Cowboys Vs. Chiefs Sets Regular-season Record For Most-watched Nfl Game After 57.2 Million Viewers Tuned In On Thanksgiving

When you pit the NFL's most popular team against its best quarterback on a day when most people are sitting at home ready to relax and watch sports, you get record numbers. CBS accomplished as much on Thanksgiving, as a staggering 57.2 million people watched the Dallas Cowboys square off against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13.

That figure broke the record for most-watched regular-season NFL game of all time, according to The Athletic. To be more precise, the Chiefs and Cowboys actually shattered the record, which previously belonged to a 2022 Cowboys vs. New York Giants game on Thanksgiving. That game drew 44 million viewers. 

The new record-setting figure shouldn't come as a surprise, as the NFL strategically planned for huge numbers on Thanksgiving, per The Athletic. The league intentionally positioned its two most-watched teams to play on the most-watched day of the NFL season. That decision paid off in a major way.

The entire day proved to be a huge success for the NFL, as the earliest game on Thanksgiving, which featured the Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions, drew 47.7 million viewers. That game technically held the record for a brief period until Chiefs-Cowboys obliterated it. 

CBS, generally, had a fantastic day of ratings. The Duke vs. Arkansas college-basketball game that followed Cowboys-Chiefs also produced an eye-popping rating, making it one of the most-watched college-basketball games in years.

Fans who tuned in to see the Cowboys and Chiefs duke it out were treated to a competitive game. After being down by a score, the Chiefs rallied to take the lead at the start of the fourth quarter. Dallas, however, battled its way ahead, taking a 10-point lead with roughly five minutes to play. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was able to work his magic, cutting the lead to three points, but didn't get another chance to lead a game-winning or game-tying score, as the Cowboys were able to run out the clock and win 31-28.

The league will likely also see big numbers from its Black Friday game, which featured the Philadelphia Eagles and the Chicago Bears. Those ratings are expected to come in Thursday.

The NFL has tried to build on its holiday domination in recent years, with the league playing more games on or around Christmas. The NFL has three Christmas games this season, with the Cowboys taking on the Washington Commanders to start the day. After that, the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings will play in the afternoon, with the Denver Broncos and Chiefs playing the evening game. 

While those games should draw plenty of attention, viewership numbers will pale in comparison to the Thanksgiving slate. Christmas games won't air on network television, with the two earlier contests being shown on Netflix and the night game airing on Amazon Prime. 

Additionally, it's worth noting that for the Thanksgiving games, Nielsen's — the company that measures media ratings — changed its methodology, which may have aided the NFL's bigger numbers on Thanksgiving, per The Athletic. 

Still, it's an accomplishment worth celebrating for the league. Getting over 50 million people to watch anything these days is quite a feat. One the NFL could struggle to top in the near-distant future.