Despite franchise quarterback Carson Wentz leaving the game in the first quarter due to a head injury, the Philadelphia Eagles' NFC Wild Card matchup with the prevailing Seattle Seahawks on Sunday was the most-watched program since last year's Super Bowl LIII.
Per Austin Karp of Sports Business Daily via Pro Football Talk, the Sunday afternoon Wild Card game, where the No. 5 Seahawks defeated the No. 4 Eagles in Philly 17-9, averaged 35.8 million viewers.
While the number is astounding, especially in the context of capturing the greatest number of viewers since the Super Bowl, the 2019 NFC Wild Card between the Eagles and Chicago Bears actually surpassed the total viewership figure slightly.
This time around, the Eagles, who won the NFC East title, hosted the Seahawks, who were slightly edged out by the No. 1 San Francisco 49ers. However, Philly's 27-year-old gunslinger Wentz—starting in his first career NFL postseason game—was knocked on the ground hard and had to leave with a head injury. 40-year-old journeyman quarterback Josh McCown, who came out of retirement in 2019 to backup Wentz, had to sub in and could not muster enough offense out of the injury-stricken Eagles to mount a comeback, eventually losing by a touchdown and a two-point conversion margin.
The Seahawks will play the Green Bay Packers next week during the NFL's Divisional Round. Another big market team like Philadelphia in the New England Patriots were also bounced from the playoffs over the weekend. The Eagles defeated the Patriots in Super Bowl LII two years ago, but neither team made the Divisional Round this time around.
Fortunately, for the league, stars like Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Kansas Chief Chiefs signal-caller Patrick Mahomes, and Deshaun Watson of the Houston Texans are still alive in the playoffs in the AFC while the NFC still boasts Seattle's Russell Wilson and Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.
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