ENGLEWOOD, Colo. –Peyton Manning's return to Indianapolis was the most popular thing on television since the Academy Awards.
According The Denver Post, The Sunday Night Football showdown drew a 17.3 overnight rating and 29 share (8:30 p.m. to 12:15 a.m. ET) and in Denver it drew a 49.6 rating and a 71 share, meaning that 71 percent of televisions turned on in Denver Sunday night were tuned to the game.
The mark set Sunday was the best primetime overnight for a game in October since 1998 when Minnesota and Green Bay drew a 17.5 rating.
Among adults 18-49, the game drew a 10.0 rating, the next best rating in that demographic was a 6.1 drawn by AMC's "The Walking Dead."
Manning, who was playing in his first game in Indianapolis since he left the Colts, was honored by the Colts with a pregame video and a standing ovation.
The game lived up to the hype from the week leading up to the matchup. After trailing by 19 points in the third quarter, the Broncos fought back and made the contest a one-possession game before late turnovers derailed the comeback effort.
The Broncos ultimately dropped their first game of the season, 39-33.
In the Week 4 matchup with Philadelphia, nearly 80 percent of televisions in Denver were tuned into the Broncos' game.
