Detroit scores second-largest TV rating for Super Bowl 56

Must be all those A’Shawn Robinson fans.

The 2022 Super Bowl between the Los Angeles Rams and Cincinnati Bengals was the most-watched TV program in five years, according to a press release from the NFL. The game averaged 112.3 million viewers per the release, which was last beaten by Super Bowl 51—the remarkable 28-3 comeback game by the New England Patriots against the Atlanta Falcons.

Locally, the Super Bowl was a huge hit. Likely bolstered by the groundswell of support for former Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, the city of Detroit garnered a 45.9 rating for the game, indicating that 45.9 percent of households had the game on. That number was barely outdone by Cincinnati—the home of the Bengals—who scored a 46.1 rating.

Detroit also produced a high “share,” which measures the percentage of televisions turned on that were tuned into the Super Bowl. Detroit’s share of 79 percent was only behind Cincinnati (84) and Columbus (80).

In case you were wondering, the city of the actual Super Bowl winner, Los Angeles, did not crack the top 10 in rating (36.7), and was still behind Detroit when it comes to market share (77).

Here’s a look at the top 10 markets for the Super Bowl, as provided by NBC Sports. Note: The first number is the rating, the second number is the share.

1. Cincinnati: 46.1/84
2. Detroit: 45.9/79
3. Pittsburgh: 45.6/74
4. Columbus: 45.4/80
5. Kansas City: 44.6/76
6. Milwaukee: 44.0/75
7. Cleveland: 44.0/78
8. Boston: 42.6/74
9. Philadelphia: 42.3/71
10. Jacksonville: 41.3/73

Now imagine what these ratings in Detroit would look like if the Lions ever managed to get their way into the Super Bowl.