The game was over by halftime, but viewers continued to watch as the Dallas Cowboys quit on their coach Wade Phillips and basically got him fired. According to NBC, 19.4 million viewers stayed to watch the train wreck as it was happening before their eyes. In addition, the game received an 11.6 rating with a 19 share, up from last week’s game.

Here’s the press release.

19.4 MILLION WATCH “SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL” BLOWOUT

SNF Most-Watched Sunday Night Show Every Week This Season (9 For 9)

No. 1 Primetime Show of the Week in All Key Adult and Male Demos For 9^th Straight Week

No. 1 Show of the Primetime Season in All Key Adult and Male Demos

SNF Has Best Average Viewership For Primetime NFL Package in 14 Years

NEW YORK – November 9, 2010 – Despite the 45-7 blowout that saw the Green Bay Packers dismantle the 1-7 Dallas Cowboys, this week’s “Sunday Night Football” game was the most-watched program on Sunday night for the ninth straight week, the No. 1 show of the week in the key advertising demographics, and remains the No. 1 show of the primetime television season in all adult and male demographics, according to official national data released today by The Nielsen Company.

The game, which was seemingly out of hand in the second quarter as the Packers went ahead 28-0, drew 19.4 million viewers, the fifth most-watched “Sunday Night Football” game this season.

DEFEATED ALL SUNDAY NIGHT COMPETITION: The “Sunday Night Football” broadcast defeated all Sunday Night competition for the ninth time in nine weeks, including original broadcasts of ABC’s Desperate Housewives and Brothers & Sisters, and CBS’s 60 Minutes (featuring an interview with President Barack Obama), Amazing Race, and Undercover Boss, and Fox’s The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, and Family Guy.

SNF IS 9 FOR 9: With 19.4 million viewers, “Sunday Night Football” was the most-watched primetime show on Sunday night for the ninth straight week this season (100 percent). Last season, SNF was the most-watched Sunday night primetime broadcast in a record 15 of 16 (94 percent) weeks. In 2008, SNF won 13 of 16 (81 percent) Sunday nights after winning 11 of 16 in 2007 (69 percent) and nine of 16 in 2006 (56 percent). 

• The 19.4 million is 1.3 million more than and up seven percent from last week’s SNF game featuring the Steelers vs. Saints (18.1 million). Sunday night’s household rating of 11.6/19 was up eight percent from last week’s Steelers-Saints game.

• Last year’s Week 9 SNF game featured the 5-2 Cowboys against the 5-2 Eagles in a battle for first place in the NFC East, a game the Cowboys won, 20-16. That game drew 21.9 million viewers and a 13.7/22 household rating.

NO. 1 SHOW OF THE WEEK: For the ninth straight week “Sunday Night Football” was the No. 1 regularly-scheduled primetime broadcast of the week by a wide margin among Adults 18-49, the coveted advertiser demographic, as well as among Adults 18-34, Adults 25-54, Men 18-34, 18-49 and 25-54.

• For the week, “Sunday Night Football” has a 38 percent margin of victory over the No. 2 show in Adults 18-49 (6.8 for SNF vs. 4.8 for Modern Family on ABC).

• Through nine weeks of the NFL season, “Sunday Night Football” stands as the most-watched primetime show on television, and the No. 1 regularly scheduled primetime show in all key adult and male demos.

THROUGH 9 WEEKS, SNF BEST IN 14 YEARS: Through the first nine weeks of the NFL season, “Sunday Night Football” is averaging 21.3 million viewers, the most through this point in the season for a primetime NFL package in 14 years (23.6 million in 1996 on ABC).

• NBC’s nine-week viewership of 21.3 million is nearly two million more than and nine percent above last year’s 19.5 million, and up 33 percent over 2008 (16.0 million) through the same point in the season

SNF AVERAGE VIEWERSHIP THROUGH EIGHT WEEKS:

1. 2010, 21.3 million

2. 2009, 19.5 million

3. 2006, 17.8 million

4. 2007, 16.1 million

5. 2008, 16.0 million

The nine-week average household rating of 12.8/21 is eight percent higher than last year’s 11.8/19 and 27 percent ahead of 2008 (9.9/16) through the same point in the season.

TOP METERED MARKETS FOR COWBOYS-PACKERS:

1. Milwaukee, 45.8/62

2. Dallas, 27.8/41

3. San Antonio, 20.3/27

4. Las Vegas, 18.9/27

5. Austin, 17.8/27

6. Minneapolis, 17.3/26

7. Nashville, 17.2/24

8. Albuquerque, 17.1/24

9. New Orleans, 16.7/22

10. Norfolk, 16.2/23

And we’re done.