Preliminary Analysis: The 'Bears v. Rams' NFL game (4.1) propelled NBC to another effortless win, with a sturdy edition of 'Football Night in America' (1.9) occupying the 7-8:30pm stretch. This went about 15% below the preliminary rating of last fall's first Sunday game (4.9) but an upward adjustment should close that gap a bit. ABC was seemingly scorched by the added competition, with 'Celebrity Family Feud' (0.5) losing a tenth and 'The Chase' (0.3) shedding two. 'To Tell the Truth' (0.3) inched down in the 10pm hour but was still outpaced by a 7pm rerun of 'AFV' (0.4). With the aid of 'NFL Overrun' (4.5), the premiere of '60 Minutes' (1.8) soared to its usual, football-inflated level. Most of that boost was gone by the time 'Big Brother' (0.9) rolled around but the latter still rose by nearly two-tenths. Reruns of 'The Equalizer' (0.4) and 'NCIS: LA' (0.2) rounded out the evening. Fox's 'Masked Singer & Alter Ego' preview special (0.7) found itself in solid territory but only because it received ample assistance from 'NFL Overrun' (1.8) and 'The OT' (1.2). With a much stronger lead-in than usual, 'Fantasy Island' (0.5) jumped to a season high for a one-off Sunday episode. A repeat of 'Family Guy' (0.3) was at its typical number at 9:30. The CW's broadcast of the '2021 MTV Video Music Awards' (0.2) was marginally higher than their average scripted drama.
Finals Update: NFL Overrun on CBS (+0.8), The Chase (+0.1), NFL: Bears v. Rams (+1.3), NFL Overrun on Fox (+2.8), The OT (+0.5), The Masked Singer & Alter Ego Preview (+0.2), and repeats of America's Funniest Home Videos (+0.1) and NCIS: Los Angeles (+0.1) adjusted up. 60 Minutes (-0.1) adjusted down.
(P) = premiere
(R) = repeat
