The Steelers would probably like to forget their playoff loss to the Browns on Sunday, as their rivals from Cleveland earned first postseason win in 26 years.
But a lot of people saw it happen, as the game delivered big ratings for NBC.
The Sunday night prime-time matchup between the Steelers and the Browns, who were playing in their first playoff game in 18 years, drew nearly 25 million viewers, making it the most-watched prime-time show of any kind since Super Bowl LIV last February, according to NBC Sports.
But that’s not the only record set in the rare the playoff game between the two rivals. The game also owns the standing as NBC’s most-streamed non-Super Bowl NFL game ever. NBC Sports reports the game has an average-minute-audience of 1.04 million viewers across Peacock, Verizon, and the official digital platforms of NBC and the NFL.
These numbers aren’t all that surprising when you consider the circumstances. It was an NFL playoff game between two historic franchises, one of which has not had a true contender for a very long time, with large fan bases and fans (outside of select family and friends of players) were not allowed in Heinz Field because of the current situation surround COVID-19.
Cleveland managed to defeat the Steelers 48-37 and will now take on the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round, even if one Steelers player doesn’t feel they have any chance at winning.