- The primetime game between the 49ers and the Seahawks also had historic views
- Prescott and McCaffrey were the stars of their respective teams in the games
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The Dallas Cowboys’ massive 45-10 victory over NFC East rival Washington Commanders drew a huge average viewership of 41.4 million viewers, according to numbers released Friday evening.
This massive viewership on CBS made the Thanksgiving game the third most watched regular season game in NFL history. It was also the most-watched game since Super Bowl LVII in February.
Given that the game took place on Thanksgiving afternoon, it likely benefited from the lack of competition from other programs while also serving as background entertainment for countless family dinners, despite being incredibly far from competitive.
Another huge boost in broadcast numbers may have been the presence of national treasure Dolly Parton during the halftime show.
Wearing a Cowboys cheerleading outfit, the 77-year-old wowed the stadium crowd and those watching at home as she performed hits like 9-5 and Jolene.
The Cowboys’ Thanksgiving loss to the Commanders was the third most watched NFL game of all time
Country icon Dolly Parton would also have boosted broadcast numbers on CBS enormously
The prime-time Thanksgiving game between the 49ers and Seahawks was the second most-watched game in the time slot
NBC Sports also announced that the late game between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks was the second most-watched primetime Thanksgiving game of all time.
The 49ers’ 34-13 victory over their NFC West division rivals averaged an astounding 26.9 million viewers across all platforms despite a 24-3 halftime loss.
The competition’s viewership peaked in the second quarter, when it reached 30.2 million viewers between 9:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.
Only the 2015 Thanksgiving game between the Chicago Bulls and Green Bay averaged 27.8 million viewers, a higher average viewership than the Thursday night game.
The game also became the fourth NFL game broadcast on NBC to receive more than 25 million views.
Prescott and McCaffrey were the stars of their respective teams in the decisive games
Thursday’s contest was also the most streamed game ever broadcast on Peacock and the most watched on Telemundo, excluding Super Bowl LVI.
Despite the lack of a competitive finish in either game, millions of viewers were still treated to tantalizing performances from Cowboys QB Dak Prescott and 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey.
Prescott went 22-32 for 331 yards and four touchdowns while devastating the Commanders’ defense.
McCaffrey, on the other hand, ran the ball 19 times for 114 yards and two touchdowns and also had five catches for 25 yards.