5 most-watched NFL regular-season games of all-time feat. Cowboys' Thanksgiving beatdown of Commanders
Regular-season football is alive and well. The Dallas Cowboys versus Las Vegas Raiders game on Thanksgiving in 2021 has now gone down as one of the most-watched games in NFL history.
The NFL has gone through phases of deep popularity and deep scrutiny that have left ratings and viewership on a rollercoaster for decades, but as of late, there seem to be more and more fans tuning in week by week during the regular season to see their favorite teams battle it out with one another.
There is also a growing international fanbase that has helped the game of football reach even greater heights. Here are the five most-watched NFL games in regular-season history.
Which NFL regular-season game has attracted the most viewers?
#5 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs. New Orleans Saints - 2020
The season opener between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New Orleans Saints drew 25.9 million viewers. That is likely due to the fact that the 2020 season was the first time in 20 years that Tom Brady was playing for another team. Fans wanted to see Brady succeed, while his critics likely wanted to rub the potential failure in his face.
The @Colts-@packers game drew 23.9 million viewers on Sunday on Fox. That's the second most-watched NFL game this season — behind only Bucs-Saints (25.9 million) in Week One.
Either way, at a time when most NFL doubters have the game of football being pegged as falling down in viewership, nearly 26 million viewers would paint a much different picture. Football is certainly alive and well.
#4 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs New England Patriots - 2021
Tom Brady's triumphant return to New England was one for the record books. The game pulled in a whopping 28.5 million viewers and quite frankly was one of the best games during the regular season. Rookie quarterback Mac Jones nearly took his team to a victory, but the cunning Tom Brady and company won a last-second field goal as the Bucs won 19-17.
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Mac Jones and the Patriots are now looking to be every bit as competitive as they were when Brady was still in town. The regular-season game could have been a preview for a potential Super Bowl showdown.