If there was ever any doubt about the Dallas Cowboys' status as the NFL’s biggest television draw, their latest numbers just erased it - emphatically.
The Cowboys’ thrilling 31-28 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thanksgiving Day didn’t just deliver on the field. It delivered a historic audience. According to CBS, the game pulled in a staggering 57.23 million viewers, setting a new record for the most-watched regular-season game in NFL history.
To put that into perspective, the previous high was 42.1 million viewers for the Cowboys’ 2022 Thanksgiving matchup against the New York Giants. That mark didn’t just fall - it got obliterated.
CBS says this year’s game was up 36% from that previous record. And while the Chiefs - as reigning AFC champs - are no slouch when it comes to national appeal, they’re not quite in the same stratosphere as the Cowboys when it comes to moving the needle.
Even the earlier Thanksgiving game between the Packers and Lions, which averaged 47.7 million viewers and became Fox’s most-watched regular-season broadcast ever, couldn’t top what Dallas and Kansas City brought to the table. That’s the Cowboys effect - a combination of brand power, national fanbase, and, lately, some pretty compelling football.
Another Ratings Spike Incoming?
So now the question becomes: what kind of numbers will the Cowboys draw this Thursday night when they face the Detroit Lions on Thursday Night Football?
It’s not Thanksgiving, and the game will stream on Prime Video - a different animal entirely from a national broadcast network - so we’re unlikely to see another 50-million-viewer performance. But don’t be surprised if this game still pulls in a massive audience. There’s plenty of intrigue on both sides.
Dallas enters the matchup riding a three-game winning streak and looking every bit like a team hitting its stride at the right time. Dak Prescott is playing some of the best football of his career, sitting second in the league in passing yards with 3,261.
His connection with wideouts George Pickens and CeeDee Lamb has been electric. Pickens has emerged as a legit No. 1 option with 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns, while Lamb continues to be a reliable weapon with 744 yards and three scores of his own.
At 6-5-1, the Cowboys are still chasing the NFC East-leading Eagles (8-4), who have suddenly stumbled with back-to-back losses. There’s real opportunity here for Dallas to make a late-season push.
On the other side, Detroit is in the thick of a tight NFC North race. The Lions, at 7-5, are trailing both the Packers (8-3-1) and the Bears (9-3). Every game from here on out carries serious playoff implications, and Thursday night’s clash is no exception.
So while it might not break records like Thanksgiving did, Cowboys vs. Lions has all the ingredients for another high-stakes, high-drama primetime showdown - and yes, another big-time viewership number. When the Cowboys are rolling and the stakes are high, America tunes in.