• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, September 12, 2007

NBC's "Sunday Night Football" game this week between two teams in the top-five markets, New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys, was its highest-rated telecast in the 18-to-49 demo since a playoff game in January. It did, however, show a 14% decline from the Sunday season opener a year ago.

This Sunday's game posted a 7.6 in the demo (20 share) in "live plus same day" program ratings. In households, the high-scoring game posted an 11.6 (19 share)--plus 18.2 million viewers--covering the three-hour period from the 8:24 p.m. EST kickoff to 11:26 p.m.

A year ago, with an attractive match-up with brothers Peyton Manning (Indianapolis) and Eli (New York) facing off, the game drew an 8.8 (22 share) in 18-to-49--and a 14.3 (29 share) in households, marking a 19% drop in the category this year.

Key football audience, men 18-to-49, also was down from an 11.8 (29 share) for Manning versus Manning to a 10.7 (28 share).

This past Sunday's household ratings were slightly higher than the NFL season opener on NBC. That special broadcast last Thursday delivered an 11.5 (20 share)--although it was also down from the opener a year ago, which posted a 12.6 (21 share).

With 18.2 million viewers, this past Sunday's game topped all NBC telecasts since March 5's "Deal or No Deal."

Last year, "SNF" by one measure averaged a 6.4 (16 share) in the 18-to-49 demo and a 10.5 (17 share) for households) for the season, so ratings could drop when ABC launches the new season of Sunday's most-watched show, "Desperate Housewives."

New York is the country's largest market, but Dallas recently moved up to fifth, passing San Francisco. NBC has owned-and-operated stations in both, giving it ad sales revenues for the game in both DMAs, with a combined 9.9 million TV homes.