Jim Nantz believes Chiefs-Cowboys will set viewership records (and he's right)
It's one thing for a bozo like me to say it. It's quite another when it comes from the guy who will be calling the game.
Appearing this week on Rich Eisen's show, lead CBS play-by-play announcer Jim Nantz expressed a belief that the Thanksgiving game between the Chiefs and Cowboys will establish a new standard for regular-season NFL football.
'K.C. and Dallas, to put those two gigantic brands together on the most-watched day of the regular season in the NFL, it's gonna set records,' Nantz said, via AwfulAnnouncing.com. 'That's not what I'm out for it to do. I just hope it's a great football game. It will be a wonderful matchup to call on Thanksgiving. K.C. at Dallas, it's the game we wanted.'
It's hardly a stretch. The Cowboys are America's legacy team. The Chiefs are the flavor of a month of Sundays. Put them together, and the record won't just be broken. It'll be shattered.
Especially on Thanksgiving. Three years ago, 42.1 million watched the Cowboys beat the Giants, 28-20. That's the current record. And seven of the top nine games happened on Thanksgiving.
The other two? The 1990 Monday night game between the 10-1 Giants and 10-1 49ers, and the 1985 Dolphins-Bears Monday night showdown that gave Chicago its only loss of the year.
The NFL could have dropped any Cowboys game on Thanksgiving and generated a huge number. By giving the captive audience a game involving two destination teams, the league wants — and will get — its biggest regular-season audience ever.
Our guess is that it will be at least 45 million, if not 50 million. Especially since Nielsen rolled out earlier this year some new kind of technique for measuring out-of-home viewership.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chiefs 'Not Feeling' Travis Kelce Play Style Change In 2025
Chiefs 'Not Feeling' Travis Kelce Play Style Change In 2025 originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce is coming to the end of his storied career, and with the veteran entering Year 13, there was a thought that the offense might look a little different for him in 2025. Advertisement The thought was that Kansas City would slowly transition away from Kelce being "the" guy in preparation for his retirement, allowing others to take a bigger role in the offense. That feels logical, and after last season's output, no one would bat an eyelid if the Chiefs, while still using Kelce as a receiving option, slowly moved away from him being the No. 1 guy. But head coach Andy Reid doesn't envision such change. "I'm not really feeling that,' Reid said. 'More similar to last year, I would imagine. He's in great shape right now, so I think he's looking forward to getting going.' Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Kelce is coming off his worst season since his rookie year, with his lowest yards (823) and touchdown (three) totals. He has even admitted that he wasn't at his best last year. Advertisement So he's put in the work, dropped some weight (no, not the 25 pounds being reported), but the tight end does look slimmer as he attacks minicamp with the vigor of a player looking to prove a lot of people wrong in 2025. The Chiefs do have other weapons that Patrick Mahomes can utilize, including Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown and Juju Smith-Schuster, but make no mistake, Kelce will still receive his targets in 2025. Yes, the future Hall of Famer might be slowing down physically, but he won't be slowing down his role in the offense. Related: Mahomes Issues Take On Kelce's Major Chiefs Move Related: Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes Reveals Concern Level Over Travis Kelce In 2025 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chiefs' 'Power Triangle' Key To Super Bowl Hopes
Chiefs' 'Power Triangle' Key To Super Bowl Hopes originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Kansas City Chiefs in 2025 are going to be an interesting watch, with many waiting for Andy Reid's team to fall into the chasing pack in the AFC. Advertisement The Super Bowl loss has been the catalyst for that thought, but let's not forget that the Chiefs still have Patrick Mahomes and a host of talented players on both sides of the ball. Not to mention the coaching staff. And it is here that Kansas City, according to ESPN's Tim Hasselbeck, still has an advantage over the rest of the NFL. When assessing the Chiefs' chances in 2025, Hasselbeck, who was a guest on NFL Live, thinks three key personnel will determine their success. 'You can always look at these teams in Kansas City and say the receivers haven't played well, the offensive line is not perfect, it's been easy to find segments of the roster that you look at and you say there are other teams that can take advantage of that or [are] better than," Hasselbeck said. Advertisement "But what Kansas City does have is the power triangle of probably the best head coach, arguably the best quarterback, and probably the best defensive coordinator in football. So when you have that, even when you have some areas of your football team that need a little work or maybe you didn't address the way you wanted to in the offseason, you're going to have a chance.' A "power triangle''? We bet Chiefs fans are buying this. Kansas City Chiefs coach Andy Reid talks with quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images Reid and Mahomes as a duo have proved to be elite over the past six or so years, and as for Steve Spagnuolo and his defense, they always have a knack for making "the" play at "the" time. Advertisement In total, the defense held teams under 20 points 10 times in the regular season last year, including a run of five straight games. Having seemingly transitioned to being a more defensive run team instead of Mahomes lighting up the scoreboard, the Chiefs want to even out that dynamic. With their "power triangle" key to bouncing back in 2025. Related: Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes Offers Positive Scouting Report On Josh Simmons Related: Chiefs Get 'Good' Training Camp Update on Injured Stars This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 22, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Chiefs' Travis Kelce Could Hold Tight End Room Back per Analyst
Chiefs' Travis Kelce Could Hold Tight End Room Back per Analyst originally appeared on Athlon Sports. Travis Kelce recently made it known that "he's not done with football." But should he be? The offense struggled much of last season, with Patrick Mahomes posting one of his worst statistical seasons on record. The same can be said of star tight end Travis Kelce, who finished with less than 1,000 yards receiving for just the fourth time in his career, and the second season in a row. Advertisement The seven-time All-Pro still made his 10th Pro Bowl, but it was with far fewer numbers than what he's used to producing. SI's Albert Breer thinks the way the Chiefs utilize his time on the field could be big for the rest of the tight end room in 2025. "No, Travis Kelce didn't reverse course on his retirement decision—he's still playing," Breer said. However, how they use and pace him through the season is an open question. So Noah Gray, who got an extension last year, could get more work. Aaron Rodgers's old buddy Robert Tonyan is there. And rookie Jake Briningstool is shaping up as a summer dark horse to carve out a role in the offense." While rumors surrounded his retirement after the Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in February, Kelce is still focused on football. Advertisement "I love football," Kelce said. "I didn't really think about it that much. My friends and family, the team, the guys and women in this building, I love coming into work every single day. It wasn't a very tough [decision] for me. I know I'm getting older, but at the same time, I still feel like I got a lot I can prove in this league. That being said, man, it wasn't really that hard of a decision for me. "I didn't feel like it was my last game. I just felt like I got a lot more to prove." Related: Travis Kelce Reveals Taylor Swift Secret To Weight Loss Success at Minicamp Related: Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes Reveals Concern Level Over Travis Kelce In 2025 This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 20, 2025, where it first appeared.
