The NFL has become as much a part of Thanksgiving as turkey and pumpkin pie, but one of this year’s games may deliver a potential ratings milestone. With the Kansas City Chiefs traveling to face the Dallas Cowboys, the league has positioned two of its biggest brands on one of its biggest stages, and the result could be a historic audience.
Chiefs vs Cowboys Could Set NFL Viewership Records
Thanksgiving games already draw massive viewership, particularly when the Cowboys are involved. Dallas has consistently delivered the most-watched regular-season broadcasts of the past decade.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, have become a television powerhouse in their own right, riding the Patrick Mahomes/Travis Kelce era, multiple Super Bowl titles, and a constant national spotlight that pushes their games to the top of weekly ratings charts. Putting those two forces together creates the perfect storm for a record-setting audience.
The Chiefs-Cowboys Thanksgiving matchup has a chance to be the NFL’s highest-rated regular-season game ever.
A look at this, and other Week 13 storylines with @tyschmit:
🎧 https://t.co/xNdU13OIRw pic.twitter.com/CfmqmL2syc
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 25, 2025
The timing also works in the league’s favor. The late-afternoon Thanksgiving window has historically produced the NFL’s strongest regular-season ratings thanks to family gatherings, limited competition from other programming, and the built-in holiday tradition of football watching. With the Chiefs and Cowboys anchoring that slot, the league may have constructed its most appealing matchup in years.
If the game does break the viewership record, the previous mark will only have stood for three years. On Thanksgiving Day 2022, the game between the Cowboys and Giants drew 42.1 million sets of eyes, which broke the previous record set in 1990 by the 49ers and Giants (41.5m).
Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs vs. Dak Prescott's Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day could break records.
The NFL's two biggest TV draws, plus the league's red hot ratings this season, could make Chiefs-Cowboys the first regular season game ever to hit 50M viewers.
By @MMcCarthyREV ⬇️
— Front Office Sports (@FOS) November 25, 2025
NFL insider Adam Schefter believes that this year’s game will “shatter” the previous viewership marks. Some are even speculating that upwards of 50 million people will be tuned in on Thursday afternoon. If this Chiefs vs. Cowboys matchup delivers on the field and captures viewers’ attention, it could make a serious run at those all-time regular-season benchmarks.
Both teams are fighting for their playoff lives. The once-mighty Chiefs are currently in 10th place in the AFC at 6-5, and the Cowboys are in the same spot in the NFC at 5-5-1. Not only is the Thanksgiving Day matchup a meeting of two premiere franchises, but the result of the game will hold serious weight on the current season.
