FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots defeated the Houston Texans 41-28 on Sunday and set a new team record for the highest household television rating for a Divisional Playoff game. The team's 50.5 HH rating bested both the 46.0 rating from last year's Divisional Playoff and the previous team high of 47.8, which was set during a 2011 home loss to the New York Jets.
The Patriots 50.5 HH rating was the highest rating achieved among the four AFC Divisional playoff cities. Denver recorded the second highest rating of the weekend with a 48.4 HH rating in their loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
Sunday's household share rating of 72 tied the franchise's Divisional Playoff high set in 2011 against the Jets. The share of 72 means that on average 72 percent of all televisions in use in the Boston market during the game were tuned in to the Patriots.
On a national level the game averaged a 21.7 HH rating and received 37.5 million viewers. The audience peaked with an average of 39.7 million viewers in the second half from 6:45 p.m.-7:00 p.m. ET.
The Patriots will host the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on Sunday, Jan. 20, at 6:30 p.m. ET. This marks the second straight year that the Patriots and Ravens will play to earn a trip to the Super Bowl.
