I was one of those 6.9 million viewers - but I only watched the 1st quarter. For me, after a summer of not watching a ton of sports, it was good to see football back on the TV. I caught some track and field, golf, and the Tour de France, but it isn't the same thing as seeing football on the TV.YIPES! Who watches that? 6.9 million viewers. That is just under the Indy 500, and the result of that race mattered both in the prominence of the track and season points.
I actually do think there is a diluting factor we have during the regular season - there are times I get football fatigue and I love the sport.