Football on Thanksgiving is nearly as American as turkey, and the numbers back it up.
The NFL has no bigger regular season stage than Thanksgiving, which annually begins with games in Detroit and Dallas followed by a nightcap elsewhere. Television ratings prove the audience is especially massive during the 4:30 p.m. ET window, which coincides with the Cowboys’ annual game.
While the NFL has expanded to Christmas and Black Friday on a permanent basis, Thanksgiving is steeped in tradition for the league — and there is no reason to expect major changes to the Turkey Day slate around the NFL any time soon.
Here’s a complete look at the most-watched NFL Thanksgiving games of all time, led by a handful of Cowboys contests.
MORE: Highest-scoring NFL Thanksgiving games
What is the most-watched NFL Thanksgiving game ever?
The 2022 matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants at AT&T Stadium averaged 42.06 million viewers, making it the most-watched Thanksgiving game in NFL history.
The game combined two major media markets and massive fan bases, as the Cowboys have fans in north Texas and around the country while New York’s footprint is wide as well. The NFL caught a break in 2022, as a Giants team that wasn’t expected to be very good came into the holiday at 7-3 and locked into a virtual tie with Dallas atop the NFC East.
The Giants gave themselves a chance despite entering as fairly decisive underdogs, jumping out to a 13-7 lead by halftime, but the Cowboys scored three touchdowns to jump out to a commanding 15-point advantage by the midpoint of the fourth quarter. A last-second New York touchdown made it a one-possession game, but it was far too late for Brian Daboll’s team by that point,
The Giants would go 2-3-1 from that point on, while the Cowboys would win the division. Both New York and Dallas fell in the divisional round.
Most-watched NFL Thanksgiving games
The five most-watched Thanksgiving games in NFL history all featured the Cowboys. Here are the 15 most-watched NFL Thanksgiving games.
| Year | Matchup | TV channel | Viewers |
| 2022 | Cowboys 28, Giants 20 | Fox | 42.1M |
| 2023 | Cowboys 45, Commanders 10 | CBS | 41.8M |
| 2021 | Raiders 36, Cowboys 33 | CBS | 40.8M |
| 2024 | Cowboys 27, Giants 20 | Fox | 38.8M |
| 1993 | Dolphins 16, Cowboys 14 | NBC | 38.4M |
| 2024 | Lions 23, Bears 20 | CBS | 37.5M |
| 1995 | Cowboys 24, Chiefs 12 | NBC | 35.7M |
| 2016 | Cowboys 31, Redskins 26 | Fox | 35.1M |
| 1992 | Cowboys 30, Giants 3 | CBS | 33.8M |
| 2023 | Packers 29, Lions 22 | Fox | 33.7M |
| 2006 | Cowboys 21, Redskins 10 | Fox | 32.7M |
| 1998 | Vikings 46, Cowboys 36 | Fox | 32.7M |
| 2019 | Bills 26, Cowboys 15 | CBS | 32.6M |
| 2015 | Panthers 33, Cowboys 14 | CBS | 32.5M |
| 2014 | Eagles 33, Cowboys 10 | Fox | 32.0M |
The Cowboys are represented in 13 of the 15 most-watched Thanksgiving games. While their massive fan base is one major reason, they also annually sit in the most ideal window for NFL Thanksgiving games at 4:30 p.m. ET, just about when many families across the country are either settling in for a meal or after a meal.
The early game, which always involves the Detroit Lions, starts early enough that those on the west coast and many others across the U.S. haven’t started their Thanksgiving festivities just yet, but the game has picked up more viewers in recent years with the Lions finding success.
2023 and 2024 both set an early window record for viewership, with 33.7 million watching the Green Bay Packers defeat the Lions in 2023 and 37.5 tuning into the Bears’ near-upset of Detroit in 2023.
Why do Thanksgiving games attract massive audiences?
The NFL effectively owns Sundays in America. Is it any surprise the league owns Thanksgiving, too?
The NFL is an attraction any day of the week regardless of which teams are playing, but the combination of a long history of games on Thanksgiving and the captive audience that the holiday presents help the league thrive on Turkey Day more than any other day in the regular season.
Thanksgiving is largely an indoor holiday. For most families who gather and eat, a TV is always nearby, and the sport of football is popular enough that it’s an easy way for families to bond. Add in some popular halftime performers who appeal to non-fans, plus the the malaise following heavy meal that doesn’t make anyone want to move a muscle, and you have a massive captive audience.
What is the most-watched NFL game of all time?
- Super Bowl: Super Bowl 59 (127.7 million)
- Playoffs (non-Super Bowl): Vikings vs. Saints, 2009 (57.9 million)
The NFL’s most-watched regular season game is indeed the 2022 Thanksgiving matchup between the Giants and Cowboys, but that pales in comparison to the kind of viewership Super Bowls draw.
13 Super Bowls have averaged more than 100 million viewers in the United States, let alone around the world, with Super Bowl 59 between the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs holding the record at 127.7 million.
Among non-Super Bowl playoff games, the 2009 NFC championship game between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints still holds a viewership record of 57.9 million, though the Chiefs and Buffalo Bills made a run at the record with 57.4 million viewers in the 2024 AFC championship game.
What is the most-watched regular season game of all time?
The Thanksgiving matchup between the Giants and Cowboys in 2022 is the most-watched regular season game in NFL history at 42.06 million viewers.
That game only narrowly beat out a “Monday Night Football” matchup between the Giants and San Francisco 49ers in 1990, which was watched by an estimated 41.55 million after both teams entered at 10-1.
