FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – On Thursday, Nov. 22, the New England Patriots took the field on Thanksgiving Day for the fifth time in franchise history and the fourth time since 2000. Unlike the previous three contests which pitted New England against the Detroit Lions, this year's game featured a divisional matchup against the New York Jets.
The Patriots set a new Thanksgiving Day franchise record by recording a local household television rating of 35.2 on Thursday night. Prior to Thursday's game, the Patriots high rating on Thanksgiving was 25.24—a number achieved during the team's 2010 victory over the Lions.
This year's game also received a household share of 61. The household share of 61 means that on average 61 percent of all televisions in use in the Boston market during the game were tuned in to the Patriots.
In 2006, the National Football League expanded their Thanksgiving Day schedule from two to three games. Among the six teams playing on Thursday, the Patriots drew the highest rating in their local market. The Lions received the second-highest rating in their local market with a 27.0 household rating in the Detroit market during their overtime loss to the Houston Texans.
Just over a month ago, the Patriots and Jets needed overtime to decide the first matchup between the two teams. On Thursday night the Patriots only needed two quarters to put the Jets away. After a scoreless first quarter, the Patriots took advantage of Jets' turnovers and miscues in the second quarter to jump out to a 35-3 halftime lead en route to a 49-19 victory.
Thursday night's win improved the Patriots record to 8-3. This week, the Patriots will travel to South Florida to take on the Miami Dolphins.
PATRIOTS ON THANKSGIVING SINCE 2000 IN BOSTON (MANCHESTER) TV MARKET
Date            Opponent          Network         Boston TV      HH Rating       HH Share
11/23/00       at Detroit             CBS                 WBZ                16.7                 47
11/28/02       at Detroit             CBS                 WBZ                20.3                 59
11/25/10       at Detroit             CBS                 WBZ                25.24               69       Â
11/22/12       at NY Jets            NBC                 WHDH             35.2                 61
