Sunday’s Super Bowl between the New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts drew an astonishing 106.5 million viewers, breaking the 27-year-old record held by the final episode of M*A*S*H which only had 105.9 million viewers.

Who knew America was so interested in a Super Bowl between two relativity small-market teams?

I think there were a lot of factors that went into making this game so appealing to TV viewers. It was between the two best teams in the NFL. Both teams deserved to be in the Big Game. Both teams had high-scoring offenses that relied on throwing the ball to score points. Teams that rely on running the ball and controlling the clock may rely on an offensive scheme that has proved to be historically effective at winning Super Bowls, but it makes for really boring TV.

I also cannot help but wonder if the weather played a part in making this Super Bowl to watchable. Much of the East Coast and the Mid-Atlantic was covered with at least two feet of snow over the weekend. A good many schools and businesses were going to be closed on Monday because of the weather. When people don’t have to get up early Monday, they are able to stay up late Sunday night.

I don’t think anyone will be able to pin-point why exactly so many people watched the Super Bowl.