Ratings Chart Attack!

CBS’ “The Amazing Race” finished its 13th competition with gains in viewers versus last year’s ending, while NFL overrun lifted Fox to a first-place ratings finish on Sunday night.

Fox’s NFL overrun drew a 9.0 rating/24 share in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, according to preliminary Nielsen Media Research data. A rollicking Pittsburgh Steelers/Dallas Cowboys game, which featured a fourth-quarter comeback by the Steelers, fueled the overrun.

Fox posted a 4.6/11 for the night, coupling the NFL with a BCS Selection Show (3.9/10, down 9% from last year) and reruns of its animated series.

“The Amazing Race 13” crowned brother-and-sister team Nick and Starr Spangler the $1 million winners, posting a 3.1/7 with 10.6 million viewers. The rating is on par with January’s 12th edition finale, while the viewership increased by 8%.

A NFL-less “60 Minutes” was on par with a 2.6/7 and 13.8 million viewers, while the Hallmark movie “Front of the Class” drove in a 2.8/7 and 11.8 million.

CBS took fourth for the night in adults 18-49 with a 2.8/7 and was first in total viewers with 12 million.

ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” gained 4% week-to-week to land at a 5.9/13. The special “Ty Pennington: Behind the Scenes” (1.7/5) kicked off the night, followed by “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” (3.3/8), which tumbled 11% from last week to a season low.

“Brothers and Sisters” (3.9/10) enjoyed a 15% weekly increase.

ABC placed second with a 3.7/9.

NBC took third place with a 3.6/9 on the back of its coverage of the Washington Redskins/Baltimore Ravens matchup (4.5/11). The game declined 15% in preliminary ratings against last week’s Bears/Vikings contest.

The CW posted a 0.5/1 for fifth place, with a “Jericho” repeat and movie “The Cutting Edge.” Of course, last night trumped every Media Rights Capital-programmed Sunday night this season in adults 18-49.

CBS (2.2/7, 9.3 million) took Friday night with original episodes of “Ghost Whisperer” (2.4/8, 9.7 million) and “Numb3rs” (2.3/7, 9.7 million). ABC won Saturday with the Big 12 championship matchup between Oklahoma and Missouri, with the game and the network averaging a 2.8/8.