Washington-Giants Thursday night game was a big ratings hit

It was an exciting game between two old rivals.

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At one time, NFC East matchups were among the most-watched games on television. Those were in the days when all four of the current members were either serious contenders or, at the very least, competitive.

Could the popularity of the NFC East be back on the rise?

According to NFL Media, the Thursday night showdown between the New York Giants and the Washington Football Team was the most-watched NFL Network exclusive game since 2018.

The game drew 7.9 million viewers over both TV and digital platforms.

Per the NFL:

Total viewership for last night’s Thursday Night Football Presented by Bud Light Platinum game featuring the Washington Football Team’s 30-29 win over the New York Giants was 7.9 million viewers (TV + Digital) – making it NFL Network’s most-watched exclusive Thursday Night Football game since 2018 (New York Jets vs. Cleveland Browns, 2018 Week 3).

The 7.9 million viewers for Giants-Washington on TV and Digital is up +25% vs. the 2020 NFL Network exclusive Thursday Night Football three-game average (6.3 million P2+) and up +9% versus last year’s Week 2 Thursday Night Football matchup between the Cincinnati Bengals and Cleveland Browns (7.2 million). Giants-Washington was television’s most-watched telecast of the day.

Digital streaming across NFL digital platforms, Giants and Washington mobile properties, and Yahoo Sports mobile properties delivered an average minute audience of 532K – the highest digital average minute audience ever for an NFL Network exclusive Thursday Night Football game.

This season, Washington has two more prime-time contests against Seattle on Monday Night Football in November and the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday Night Football in December.

Now, if only Washington’s local TV ratings were as successful.