NFL

Miracle finish not enough to save NFL playoff ratings

Not even tight NFL playoff games over the weekend — including a last-play winning score in Sunday’s Vikings-Saints game — could pull the once-invincible league out of its downward spiral.

Following a record decline in TV ratings for the regular season, the NFL’s four divisional playoff games hit new lows, according to overnight ratings in the country’s biggest markets.

The amazing finish in the Saints-Vikings game on Fox earned a 21.8 overnight rating, down 23 percent from last year, according to Sports Media Watch.

The TV audience for the game, from Minneapolis, was the lowest overnight rating since 2009 and the third-lowest for the late Sunday Divisional Round game since 2002.

Meanwhile, the Jaguars-Steelers game, in which the underdog Jaguars won 45-42, drew a 20.4 overnight on CBS, down 7 percent from last year.

On Saturday, NBC’s Falcons-Eagles game drew a 17.4 rating — down 5 percent from last year.

The lowest-rated playoff game was the Titans-Patriots match-up, which drew a lowly 16.6 rating on CBS, down 9 percent — and the lowest since 2000.