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Viola Davis rocked a fine collection of sleeveless dresses on

but no amount of excellent couture could fight off the serious competition from NFL football on CBS. 

hit a series low 2.1 rating in 18-49, down 9 percent from last week, according to early Nielsen estimates. The drama’s lead-ins also suffered single-digit drops from the previous week:

down 7 percent to a 2.6 rating. But ABC still has good news to celebrate: the Kerry Washington drama was the most-popular scripted series of the night, and the Shondaland shows remain big hits with the delayed-viewing crowd. 

Each 18-49 ratings point is worth 1.27 million, says Nielsen.

NBC and its male-skewing dramas felt the brunt of the NFL competition on CBS, the night’s big winner. 

was down 25 percent to a 1.2 rating, followed by 

(.9, down 10 percent). Still, NBC wants to remind all that

remains broadcast TV’s most upscale drama so far this season among adults 18-49 with $100k-plus incomes. So, there.

Fox also felt the heat from the gridiron action:

earned a 1.3, down a tenth from last week, while 

After two nights of good ratings news (thanks

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