{"id":662339,"date":"2026-01-07T23:32:17","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T23:32:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/662339\/"},"modified":"2026-01-07T23:32:17","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T23:32:17","slug":"americas-obsession-with-the-kansas-city-chiefs-laid-bare-in-new-nfl-tv-ratings","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/662339\/","title":{"rendered":"America’s obsession with the Kansas City Chiefs laid bare in new NFL TV ratings"},"content":{"rendered":"

By BEN NAGLE, US SPORTS EDITOR<\/a> <\/p>\n

Published: 17:46 EST, 7 January 2026 | Updated: 17:46 EST, 7 January 2026 <\/p>\n

The Kansas<\/a> City Chiefs may not be operating at the same Super Bowl-chasing level as previous seasons, but that hasn’t stopped America tuning in to every game.<\/p>\n

Be it the Taylor Swift<\/a> effect or Patrick Mahomes<\/a>‘ status as one of the best quarterbacks of all-time, millions more fans are still tuning in to watch the Chiefs than any of their rivals across the country.<\/p>\n

In new viewing figures released by the NFL, TV ratings were up 10% on 2024 and there were 18.7 million average viewers per game this season.<\/p>\n

Of the top five most-watched games, the Chiefs feature in four of them – a remarkable achievement given they went 6-11 and missed out on the playoffs.<\/p>\n

Top of the list is the Thanksgiving<\/a> showdown between the Chiefs and Cowboys, with an incredible 57.3 million Americans tuning in for the 31-28 Dallas win.<\/p>\n

On the same day, the second most-watched game occurred, with the Packers and Lions drawing in 47.7 million for their NFC North battle.<\/p>\n

\"Travis <\/p>\n

Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs were still the most-watched team of the NFL season<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The NFL’s data, in accordance with Nielsen, revealed that the Chiefs are still top of the tree<\/p>\n

The Chiefs then appear in the third, fourth and fifth on the list, with No 3 a rematch of this year’s Super Bowl against the Eagles.<\/p>\n

That game at Arrowhead had 33.8m, while there were 30.9m fans locked in to the trip to Buffalo in Week 9.<\/p>\n

Week 11’s loss in Denver to the Broncos completes the top five and demonstrates the hold that the Chiefs still have over America, despite not being at their peak any more.<\/p>\n

The NFL as a whole was a monster when it came to TV viewing for 2025, with 89 of the top 100 broadcasts in 2025 being football games.\u00a0<\/p>\n

2026 is set to start with a bang too, as we head into the playoffs this weekend.<\/p>\n

The Wild Card round is set to see a host of top match-ups across three days this weekend, starting with the Rams in Carolina to face the Panthers.<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The Taylor Swift effect is still in full effect despite the Chiefs missing out on the playoffs<\/p>\n

\"The <\/p>\n

The early Thanksgiving clash between the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers drew 47.7m<\/p>\n

Green Bay at Chicago is a massive Saturday night showdown, before Josh Allen and the Bills head to Jacksonville on Sunday at 1pm EST.<\/p>\n

Philadelphia host San Francisco at 4:30pm EST before perhaps the most enticing of the games on Sunday night as the LA Rams travel to New England to face the Patriots.<\/p>\n

On Monday night, Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers host the Houston Texans in the final game of the week, and what could be the veteran quarterback’s last time stepping onto a football field as a player.\u00a0<\/p>\n

programs rank as 89 of the top 100 shows on TV since the start of the 2025 regular season<\/p>\n

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