Cowboys vs. Chiefs Makes NFL History, Record TV Rating Revealed for Thanksgiving Game

A record number of viewers tuned in on Thanksgiving Day to watch the Dallas Cowboys claim a 31-28 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Week 13 matchup on CBS drew 57.2 million viewers, setting a new regular-season record for the NFL, according to The Athletic's Richard Deitsch.

The Green Bay Packers and Detroit Lions averaged 47.7 million viewers on Fox and Tubi earlier that day, per Deitsch.

The previous regular season record was set by the Cowboys and New York Giants when 42.1 million viewers tuned in on Thanksgiving Day in 2022.

The Thanksgiving Day surge comes amid what has been a general uptick in viewership for the NFL this season.

The league set an International Games viewership record by averaging 6.2 million viewers across TV and digital platforms during six games split across Dublin, Berlin, Madrid and London.

Overall viewership had increased six percent from last year with an average of 17.7 million viewers per game through Week 11, per Nielsen Big Data + Panel information cited by Deadline's Dade Hayes and Katie Campione.

Nielsen has previously reported its new measurement system put into place ahead of the 2025 season would come with an expected average viewership boost of three to four percent, per Hayes and Campione.

The NFL has still exceeded that expected bump with its viewership levels so far this year.

The league achieved the new regular-season record in Week 13 by matching up two of its most-watched teams on one of the biggest holidays of the year.

The Chiefs led the NFL with 25.5 million viewers per game last season, while the Cowboys tied for third with an average of 23.8 million viewers, per Front Office Sports' Rodney Reeves.

Those two teams could be set for more marquee games in the future given the success of the 2025 matchup.

The NFL will have to wait until February to see if the league can top its single game viewership record. The mark, which Nielsen reports currently stands at 127.7 million viewers, was set last February as the Philadelphia Eagles defeated the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.