A game with only field goals that ends in a tie in primetime. Yup, that’s the way to get ratings up.
As we’ve talked about in this column, the NFL has a ratings problem. There have been some all-time lows since the start of the season, especially on the previously coveted Sunday and Monday night games.
This week’s NFC West battle between the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals may have been the biggest microcosm of just why that is.
While a divisional battle between two projected playoff teams should have some excitement to it, neither team was able to find the end zone by the end of regulation, leading to the inevitable overtime. An additional 15 minutes should lead to some offense, but after four quarters of nothing, maybe it shouldn’t have been so surprising that neither team would cross the pylon once again.
What was surprising was that atrocity that could be described as the field goal kicking; or, more accurately, missing two chip shots.
Chandler Catanzaro and Steven Hauschka are two of the better kickers in the NFL. For 29- and 24-yard field goals to be missed felt like a universal force against logic.
It’s not like the game was expected to be incredibly low scoring either. Even Vegas was surprised, as the over was 43. The quarterbacks made some throws, as Russell Wilson and Carson Palmer combined to throw for 567 yards. But it wasn’t enough, and they didn’t make the big throws in key moments.
Nonetheless, the result was the first tie in the history of the Seahawks and the first for the Cardinals since 1986 — when they were the St. Louis Cardinals. Interestingly enough, the last 6-6 tie in the NFL was in 1972 between the Eagles and the Cardinals.
In fact, all three 6-6 ties in NFL — since the merger with the AFL — history have involved the Cardinals. Perhaps an even stranger fact is that every NFC West team has been involved in at least one tie since the 2012 season.
And the NFL still scheduled this game for primetime.
In the defense of the league, this contest was more appealing than several other Sunday night options this season, such as the Colts vs. Texans last week, or this Thursday’s Jaguars-Titans matchup.
The game was also the first NFL tie since the Bengals and Panthers’s 37-37 deadlock two seasons ago, but that was a higher scoring, and quite frankly, more exciting contest.
The game this Sunday was one of the sloppier games in the league all season, in addition to the anemic scoring and end result.
The NFL season has been so bizarre and anti-climactic that a tie was entirely fitting. One could say it was a microcosm of the the year thus far
The reactions of players and media after the contest were dulled, unsure and frustrated; it wasn’t a loss, but it also wasn’t a win? It’s common knowledge (other than for Donovan McNabb, apparently) that NFL overtimes can end in ties, but they remain vastly uncommon.
Fans of both sides have mixed reactions. While some diehards believe that the standings are now messed up for the rest of the year, casual fans are left unsatisfied.
“I really don’t know how to feel,” Seahawks linebacker Bobby Wagner told the Associated Press. “I’ve never been in a tie game before. It’s certainly not something we’re happy about.”
The NFL may have multiple reasons for a lack of viewership, such as off-field controversies or timeslots competing against the presidential debates, but the Sunday night tie was just more mediocrity on the screen.
It’s almost impossible to sell a 6-6 tie full of missed field goals, punts and turnovers. Hey NFL, do better.
It could have been worse, though. The New York Giants and Detroit Lions played to a 0-0 tie in 1943 … And the NFL survived that.
Marisa Ingemi covers field hockey for the Daily Free Press. She is also a sports radio host on WTBU and involved in BU Athletics social media department. An avid sports fan, Marisa is also the manager of the acclaimed lacrosse website InLacrosseWeTrust.com and the Boston Bruins beat writer for InsideHockey.com.
