Interesting article about the rating last Sunday. Are there still that many Cowboy fans in Houston? Cowboys-Patriots a big hit on CBS 02:57 PM CDT on Monday, October 15, 2007 By BARRY HORN / The Dallas Morning News bhorn@dallasnews.com Sunday's Dallas Cowboys-New England Patriots game was the highest-rated regular-season game on CBS since the network reacquired NFL rights in 1998, according to preliminary ratings released Monday. The game scored an 18.5 rating in the 56 largest TV markets across the country. Final national ratings will be available Tuesday. The previous record for a CBS game was a 16.9 on Dec. 6, 1998, when the Denver Broncos extended their unbeaten record to 13-0 by defeating the Kansas City Chiefs, 35-31. Thus far this season, the Cowboys have played in the highest-rated game on CBS, NBC and ESPN. Their victory over the Bills on ESPN last Monday night was the highest-rated program on cable all season. Dallas-Fort Worth produced the highest ratings for the Cowboys-Patriots, narrowly topping the Boston market, 37.0 to 36.5. In Houston, the Cowboys-Patriots pulled a 17.5 rating in the second game of a doubleheader, topping the hometown Texans-Jacksonville Jaguars noon game, which earned a 16.7.