Packers vs. Cowboys, Steelers vs. Chiefs Divisional Round TV Ratings Released

The NFL's ratings "crisis" is officially over. Overnight numbers for Sunday's divisional-round games are in, and they marked borderline unprecedented highs.

Sports TV Ratings' Twitter account reported the NFC game between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys drew an overnight share of 28.2, the best for a divisional-round game in two decades. The AFC game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Kansas City Chiefs drew a 21.9, which is the best-ever prime-time number for a divisional-round game.

ESPN's Andrew Brandt offered a comparison to major events in other sports:

While few have ever questioned the NFL's place as sports' ratings king, the league spent much of 2016 fretting about low television numbers. The first nine weeks saw national games drop 14 percent over the same period in 2015, a staggering figure that sent some into a panic.

Ratings rebounded after the U.S. presidential election, which likely had some viewers watching news stations rather than football. However, ratings were still down on a year-to-year basis—even if it wasn't at the stress-inducing levels of the first nine weeks.

"I'm a big believer that it's about the pace of the game, not the length of the game," NFL Commissioner Goodell told ESPN.com's Darren Rovell. "If you have a great game, no one is talking about the game's length. But pace is something we've been working on."

Goodell's theory proved correct Sunday, with complaints about game length seeming nonexistent as both contests went down to the wire. The Packers advanced on a 51-yard Mason Crosby field goal as time expired, which came only 35 seconds (of game time) after Dallas' Dan Bailey tied the game up with a 52-yard kick.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers engineered a game-winning drive that was highlighted by a 36-yard catch by Jared Cook, who seemingly defied physics to stay in bounds. Crosby then hit his second field goal of longer than 50 yards in the last two minutes for the win.

The Steelers' 18-16 win over the Chiefs came down to a controversial two-point conversion attempt. Chiefs tackle Eric Fisher was called for a hold on a play where the Chiefs completed the conversion to tie the game at 18 following a Spencer Ware touchdown. An Alex Smith pass fell incomplete on Kansas City's subsequent attempt, and the Steelers ran out the clock on their following drive to advance.

Close games nearly always have better retention numbers than blowouts, leading to higher ratings. The NFL also likely benefitted from the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, which left many fans with an extra day off work to watch the games. 

Follow Tyler Conway (@jtylerconway) on Twitter.