In what is viewed as the best weekend in football, the Divisional Round of the playoffs had marquee matchups the NFL world was eager to see. None were bigger than the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills matchup that put Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen against each other for the seventh time.
The game was an instant classic that saw Mahomes and the Chiefs overcome the Bills in a playoff clash once again. The game finished 27-24 following a field goal that missed wide right off of the foot of Bills kicker Tyler Bass. It was a back-and-forth matchup with both teams seemingly having the upper hand on more than one occasion.
With the anticipation being so high and the action on the field living up to the hype, there’s no wonder why the viewership numbers were astronomical. As a result, the NFL world reacted to gigantic viewership for the matchup.
Chiefs vs. Bills Sets Record-Setting Audience
If you didn’t believe that football was king before this weekend, you probably do now with the latest viewership numbers that have come out following the Chiefs and Bills Divisional Round matchup.
MORE: Are Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson Already Part of NFL History?
A record-breaking 50.3 million viewers tuned in to watch, a number that has never been before reached in the Divisional Round and lapped the MLB World Series five times over.
More people watched Chiefs-Bills on Sunday than all five 2023 World Series games combined.
🏈 Chiefs-Bills: 50.39M
⚾️ World Series (combined): 45.22M pic.twitter.com/qm34bYpjrS— Front Office Sports (@FOS) January 23, 2024
To have 50.3 million for one football game compared to 45.22 million viewers for five World Series games combined is wild to think about. The NFL rules American sports, and this is just another stern reminder of that fact.
Damn 50 Million Viewers. But I was told that them showing Taylor Swift for 5 seconds 4 times a broadcast was killing the sport… https://t.co/C9oOw4UISJ
— Keaton (@kjonesy1587) January 23, 2024
Looks like the Taylor Swift effect was not an issue after all and may have actually helped open more eyes to the sport and this game specifically.
The NBA playoffs cant even average 10% of this per game but apparently it has “taken over football” according to NBA fans https://t.co/QIOkVsu0jC pic.twitter.com/tfCq7x2SVL
— Dallas Sports Fan (@DakToCD88) January 23, 2024
Whether it’s the MLB, the NBA, or any other sport in America for that matter, several claim that they are chief among them, but numbers don’t lie. The NFL reminds us once again who is boss when it comes to sports viewership.
Next up for the NFL is Conference Championship weekend where the Chiefs will head to Baltimore to take on Lamar Jackson and the Ravens in the AFC Championship Game. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions head west to take on the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Championship Game.
With so much attention and excitement around the prior weekend, it wouldn’t be surprising at all to see one of these two games again challenge another viewership record.
Want to predict the results of the 2023 NFL postseason with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? How about looking into in-depth breakdowns of team depth charts or the NFL playoff schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with all that and more!
