweiler under center for the majority of the game. The Denver victory left the Indianapolis Colts with a 3-11 record.
We have heard multiple complaints from NFL teams and their players about Thursday games. The general consensus is they are more dangerous for the players, who are coming off of a short week of practice.
Thursday night also saw Colts tight end Brandon Williams depart on a stretcher and be taken by an ambulance to a hospital. He was on the field for a long time being attended to by team doctors after suffering a head injury. It was enough for some people on the edge to turn the television to another channel.
With no further Thursday night games on the schedule, the players can at least breathe a sign of relief for the remainder of the year.
The debate on Thursday games will likely continue to be a controversial one even once the regular season ends.