45.4 million watched Rams-Bears on Sunday night

Sunday night’s epic, snowy, overtime thriller between the Rams and Bears ended in a win for L.A. And a win for the NFL.

The game drew an audience of 45.4 million, on average, for NBC and Peacock. Viewership peaked at 52.6 million, in the closing minutes of the contest.

It was the biggest division-round number for NBC since 1988. It beat the prior high-water mark (Oilers-Chiefs January 1994) by more than four million viewers.

Of that amount, 5.3 million watched via streaming platforms.

Last year’s Sunday night division-round playoff game between the Ravens and Bills averaged 42.2 million on CBS. This year’s audience reflects a 7.58-percent increase.