New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars AFC title game draws huge TV ratings

The New England Patriots pulled off another postseason comeback to reach their eighth Super Bowl of the Tom Brady-Bill Belichick era and Sunday's telecast generated huge ratings.

The viewership was so high that not only was New England's 24-20 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars the highest rated game of the 2017 season, it also was the highest-rated program since the Patriots rallied from a 28-3 deficit to beat the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime in Super Bowl LI for their fifth title.

Sunday's win drew an average overnight household rating of 27.3. In the Boston market the game earned a household rating of 50.1 to go along with a market share of 75, the highest market share for a Patriots game besides the Super Bowl in the last two seasons.

Last season, the FOX broadcast drew a 45.3 rating, and 70 percent of American households watched the game. It was the fifth highest-rated program in TV history and trailed only Super Bowl XLVIII between Denver and Seattle in 2014 as the most-watched event in FOX history.

New England participated in the two highest-rated games of the season. Its 27-24 win at Pittsburgh on Dec. 17 drew a 15.2 rating.