Weekend ratings predictions: NFL preseason, PGA Tour, and more – SportingNews.com
First, the results of last week’s predictions:
— PGA Championship, third and final rounds. Predictions: 2.8 and 4.4; final ratings: 2.8 and 4.4.
— NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Michigan. Prediction: 2.6; final rating: 2.6.
— MLB Sunday Night Baseball, Angels-Royals. Prediction: 1.1; final rating: 1.2.
— Premier League, Chelsea-Manchester City. Prediction: 0.5; final rating: 0.5.
— NFL preseason, Buccaneers-Vikings. Prediction: 1.5; final rating: N/A.
This week’s predictions:
NFL preseason, Rams-Titans (8 p.m. Sunday, FOX): In an annual preseason tradition, FOX gets a shot at Sunday Night Football this weekend. While Titans rookie QB Marcus Mariota would seem like a strong draw on paper, his debut last week declined both locally and nationally. Look for Sunday’s matchup against the low-profile Rams to decline slightly from last year’s Chiefs/Panthers game (3.8). Prediction: 3.6.
PGA Tour Wyndham Championship, final round (3 p.m. Sunday, CBS): Playing in the Wyndham Championship for the first time, 36-hole co-leader Tiger Woods figures to boost ratings for the event win or lose. Last year’s final round had a mere 1.3 rating — and that still represented a three-year high. Not once since moving to its current date in 2007 has the event topped the 1.6 mark, but that should change this year. Prediction: 2.2.
NASCAR Sprint Cup racing from Bristol (7:30 p.m. Saturday, NBCSN): All 12 NASCAR races on cable this season have not only declined from last year, but hit multi-year lows. Saturday’s race from Bristol is a virtual lock to be the 13th, especially since last year’s race aired on broadcast network ABC (3.2). Expect the lowest rating for the race since at least 1998, falling below the current mark of 2.8 in 1999. Prediction: 2.6.
USGA U.S. Amateur Championship, final (3 p.m. Sunday, FOX): Fox Sports wraps up the first year of its partnership with the USGA with the U.S. Amateur Championship this weekend. Ratings will be hard-pressed to dip much lower than last year’s 0.3 on NBC, even with potential competition from Tiger Woods in the Wyndham Championship. Prediction: 0.3.
MLB Sunday Night Baseball, Giants-Pirates (8 p.m. Sunday, ESPN): Coming off of a big increase for last week’s Angels/Royals game, Sunday Night Baseball should score a second-straight jump this week. Last year’s A’s/Braves game set the bar low with a 0.9 rating. Prediction: 1.1.
Paulsen is the founder of Sports Media Watch and a contributor for Sporting News. Follow him on Twitter @Paulsen_SMW.
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