Bills quarterback Josh Allen fumbles the ball against the Broncos during the second quarter of Saturday’s AFC Divisional Playoff game in Denver. Justin Edmonds / Getty Images
CBS Sports said Saturday’s overtime playoff clash between the Denver Broncos and Buffalo Bills averaged 39.597 million viewers, making it the most-watched Saturday NFL playoff game ever. The Broncos prevailed 33-30 in overtime in the AFC Divisional Round match. CBS said audience numbers peaked at more than 51 million viewers during the overtime period.
The network said the game’s audience was up 17 percent over last year’s comparable Saturday playoff game in which Kansas City defeated Houston, 23-14.
The game was the most-watched Saturday telecast on any network since the 1994 Winter Olympics, CBS said. The network also said “NFL on CBS” has had its most-watched season ever through the divisonal round, with telecasts averaging 22.3 million viewers.
The network will be back in Denver on Sunday to broadcast the AFC Championship game between the Broncos and the New England Patriots.