It’s always curious to see television ratings for Detroit Lions’ preseason games. We’ll get the first numbers after Thursday’s preseason opener against the Jets at Ford Field.

Look, I know the NFL is popular, but even I was shocked at the ratings numbers for the Hall of Fame game on Sunday night with the Vikings against the Steelers.

The 6.9 overnight rating was astronomical. Adrian Peterson and Ben Roethlisberger were not even playing.

According to Pro Football Talk, that 6.9 overnight rating was higher than Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final; the Indy 500;, Game 1 of both the American League and National League Championship Series; and Game 1 of both the NBA Eastern and Western Conference finals.

Think about it. That is amazing.

No doubt about it, the NFL is king.

(Follow @PaulaPasche on Twitter. Pre-order her new book “Game of My Life Detroit Lions” which will be be published in October on Amazon.com. Also order her book,  “100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die’’ here.)