The Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys delivered a Thanksgiving showdown that captivated audiences nationwide.

In a historic moment for NFL viewership, CBS reported that an astounding 57.2 million people tuned in to watch the Cowboys edge out the Chiefs with a 31-28 win. This viewership figure shattered the previous record for a regular-season game.

The former record-holder was the 2022 Thanksgiving clash between the Cowboys and the Giants, which drew 42 million viewers.

The intense playoff implications for both teams and the nail-biting conclusion undoubtedly contributed to the surge in viewers.

Earlier in the day, the Packers vs. Lions matchup, which kicked off at 1 p.m. ET on Fox and Tubi, also attracted a significant audience, averaging 47.7 million viewers.

The night game between the Ravens and Bengals drew 28.4 million viewers, the most of any late window game in Thanksgiving history.

It is worth noting that Nielsen has changed the way that they track this data to give more accurate numbers for out-of-home viewership as the world delves into streaming and cable numbers.

Regardless, the powers that be at the NFL clearly knew what they were doing by putting two big draws in the Cowboys and Chiefs together in the second Thanksgiving window, appealing to an enormous audience that is boosted by Taylor Swift being engaged to Kansas City star tight end Travis Kelce.

The Cowboys being one of the most popular teams in the NFL, with the differentiated viewership that Swift was able to bring the Chiefs when she began dating Travis Kelce, is just one way the networks benefited on Thanksgiving even without the star singer in attendance.

Previous reports stated that Swift brought in early a billion dollars in revenue to the NFL since 2023 with increased social media, news and digital coverage.