Worth the replay?

1. #1

   PatriotsatBroncos

   NFL· CBS/Paramount+Down to the wire

   C+

   53/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension30/30

   Swings16/25

   Comeback9/20

   Decided late13/15

   Back-and-forth3/10

   Drama 71 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 53

2. #2

   RamsatSeahawks

   NFL· FoxDown to the wire

   C+

   50/100
   ▸ Why this grade

   Late tension30/30

   Swings17/25

   Comeback3/20

   Decided late10/15

   Back-and-forth5/10

   Drama 66 × pre-game weight 0.75 (pre-game Watchability 50, estimated) = 50

Ranked from each game's win probability as it was played (ESPN's for football and basketball; ours, from the goals, for hockey): how in doubt it was near the end, how far the winner came back from, how late it was decided, how big its momentum swings were and how often a team erased a deficit, with a bonus for overtime. That drama is then weighted by how good a matchup it was going in (its pre-game Watchability score), so a thriller between top teams ranks above an equally wild game between minor ones.