Chiefs & Cowboys Set Impressive Record That Will Shock Fans
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Unfortunately for the NFL, their schedule format means the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys can only face off once every four years.
Yes, there are plenty of marquee matchups for fans to enjoy in any given season. But for fans, there truly was nothing like the hype of the Kansas City Chiefs-Dallas Cowboys Thanksgiving Day clash last week.
According to CBS Sports, the Chiefs-Cowboys game (a 31-28 Dallas win) generated 57.230 million viewers last week. This marks the most-watched regular-season game in NFL history, and by a country mile.
In their press release, CBS noted that the game peaked with 61.357 million viewers. This was also a significant jump in viewership from the Cowboys-New York Giants late afternoon Thanksgiving game last year (38.839 million viewers).
Historic viewership for Chiefs-Cowboys: 57.230 million viewers
🏈 Most-watched regular-season game ever, shattering previous record by 36%
🏈 Audience peaked with more than 61 million viewers
🏈 Full release: https://t.co/aeOWDsqOJ5 pic.twitter.com/mqOmcn8wSL
— CBS Sports PR (@CBSSportsGang) December 3, 2025
What was the previous record for the NFL’s most-watched regular-season game? The Cowboys-Giants Thanksgiving clash in 2022 had 42.06 million viewers.
Unless they meet in the Super Bowl, or unless both clubs win their respective divisions in 2026 to set up the “17th game”, the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys won’t meet again for four years.
NFL Playoff Ratings Will Likely Drop If The Kansas City Chiefs Don’t Make It
The heartbreaking loss in Dallas dropped the Chiefs to 6-6 on the year. Head coach Andy Reid gave a bizarre post-game press conference, where it almost felt like he was conceding defeat on the season.
If the Chiefs miss the playoffs, you can expect NFL postseason ratings to drop considerably. They’ve become the new “America’s Team” during their dynastic run, and Travis Kelce’s relationship with Taylor Swift has drawn far more global attention toward the football team.
Kansas City is two games out of the three wild card spots in the AFC. The Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers and Indianapolis Colts are all 8-4 and two games clear of KC, though the Bills own the head-to-head tiebreaker.
