Traina Thoughts: NFL Ratings Up In Week 3

The NFL's ratings for Week 3 were up over last season.

1. Here's some fake news for you.

Ratings for NFL football are way down except before game starts, when people tune in to see whether or not our country will be disrespected!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 26, 2017

It turns out ratings for Week 3 of the NFL were UP over last season.

That tweet above comes from Michael Mulvihill, who works for Fox Sports. As he stated, Week 3 was up three percent over last year. That stat didn't even include the Thursday night Rams-Niners game, which was up 20 percent.

It seems all of the national anthem demonstrations that took place around the league Sunday did not sway people from tuning out on Monday, because last night's Cowboys-Cardinals game drew a big number.

Let's pump the breaks on "the NFL is dying," OK? And remember, last year, the league's rating were down 14 percent pre-election and just one percent post-election. Just facts.

2. Here's one more nugget. This one is for the "ESPN is dying" crowd.

Cord cutting is the issue. Not ESPN's so-called "liberal bias." 

3. My colleague, Richard Deitsch, joined me on a bonus episode of "Off The Board" Monday afternoon to discuss how the networks covered the war of words between Donald Trump and the NFL on Sunday, Rex Ryan's revelation about Trump, Bob Costas speaking truth on CNN, how Tony Romo is faring in the booth, what College GameDay in NYC was like, Mike Francesa's future and more. You can listen on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher. 

4. J.R. Smith called out LeBron James for a true violation of friendship.

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5. Cubs shortstop Addison Russell obliterated a fan's nachos last night and ended up covered in cheese.

That's nacho cheese, Russell 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/DDvkfFqZXb

— Cubs Talk (@NBCSCubs) September 26, 2017

6. It was a rough night in the sports category on "Jeopardy!" last night.

7. Jimmy Kimmel treated us to a new edition of Mean Tweets last night.

8. RANDOM WRESTLING VIDEO OF THE DAY: Today is National Pancake Day. In honor of the occasion, here's a vintage segment involving The Rock, who drops a line about pancakes. 

The best of the Internet, plus musings by SI.com writer, Jimmy Traina. Get the link to a new Traina's Thoughts each day by following on Twitter and liking on Facebook. Catch up on previous editions of Traina Thoughts. And check Jimmy Traina's weekly podcast, "Off The Board," on iTunes, SoundCloud and Stitcher.

BONUS ITEM: Five days away from the return of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Get excited people.