Sports
Ranking the most watchable NFL wild-card games: Packers-Eagles, Vikings-Rams, more
The “wild card” name suggests the unknown or an unpredictable factor, but the NFL’s wild-card weekend is anything but when it comes to viewership.
Last year’s wild-card weekend (six games) averaged 31.4 million viewers, the NFL’s most-watched opening postseason weekend since 2016 (which was four games). The most-watched window of wild-card weekend last year was a matchup between the mega-viewership powers Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys on Fox. That game, won by Green Bay in a rout, drew 40.2 million viewers airing in the 4:30 p.m. ET Sunday window.
What will this year’s wild-card games bring as far as interest? We offer a quick take using a watchability index.
Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles (Sunday, 4:30 p.m. ET, Fox and Fox Deportes)
Watchability ranking: 10 out of 10
The skinny: This is your weekend viewership monster, given both teams are traditional television powers. There should also be plenty of offense — both teams ranked in the top 10 in points scored and total yards — plus an MVP candidate in Eagles running back Saquon Barkley. The game is being played in the most-watched over-the-air linear television window. Everything lines up for massive viewership.
Favorite: Eagles (-4.5)
Viewership prediction: 37 million
Minnesota Vikings at Los Angeles Rams (Monday, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, ABC, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes, ESPN2 “ManningCast”)
Watchability ranking: 8 out of 10
The skinny: How will the Vikings react after losing the chance at a first-round bye and home-field advantage for the playoffs? They’ll face a rested Matthew Stafford, who threw four touchdowns against them in a 30-20 win on Oct. 25. There are a ton of Pro Bowl-caliber skill position players here, especially at wide receiver. Look for ESPN to inundate you with content all week. The odds (Vikings -1.5) suggest a tight game.
Favorite: Vikings (-1.5)
Viewership prediction: 30 million
Denver Broncos at Buffalo Bills (Sunday, 1 p.m. ET, CBS and Paramount+)
Watchability ranking: 7.5 out of 10
The skinny: Any game featuring one of the favorites for the MVP race (Josh Allen) will rate high as far as viewer interest. Buffalo ranks second in the league in points per game at 30.9, and Denver ranks 10th in points at 24.2 points. Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix tossed 29 touchdown passes this season, the second-most by a rookie in NFL history. It’s the first postseason appearance for the Broncos since the 2015 season, a streak of 3,296 days.
Favorite: Bills (-9)
Viewership prediction: 29.5 million
Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens (Saturday, 8 p.m. ET, Prime Video)
Watchability ranking: 6.5 out of 10
The skinny: Division rivals often make for interesting theater, but these teams are headed in opposite directions. The Steelers have lost four in a row and look like a mess. The Ravens are on a four-game winning streak. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson has had one of the greatest years in the history of the position. Given the game is on Amazon Prime Video instead of a traditional TV network, you’ll see a couple of million less in viewership here.
Favorite: Ravens (-10)
Viewership prediction: 22 million
Washington Commanders at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Sunday, 8 p.m. ET, NBC, Peacock, Universo)
Watchability ranking: 6 out of 10
The skinny: This is a sneaky-interesting game, given a star rookie quarterback (Washington’s Jayden Daniels), a reclamation project (Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield) and a great time slot. Last year’s Sunday night wild-card game between the Rams and Detroit Lions drew 32.2 million viewers as Detroit won its first playoff game in 32 years.
Favorite: Bucs (-3)
Viewership prediction: 29 million
Los Angeles Chargers at Houston Texans (Saturday, 4:30 p.m., CBS and Paramount+)
Watchability ranking: 5 out of 10
The skinny: This could be an interesting game, given C.J. Stroud and Justin Herbert have a ton of talent at quarterback and there are some decent skill position players around them (including Nico Collins, J.K. Dobbins and Joe Mixon). But the day and time slot suggest this will be the lowest over-the-air network rating.
Favorite: Chargers (-3)
Viewership prediction: 23 million
Additional NFL media notes
The final global numbers for Netflix’s NFL Christmas games are in: The Baltimore Ravens-Texans game averaged 31.3 million viewers globally, and Kansas City Chiefs-Steelers drew 30 million viewers. Netflix said Chiefs-Steelers was in the streamer’s daily top 10 programming in 72 countries, and Ravens-Texans was in the top 10 in 62 countries. (International data is based on first-party Netflix Live + 1 data for TV, mobile and web, along with NFL-reported viewing for the NFL’s international distributors and NFL Game Pass on DAZN outside of the U.S.) It’s a win for both entities and just the beginning for Netflix’s NFL ambitions.
One of the wildest viewership numbers of the NFL season: ESPN’s Week 17 “Monday Night Football” matchup between the Lions and San Francisco 49ers generated an audience of 22.2 million viewers (ESPN, ABC, ESPN+, ESPN Deportes and NFL+). That was MNF’s best for the 2024 season and ranks among the five most-watched games for the franchise since ESPN acquired the rights in 2006.
Amazon Prime Video’s coverage of “Thursday Night Football” averaged 14.23 million viewers this season, per Nielsen’s new Big Data + Panel measurement. Its top game was Packers-Lions on Dec. 5, which drew 18.48 million viewers and a peak audience of 20.29 million. (BD+P measurement features an enhanced methodology that combines data points from approximately 45 million households and 75 million devices with their person-level panel of more than 100,000 people to produce a deeper and more complete view of all Nielsen-measured programs.)
The streamer said its NFL audience had a median age of 49.0 years, nearly seven years younger than the average median age of viewers watching the NFL on linear TV (55.7), and more than 14 years younger than audiences watching prime-time broadcast television during the Fall 2024 season (63.3). Amazon’s NFL pregame show, “TNF Tonight,” had an average audience of 1.53 million in 2024, up 10 percent over its 2023 average (1.39 million).
Sports had 87 of the top 100 most-watched telecasts of the year, per Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal. That’s down from 2023, when 96 of the top 100 were sports. When Karp broadened the list, sports accounted for 182 of the top 200 shows of 2024. The NFL accounted for 70 of the top 100, down from last year’s 93 but almost the same as 2020, the last presidential election year.
Episode 463 of the “Sports Media with Richard Deitsch” podcast featured Karp. In this episode, we discussed the awful news out of New Orleans that left more than a dozen dead and about three dozen injured and how it will impact the Super Bowl news coverage, plus the best viewership scenarios between Notre Dame, Penn State, Texas and Ohio State.
Speaking of podcast listens, University of Nebraska professor John Shrader interviewed several sports media writers around the country for a podcast about covering the people who put on the games you watch. Worth your time.
Last item: My colleague Dan Shanoff reviewed “They Call It Late Night With Jason Kelce,” the first of a four-week “pop-up” experiment in sports TV leading up to the Super Bowl. Said Shanoff: “The results were a not-unexpected mix of raucous, ragged and relatable.” Musician-actor Steven Van Zandt had his own thoughts.
(Photo of Saquon Barkley: Mitchell Leff / Getty Images)
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LAS VEGAS – Danhausen’s curse may be real after all – just ask Stephen A. Smith and the New York Mets.
While the latter dropped their 10th game in a row, Smith got his share of the curse on Saturday night during Night 1 of WrestleMania 42. Smith was in attendance for WWE’s premier event of the year and heard massive boos from the crowd.
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith was sitting ringside to watch the action. The ESPN star appeared on the videoboard above the ring at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. He appeared to embrace the reaction and smiled through it.
The boos came after Danhausen appeared on “First Take” on Friday – much to the chagrin of the sports pundit. Smith appeared perplexed by Danhausen’s appearance. Smith said he heard about Danhausen and called him a “bad luck charm.”
Danhausen said Smith had been “rude” to him and put the dreaded “curse” on the commentator.
WWE STAR DANHAUSEN SAYS METS ‘CURSE’ ISN’T EXACTLY LIFTED AS TEAM DROPS NINTH STRAIGHT GAME
Stephen A. Smith attends WrestleMania 42: Night 1 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nevada, on April 18, 2026. (Andrew Timms/WWE)
Smith is far from the only one dealing with the effects of the “curse.”
Danhausen agreed to “un-curse” the Mets during their losing streak. However, he told Fox News Digital earlier this week that there was a reason why the curse’s removal didn’t take full effect.
“I did un-curse the Mets. But it didn’t work because, I believe it was Brian Gewirtz who did not pay Danhausen. He did not send me my money so it did not take full effect,” Danhausen said. “Once I have the money, perhaps it will actually work because right now it’s probably about a half of an un-cursing. It’s like a layaway situation.”
Danhausen enters the arena before his match against Kit Wilson during SmackDown at SAP Center in San Jose, Calif., on April 10, 2026. (Eakin Howard/Getty Images)
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On “Friday Night SmackDown,” WWE stars like The Miz and Kit Wilson were also targets of Danhausen’s curse.
It’s time to reveal memories, laughs and crazy times from Randy Rosenbloom’s 55 years as a TV/radio broadcaster in Los Angeles. He’s hopping in a car next Sunday with his wife, saying goodbye to a North Hollywood house that’s been in his family since 1952 and driving 3,300 miles to his new home in Greenville, S.C.
“When I walk out, I’ll probably break down,” he said.
He graduated from North Hollywood High in 1969. He got his first paid job in 1971 calling Hart basketball games for NBC Cable Newhall for $10 a game. It began an adventure of a lifetime.
“I never knew if I overachieved or underachieved. I just did what I loved,” he said.
Randy Rosenbloom (left) used to work with former UCLA coach John Wooden for TV games.
(Randy Rosenbloom)
John Wooden, Jerry Tarkanian and Jim Harrick were among his expert commentators when he did play by play for college basketball games. He called volleyball at the 1992 and 1996 Olympic Games for NBC and rowing in 2004. He’s worked more than 100 championship high school events. He did play by play for the first and only Reebok Bowl at Angel Stadium in 1994 won by Bishop Amat over Sylmar, 35-14.
“There were about 5,000, 6,000 people there and I remember thinking nobody watched the game. We ended up with a 5.7 TV rating on Channel 13 in Los Angeles, which is higher than most Lakers games.”
He conducted interviews with NFL Hall of Famers Gale Sayers and Johnny Unitas and boxing greats Robert Duran, Thomas Hearn and Sugar Ray Leonard. He’s worked with baseball greats Steve Garvey and Doug DeCinces. He called games with former USC coach Rod Dedeaux. He was in the radio booth for Bret Saberhagen’s 1982 no-hitter in the City Section championship game at Dodger Stadium. He was a nightly sportscaster for KADY in Ventura.
Randy Rosenbloom, left, with his volleyball broadcast partners, Kirk Kilgour and Bill Walton.
(Randy Rosenbloom)
He was the voice of Fresno State football and basketball. He also did Nevada Las Vegas football and basketball games. He called bowl games and Little League games. He was a public address announcer for basketball at the 1984 Olympic Games with Michael Jordan the star and did the P.A. for Toluca Little League.
Nothing was too small or too big for him.
“I loved everything,” he said.
He called at least 10 East L.A. Classic football games between Garfield and Roosevelt. He was there when Narbonne and San Pedro tied 21-21 in the 2008 City championship game at the Coliseum on a San Pedro touchdown with one second left.
Probably his most notable tale came when he was doing radio play-by-play at a 1998 college bowl game in Montgomery, Ala.
“I look down and a giant tarantula is crawling up my pants,” he said. “My color man took all the press notes, wadded them up and hit the tarantula like swinging a bat.”
Did Rosenbloom tell the audience what was happening?
“I stayed calm,” he said.
Then there was the time he was in the press box at Sam Boyd Stadium and a bat flew in and attached itself to the wooden press box right next to him before flying away after he said, “UNLV wins.”
Recently, he’s been putting together high school TV packages for LA36 and calling travel ball basketball games. He’ll still keep doing a radio gambling show from his new home, but he’s cutting ties to Los Angeles to move closer to grandchildren.
“I’m retiring from Los Angeles. I’m leaving the market,” he said.
Hopefully he’ll continue via Zoom to do a weekly podcast with me for The Times.
He’s a true professional who’s versatility and work ethic made him a reliable hire from the age of 18 through his current age of 74.
He’s a member of the City Section Hall of Fame and the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. He once threw the shot put 51 feet, 7 1/2 inches, which is his claim to fame at North Hollywood High.
One time an ESPN graphic before a show spelled his name “Rosenbloom” then changed it to “Rosenblum” for postgame. It was worth a good laugh.
He always adjusts, improvises and ad-libs. He expects to enjoy his time in South Carolina, but he better watch out for tarantulas. They seem to like him.
Sports
Becky Lynch enters exclusive WWE club with Women’s Intercontinental Championship win at WrestleMania 42
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LAS VEGAS – Becky Lynch entered an atmosphere no other WWE women’s superstar has ever reached as she won the Women’s Intercontinental Championship over AJ Lee on Saturday night at WrestleMania 42.
Lynch became the first person to hold the Women’s Intercontinental Championship three times after she pinned Lee. She first won the title against Lyra Valkyria in June 2025 and then again against Maxxine Dupri in November.
Becky Lynch celebrates with the belt after defeating AJ Lee during their women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
She dropped the belt to Lee at the Elimination Chamber, sparking a monthslong feud with her.
Lee gave Lynch the chance at the title in the weeks prior to WrestleMania 42. But it appeared Lee played right into Lynch’s plans. Despite arguing with referee Jessica Carr for most of the match, Lynch was able to tactfully tear down a rope buckle and use it to her advantage.
Lynch hit Lee with a Manhandle Slam and pinned her for the win.
WWE STARS REVEAL WHAT MAKES WRESTLEMANIA SO SPECIAL: ‘IT’S THE SUPER BOWL OF PRO WRESTLING’
AJ Lee reacts after losing to Becky Lynch in their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match at WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
It’s the second straight year Lynch will leave Las Vegas as champion. She returned to WWE at WrestleMania 41, teaming with Valkyria, to win the women’s tag titles. She will now leave Allegiant Stadium as the women’s intercontinental champion.
Lynch is now a seven-time women’s champion, three-time women’s intercontinental champion and two-time tag team champion.
Becky Lynch withstands AJ Lee during their Women’s Intercontinental Championship match on night one of WrestleMania 42 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas, Nev., on April 18, 2026. (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
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Lee’s reign as champion ended really before it could really begin. WrestleMania 42 was her first appearance at the event in 11 years. It’s unclear where Lee will go from here.
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