We’re back with NFL picks, week seven edition here at NFL Mocks. As always, you can find full NFL news and NFL predictions here on the site, as well as newsy notes on both college football and the NFL Draft. You can follow the site on Twitter @NFLMocks, and the author @JoeWedra.
Isn’t it amazing that in the midst of perhaps the best MLB postseason series of this decade, the NFL still crushes baseball in ratings? There’s been so much talk about the ratings decline in Roger Goodell’s league, but the numbers for even the worst primetime matchups still far exceed the MLB’s viewership during the most exciting part of their season.
We can talk about the slight dip in TV numbers, but there’s no doubt that the league is doing just fine when it comes to revenue.
And I know this is a picks column – and we’ll get to those in a second. But have the folks in the NFL ratings conversation considered the sheer number of outlets where fans get game information and playback from? Personally as a fan, there are so many ways for me to be able to keep up with the NFL that I don’t need to turn my TV to ESPN or NFL Network to watch these games.
I can play it back on NFL Game Rewind (in 30-45 minutes) the next morning while I’m drinking my coffee. I can keep up with play-by-play on the phone (while watching the MLB playoffs or, gasp, the debates) and watch full video highlights as soon as the clock hits zero and read as much as I want about these games without watching a single snap.
Sure, for most of us loyal NFL die-hards, we want to watch the action as it unfolds. And for a large section of the viewing audience, that’ll never change.
However, the casual fan has plenty of options these days instead of merely tuning into the network for three and a half hours and watching the game from start to finish. It’s not a bad thing for the brand of the NFL – and while the viewership numbers might be down, I’ll be willing to bet that the league’s popularity is still near an all-time high.
Anyway, sorry for the prolonged introduction (if you can even call it that). I only write one column here per week … I’ve gotta get my hot takes in somewhere.
Onward with the predictions, with a slight twist in the style this week, for Week 7 of the 2016 NFL season.