FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - Behind three touchdowns from quarterback Tom Brady and two special teams scores - including the Patriots' first blocked punt returned for a touchdown since 1996 - the Patriots orchestrated an exciting 38-31 victory over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field on Sunday, clinching their first road win of the season, improving to 5-2 on the year and rising to first place in the AFC East.
The 1 p.m. broadcast on CBS (WBZ) was also a win in the ratings, as the game delivered a 35.9 household rating and 67 share, the Patriots' highest of the 2018 season. The broadcast averaged 1,293,000 viewers and peaked at 4:00 p.m. with more than 1.4 million viewers.
Additionally, the game was the highest-rated program on television in the Boston market once again this week. Since their first preseason game on Aug. 9, the Patriots have claimed the top spot in the weekly program rankings for the past 11 weeks.
The Patriots will travel to Buffalo next week to take on the Bills in a primetime matchup on ESPN's Monday Night Football. The game will kick off at 8:15 p.m. ET at New Era Field and will be broadcast locally on WCVB. Joe Tessitore and Jason Witten will call the game from the booth, with Booger McFarland and Lisa Salters providing sideline analysis and reports.
| Program | Network | Date | Rating | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patriots at Bears | CBS | 10/22/18 | 35.9 | 67 |
| ALCS Game 5 | TBS | 10/18/18 | 26.2 | 43 |
| ALCS Game 4 Red Sox at Astros | TBS | 10/17/18 | 20.5 | 39 |
| ALCS Game 3 Red Sox at Astros | TBS | 10/16/18 | 19.9 | 35 |
| Inside the MLB | TBS | 10/16/18 | 14.2 | 21 |
| 60 Minutes | CBS | 10/21/18 | 12.5 | 19 |
