The flag-filled Thanksgiving matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and Las Vegas Raiders was seen by 93,483 people at AT&T Stadium — and over 38 million at home. The game, which Las Vegas won in overtime 36-33, was watched by an estimated 38.531 million viewers, making it the “most-watched NFL regular-season game on any network since 1990,” according to a press release. (That 1990 game was between the NY Giants and San Francisco 49ers — the 49ers won 7-3.)
The game delivered an estimated average viewership of 38.531 million, up +26 percent from last year’s comparable game window (30.680 million on FOX from 4:38-7:47 p.m.), based on preliminary data. The Raiders-Cowboys game also is the most-watched television program on any network since Super Bowl LV programming on CBS on Feb. 7, 2021.
Those are some staggering numbers, but even the tragic Lions vs. Bears game on Fox was seen by 27.09 million viewers, making it the largest audience for the early Thanksgiving game since 2016. That’s 10 million more people than the biggest scripted series on TV. Remember all that concern about the NFL’s slipping ratings? Oops.
The Raiders’ win has them in third place in the AFC West at 6-5, behind the 7-4 Kansas City Chiefs and 6-4 Los Angeles Chargers. As for the 7-4 Cowboys, Dak Prescott & co. are in first in the NFC East with a two-game lead over the 5-6 Philadelphia Eagles.
(Via CBS Sports)
