NFL

Chiefs-Bills crowned most-watched AFC Championship game in history

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Sunday’s thriller between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills was the most-watched AFC Championship game in NFL history.

The game averaged 57.4 million viewers on CBS, trumping last year’s record audience of 55.5 million who watched the Chiefs beat the Baltimore Ravens on the road.

Before that, the previous AFC Championship record was held by the 2011 renewal between the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers (54.85 million).

The historic numbers were in large part thanks to the dramatic nature of the encounter, which went right down to the wire and saw the Chiefs narrowly hold on to a 32-29 victory.

It wasn’t without controversy either when the Bills gambled on a fourth-and-1 at the Kansas City 41-yard line in the fourth quarter and Josh Allen‘s quarterback sneak was ruled agonizingly short of the line to gain following a review.

At that point, Buffalo were clutching onto a 22-21 lead with 13 minutes to play and the entire momentum shifted towards the hosts who immediately cashed in on the turnover as Patrick Mahomes scrambled for a 10-yard touchdown and completed a successful 2-point conversion.

Most-watched AFC Championship games since 2021

  1. Kansas City Chiefs 32-29 Buffalo Bills (2025) – 57.4 million
  2. Kansas City Chiefs 17-10 Baltimore Ravens (2024) – 55.4 million
  3. Kansas City Chiefs 23-20 Cincinnati Bengals (2023) – 53.1 million
  4. Cincinnati Bengals 27-24 Kansas City Chiefs (2022) – 47.8 million
  5. Kansas City Chiefs 38-24 Buffalo Bills (2021) – 41.8 million

This year’s Chiefs vs Bills showdown marked the best viewership for any NFC or AFC title game since 57.6 million people tuned in to watch the New York Giants vs San Francisco 49ers in 2012.

What is the most-watched conference championship game in history?

That title belongs to the 1982 NFC Championship game between the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers, which drew in an unbelievable 68.7 million viewers.

If ‘out of home’ measurement, which tracks TV viewing in public places like bars, hotels and restaurants was included in that figure, it would’ve been well north of 75 million and potentially as big as 80.

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Joe Lyons
Sports Editor

Joe Lyons is a sports writer with years of experience on reputable sports and gambling websites. Joe has also been published by Nottingham Forest, working with the academy and senior teams to produce content on matchdays. He formerly covered the Premier League and EFL as an on-site reporter during the 2020/21 season for Prost International. He is an expert in a range of sports including soccer, basketball, horse racing and American football. Joe specialises in long form content alongside news, tips and betting. Joe has a keen eye for the sports betting industry in the USA which covers the NBA and NFL, tracking and analysing the market as it changes throughout the season.

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Author photo
Joe Lyons Sports Editor

Joe Lyons is a sports writer with years of experience on reputable sports and gambling websites. Joe has also been published by Nottingham Forest, working with the academy and senior teams to produce content on matchdays. He formerly covered the Premier League and EFL as an on-site reporter during the 2020/21 season for Prost International. He is an expert in a range of sports including soccer, basketball, horse racing and American football. Joe specialises in long form content alongside news, tips and betting. Joe has a keen eye for the sports betting industry in the USA which covers the NBA and NFL, tracking and analysing the market as it changes throughout the season.

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