ALLEN PARK — The Detroit Lions remain among the best ratings draws in the NFL, helping set another viewership record with their win over the Dallas Cowboys last week.
Amazon reports the Lions-Cowboys broadcast is the service’s most-watched regular-season and Thursday Night Football game in the Prime Video era. Detroit’s 44-30 win over the Cowboys averaged 19.39 million viewers and sported a peak viewership mark of 22.18 million.
None of that should surprise anyone, because of the stakes and teams involved in the game. The Cowboys remain ratings powerhouses, too, and the Lions have continued to break TV records in recent years. And last week’s matchup was as close to being a playoff elimination game without technically being one.
In the previous week on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys beat the Kansas City Chiefs in what was the most-watched regular-season game in NFL history, with 57.230 million average viewers. And a couple of hours before that Cowboys-Chiefs game, the Lions lost to the Green Bay Packers in what was the most-watched early Thanksgiving game of all time, averaging 47.7 million viewers. That mark beat last year’s Lions-Chicago Bears previous early record by 27%, as the eyeballs on the league and the Lions continue to grow.
Earlier this season, the Lions were involved in the most-watched Monday Night Football game since 2006 when they beat the Baltimore Ravens in Week 3. ESPN said that game averaged 25.4 million viewers, making it the second-most watched traditional Monday Night Football game in nearly 20 years.
The Lions continue to cement themselves as one of the hottest national draws with their rise in recent years. Since Dan Campbell took over as head coach, the Lions are 14-4 in primetime games. It’s the NFL’s best record dating back to 2021, and they continue to rise to the occasion and embrace the spotlight.
Their next chance to set some notable ratings records comes on Christmas against the Minnesota Vikings in the Netflix three-game slate.
