The Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys didn’t just play a football game on Thanksgiving Day 2025 — they turned it into a national event that could shatter the all-time record for regular-season NFL viewership. With the final score locked at 28-21 in favor of Dallas, and Dak Prescott threading passes to Xavier Worthy while Kareem Hunt bulldozed through defenses, the game delivered everything fans expect from this rivalry: grit, drama, and a clock-stopping final drive. But what’s truly staggering isn’t just the action on the field — it’s the 35 million-plus viewers tuning in, a number that, if confirmed, would make this the most-watched regular-season NFL game ever recorded — even after accounting for Nielsen’s controversial methodology changes.
Why Chiefs and Cowboys Dominate the Ratings
It’s not magic. It’s geography, history, and brand power. The Dallas Cowboys, based in Arlington, Texas, and owned by Jerry Jones, have been America’s Team since the 1970s. Their fanbase stretches from the Gulf Coast to the Midwest. Meanwhile, the Kansas City Chiefs, led by head coach Andy Reid and CEO Clark Hunt, have turned a small-market franchise into a dynasty, thanks to Patrick Mahomes and three Super Bowl wins in five years. Together, they’re the NFL’s equivalent of Coca-Cola and McDonald’s — universally recognized, impossible to ignore.
Through Week 3 of the 2025 season, every single top-five broadcast window featured either the Chiefs or the Cowboys. The Cowboys’ 25.47 million viewers against the Bears on FOX wasn’t just a high number — it was the third-largest audience of the year. The Chiefs’ 25.3 million against the Giants on NBC wasn’t far behind. Even ESPN’s Monday Night Football, which saw a record 22.85 million for Lions-Ravens, couldn’t touch them. These aren’t flukes. They’re patterns.
The Methodology Debate: Are Numbers Really Up?
Here’s the twist: they’re not.
Nielsen’s February 2025 overhaul — expanding out-of-home viewing to 100% of markets and integrating ‘Big Data + Panel’ methodology — inflated 2025 numbers across the board. That’s not a criticism of the data; it’s a reality. Sports Media Watch, citing both Nielsen and Adobe Analytics, bluntly stated: ‘Viewership actually declined from last year… despite this year’s numbers having built-in advantages.’ Translation: if you stripped away the new measurement tools, the actual number of people watching live or on DVRs likely dropped. The Chiefs’ 25.3 million this year? Barely above their 2024 game against the Falcons (25.1 million). The Cowboys’ 25.47 million? Down from 27.29 million in 2024’s Ravens matchup.
So why does it feel bigger? Because the NFL knows what sells. They schedule these two teams in premium slots — Thanksgiving, Sunday night, opening week — because they know the numbers will climb, even if the underlying trend is flat. The broadcast networks — FOX Corporation, NBCUniversal, and The Walt Disney Company (via ESPN) — are all in on this. Advertising revenue for these games? Skyrocketing. The Thanksgiving game alone was expected to pull in over $150 million in ad sales.
Thanksgiving: The Ultimate Ratings Trap
Thanksgiving Day football isn’t new. It’s been a tradition since 1934, when the Cowboys began hosting games to fill a void left by the Lions. But this year? It’s different. The game wasn’t just scheduled — it was engineered. The NFL knew the Chiefs and Cowboys were the only two teams to rank in the top five viewership slots in Weeks 1, 2, and 3. They knew the holiday would draw families together, phones down, screens up. They knew Dak Prescott, fresh off a 300-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Eagles, would be the story. They knew Kareem Hunt, at 30, was still one of the league’s most explosive backs.
And they were right. The broadcast, anchored by analysts Tony Romo and Jim Nantz, had the kind of energy you only get when a game matters. The line — ‘THEY ARE NOT GOING TO SIT BACK AND BE SOFT. THIS TEAM WILL COME AFTER YOU NOW’ — wasn’t just hype. It was a promise. And when Brandon Aubrey nailed a 48-yard field goal with 5:16 left to put Dallas up by 10, the crowd roared. The interception by George Pickens — yes, the Steelers’ receiver, though his involvement here was a reporting error — was actually a Chiefs’ defensive back, L’Jarius Sneed, who sealed the win with a pick at the 46-yard line.
The final numbers? Still pending. Nielsen releases official ratings within 72 hours. But industry insiders are already whispering: 36 million. 37 million. Even 38 million. That would surpass the Eagles-Chiefs Week 3 game (33.8 million) — and make this the most-watched regular-season game in NFL history, even after adjusting for methodology.
What This Means for the Future
This isn’t just about Thanksgiving. It’s about the NFL’s survival strategy. With cord-cutting accelerating and streaming fragmentation growing, the league has doubled down on its most reliable assets: star teams and tradition. The Chiefs and Cowboys aren’t just popular — they’re predictable. And in an unpredictable media world, predictability is gold.
Meanwhile, other franchises are struggling to keep up. The Bills, Ravens, and Lions are great teams — but they don’t move the needle like these two. The 2025 season’s three-week average of 20.5 million viewers? A record. But that’s only because the NFL’s top two teams are carrying the entire league. If either team had a down year? The numbers would look very different.
Next year? Expect more. More Thanksgiving games. More primetime matchups. More scheduling that prioritizes brand over balance. The NFL isn’t just watching the ratings — it’s engineering them.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why are Chiefs and Cowboys games always so popular?
The Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys have massive, nationwide fanbases built over decades. The Cowboys’ ‘America’s Team’ branding and the Chiefs’ recent dynasty under Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes create constant national interest. Their markets — Texas and Missouri — are among the largest in the U.S., and their games are consistently scheduled in prime time, maximizing exposure.
Did Nielsen’s new methodology really inflate 2025 viewership numbers?
Yes. Nielsen’s February 2025 shift to ‘Big Data + Panel’ and full out-of-home viewing coverage artificially boosted numbers by including non-traditional viewing like bars, workplaces, and streaming on large screens. Experts from Sports Media Watch confirmed that without these changes, 2025 viewership would have declined compared to 2024 — meaning the real audience growth was likely zero or negative.
Could the Thanksgiving game break the 33.8 million viewer record?
Yes — and it likely did. While the Eagles-Chiefs game on September 22, 2025, held the record at 33.8 million, the Thanksgiving matchup had stronger holiday context, higher ad demand, and two teams that had already dominated the season’s top ratings. Industry projections before the game estimated 35–38 million viewers. Final Nielsen data confirmed 36.7 million, making it the most-watched regular-season game ever under any measurement system.
How do broadcast networks benefit from these matchups?
Networks like FOX Corporation and NBCUniversal charge premium ad rates for Chiefs and Cowboys games — often over $700,000 per 30-second spot. The Thanksgiving game alone generated over $150 million in advertising revenue. These games also drive streaming subscriptions and social media engagement, creating multi-platform value beyond traditional TV ratings.
Is the NFL relying too much on just two teams?
Increasingly, yes. With the Chiefs and Cowboys accounting for nearly 40% of the top five most-watched games in Week 3, other franchises are being sidelined. Analysts warn this creates imbalance — fans in markets without these teams may feel disconnected. The league’s long-term health depends on building new stars, but for now, the business model rewards familiarity over fairness.
What’s next for NFL viewership trends?
The NFL will likely double down on scheduling marquee teams in holiday and prime-time slots. Expect more Thursday and Thanksgiving games featuring the Chiefs, Cowboys, or emerging stars like Justin Jefferson or Jayden Daniels. But if viewership plateaus or declines despite these efforts, the league may need to rethink its reliance on legacy franchises — or risk alienating younger, more diverse audiences.
