FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The CBS 4:15 p.m. national time slot featuring the Patriots 36-7 win over the Bears drew the highest national ratings of any NFL program this season with a 17.4 household rating. The Patriots-Bears game also drew the fifth-highest regular season local ratings in franchise history with a 41.29 household rating in the Boston market.

More than 30 million viewers tuned in to watch the CBS national window, which featured the Patriots victory over the Bears at snowy Soldier Field. It was the most-watched and highest-rated program of the week. The CBS national game featuring the Patriots-Bears game is one of just two NFL regular season games since 2007 to average more than 30 million viewers.

The ratings were the highest in the NFL this season, surpassing the prior high set by the Thursday Kickoff game on NBC between Minnesota and New Orleans on Sept. 9, which drew a 16.5 HH rating.

This season, the Patriots have also been part of two record-setting NFL broadcasts. New England's 23-20 overtime victory over Baltimore on Sunday, Oct. 17 helped CBS set the mark for the highest rating (12.8 HH rating) for its single-game window since it acquired the current AFC package in 1998. The Patriots-Jets game on Sunday, Sept. 19 drew a 16.2 HH rating, making it the most-watched September CBS game ever.

In the Boston market, the Patriots-Bears game drew more than one million viewers and was the highest-rated program of the week, more than doubling popular prime time programs such as CBS's 60 Minutes (18.32 HH Rating), and more than tripling ABC's Modern Family (11.61 HH Rating), and Fox's Glee (10.26 HH Rating).

Three of New England's past four games rank in the top five all-time for HH ratings in the Boston market with the Patriots-Jets Monday night game on Dec. 6 ranking third with a 42.20 HH rating and the Patriots-Colts Nov. 21 game ranking fourth with a 42.04 HH rating.

The three highest-rated games of the 2010 season in the Boston market are only surpassed by New England's Dec. 29, 2007 win over the New York Giants that completed the only 16-0 regular season in NFL history and a Dec. 7, 2003 victory over the Dolphins (43.80 HH Rating, 61 Share) in the snow. The Dec. 29, 2007 Patriots-Giants game earned a 50.1 HH rating in the Boston market, a rating that represents an unprecedented four-way telecast in which the game was seen in Boston on NFL Network, WBZ-TV Channel 4 (CBS), WCVB-TV Channel 5 (ABC) and WHDH-TV Channel 7 (NBC).

The Patriots continued their record-setting pace for HH ratings through 13 weeks in their designated market area with an average 34.0 HH rating. Average HH ratings for the 2010 season are up four points from 2009 averages and over seven points from 2008 averages. The average 34.0 HH rating is on pace to break the record 33.6 HH rating set in 2007. In addition, New England owns the 10 most-watched television programs in the Boston area since football season began.

This week, the Patriots host the 8-5 Packers on Sunday, Dec. 19. The game will be broadcast to a national NBC audience with Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth calling the game. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:20 p.m. and will air locally on WHDH in Boston and WJAR in Providence.

*Games from this season in bold