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Off-the-field problems havent dented the NFLs popularity and, it turns out, fewer competitive games isnt turning too many fans away, either.Barely noticed beneath the domestic violence, player health and other troubles plaguing the league this year has been a significant decline in nail-biter games and an increase in blowouts.So far this season, according to STATS, the number of games decided by one score or less (8 points) are down by 18 per cent from last season and 20 per cent from 2012. Meanwhile, blowouts (20 points or more) are on the rise: There have been 32 per cent more than last year and 12 per cent over the 2012 number. There have been only nine overtime games so far this year, compared to 11 at this point last season and 17 in 2012.And yet TV ratings remain fairly steady. Nielsen says national games over cable and broadcast have averaged 16.7 million viewers so far this year, down from 17.2 million last year. Thats less than a 3 per cent decrease, and not enough of a drop to prevent Sunday Night Football from regularly being the weeks most-watched show.Credit fantasy football and gambling for part of that — theres always something to be rooting for, even if the games themselves arent that good.These two pillars, when combined with massive fan interest from hard core fans and a steady engagement from casual fans, blunts the downside associated with less compelling competition, said David Carter, executive director of the Marshall Sports Business Institute at Southern California.To be sure, the league that prides itself on parity has good races going in every division as December hits, and has produced its fair share of good games as well.Last week, there were three one-point affairs, including San Diegos comeback from 10 points down late for a 34-33 victory over Baltimore. Also, Green Bays 26-21 win over New England in the so-called Game of the Year last week was compelling and came down to the final minutes.The Thanksgiving Day games? All turkeys.One of the best lineups for Thanksgiving in recent memory — Chicago at Detroit, Philly at Dallas and Seattle at San Francisco — had playoff implications for all teams involved. The combined score of the three games: 86-30. None were decided by fewer than 16 points.It was unfortunate, because nobody was saying (anything bad) about those games on Wednesday, said Jay Kornegay, who runs the LVH sportsbook. It looked like a pretty strong lineup.And, to tell by the TV ratings, it was. All three games pulled better ratings than the games in their time slot the year before.Thursday-night games in general have been bad. Unpopular among players who detest the short work week and the ravages it can cause to their bodies, the average score of those games this season has been 33-15. Only three have been decided by a touchdown or less while five have produced margins of 20 or more.The Sunday-night games touted as the weeks marquee matchups have produced a steady stream of blowouts, as well. Since Week 2, only one game has been decided by fewer than 10 points. Sunday Night Football, however, regularly wins its time slot.With America spending upward of $11 billion a year on fantasy football, its no surprise viewership still goes through the roof. The way some fantasy owners see it, a lopsided game is simply a chance for the losing quarterback to rack up some come-from-behind passing yardage and the winning running back grind out some fantasy points, as well.The NFL has emphasized the in-stadium experience, ramping up internet connections so fans can keep track of other games while enjoying the one theyre attending. At the midpoint of the season, attendance was on pace to better last years per-game average of 68,867 (a five-year high), with 20 of the 32 teams reporting increases, according to STATS.And in Vegas — as Al Michaels likes to subtly remind viewers in these runaway Sunday night games hes calling — no game is over, til its over, as in, until it surpasses the number the books set for total points.In keeping with the seasons trend, this weeks lineup features four games with double-digit spreads: New Orleans -10 over Carolina; Detroit -10 over Tampa Bay; Denver -10 over Buffalo and Green Bay -12 1/2 over Atlanta.Kornegay, however, doesnt flinch at an abundance of lopsided matchups. His job is to set a line that will come close to matching the final margin, with the ultimate goal of getting equal action on both sides. If he sets the right spread — and he says Vegas books are having a very good football season so far — then all these games will keep viewers interested to the end, even if the games are blowouts.Yeah, weve seen a few more blowouts and overs due to some of the Thursday night mismatches, along with Sunday nights, Kornegay said. But I dont think theres any reason to panic. Authentic Lawson Crouse Jersey . According to TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun, Brodeurs agent Pat Brisson has spoken to six teams so far regarding the veteran goaltender. Arizona Coyotes Outlet Store . Ramirez is still hitting behind Puig, only now they are in the third and fourth spots, and the change is starting to generate positive results for manager Don Mattingly. http://www.cheapcoyotesjerseysauthentic.com/?tag=authentic-michael-grabner-jersey . The 155th edition of the Plate for Canadian-foaled three-year-olds, the oldest continuously run stakes race in North America, will be televised live on TSN in HD (High Definition) in a special presentation from 4:30 – 6:00 pm ET. Post time is 5:38 pm. Authentic Bobby Hull Jersey .Y. -- Dallas Stars coach Lindy Ruff had an opportunity to experience an entire range of emotions in his first trip back to Buffalo to face his former team. Authentic Clayton Keller Jersey . - Doug Kalitta led Top Fuel qualifying Friday in the NHRA Nationals at Maple Grove Raceway with a 3.PITTSBURGH -- It looked like Alfredo Simons bubble was about to burst. After being one of the biggest surprises of the young season for the Cincinnati Reds by ably filling in for injured starting pitcher Mat Latos, Simon hit a rough patch in the first inning Wednesday night. He walked three batters in a row to force in a run. Then, just like that, the right-hander went back to being dominant, pitching into the seventh inning despite the erratic early control, and Jay Bruce drove in a run for a fifth consecutive game as the Reds beat the Pittsburgh Pirates 5-2. "It was cold and I was having a hard time feeling the ball," said Simon, pitching on a blustery night when the game-time temperature was 50 degrees. "After that first inning, I felt a lot better and pitched like Ive been pitching. Simon (3-1) worked 6 2-3 innings and allowed two runs on four hits and five walks while striking out four. Simon has pitched at least six innings in each of his four starts this season as a replacement for the injured Mat Latos and has a 1.30 ERA. Simon pitched exclusively in relief the previous two years. "Hes been terrific," Reds manager Bryan Price said. "Hes been an extremely versatile pitcher for us the last two-plus seasons. Hes always been a talented guy, but hes really found himself and made himself into a very good-looking starting pitcher." Bruce had two hits and knocked in the final run of the decisive three-run fifth inning against Charlie Morton (0-3) that gave the Reds a 4-2 lead. Billy Hamilton also had two hits for Cincinnati, which stole four bases while winning seven of 10 games since a 3-7 start. "We took advantage of what we could because this is team that might not give you a lot most nights," Bruce said. "We tried to put some pressure on the defence." Jonathan Broxton pitched a scoreless ninth inning, despite allowing two hits, for his third save. Andrew&nbssp;McCutchen had two hits and homered for the third consecutive night for the Pirates, who lost for the 10th time in 13 games.dddddddddddd Morton also had control issues, walking five in six innings while giving up four runs -- three earned -- and four hits with four strikeouts. "I was yanking my fastball all night," he said. "There were times were I was trying to go inside on left-handed hitters and missing in the right-handed batters box. I was literally missing by 3 feet." The Reds used their speed to go ahead in a fifth inning that included two stolen bases and the second throwing error of the game by catcher Chris Stewart. NOTES: Pittsburgh C Russell Martin was a late scratch because of a miscommunication. Martin, who is 0-for-7 against Simon, thought he was getting Wednesday off while manager Clint Hurdle thought he and Martin had decided Thursday would be an off day. ... Reds LHP Aroldis Chapman threw early batting practice, the first time he had faced hitters since suffering fractures of his eye and nose along with a mild concussion March 19 when he was hit by a line drive off the bat of Kansas Citys Salvador Perez. Chapman pitched from behind a protective screen and the next step is for him to throw batting practice without the screen sometime this weekend when the Reds visit Atlanta. ... Cincinnati INF/OF Skip Schumaker will report to the Reds extended spring training camp on Friday at Goodyear, Ariz., as he continues to rehab the left shoulder he dislocated while diving for a ball in the outfield during a spring training game March 21. ... Pittsburgh 1B Travis Ishikawa cleared waivers and elected free agency after declining an outright assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis. He was designated for assignment last Friday. ... The Pirates will recall RHP Brandon Cumpton from Indianapolis to start Thursday against LHP Tony Cingrani (1-2, 3.22) in the finale of the four-game series. 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