Chiefs Didn’t Win on Sunday, but CBS Did

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The annual regular-season showdown between the Chiefs and Bills is a ratings monster for CBS. Sunday was no different.

An incredible 30.8 million tuned into Buffalo’s 28-21 victory, according to Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal. The contest ranked No. 5 on the network’s most-watched regular-season games since 1998, when CBS returned as an NFL network partner.

josh alle — Bills quarterback Josh Allen keeps the ball and runs into the end zone for a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs in Orchard Park, Nov.17, 2024. | Tina MacIntyre-Yee/Democrat and Chronicle / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Two Chiefs-Bills contests are now on that top-five list, including the 2024 meeting at Highmark Stadium, Buffalo’s 30-21 victory, which ranked No. 2 on the most-viewed CBS games in the past 28 seasons.

Two Chiefs games already this season, and they're not done

And, combined with Kansas City’s Week 2 game against Philadelphia, the Chiefs have now played in the two most-watched games of the 2025 NFL season. That Sept. 14 contest, a 20-17 Eagles win, drew 33.8 million for FOX.

patrick mahomes, jalen hurt — Sep 14, 2025; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (1) and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) greet eachother after the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Since 1998, only the 2007 edition of Peyton Manning-Tom Brady drew more CBS viewers than that 2024 Chiefs-Bills meeting. Per SBJ, more than 34 million on average tuned into that contest between undefeated teams, won by New England on a Brady touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter.

Chiefs-Bills on Sunday also remained in doubt until late in the fourth quarter, when Patrick Mahomes completed a fourth-and-17 pass to steer Kansas City within one score. But Buffalo’s pass rush ultimately foiled the Chiefs’ hopes.

pat summerall, john madde — Dec 4, 1983; E. Rutherford, NJ, USA; FILE PHOTO; Broadcast team of Pat Summerall (left) and John Madden (right) at the St. Louis Cardinals at New York Giants game at Giants Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Herb Weitman-Imagn Images | Herb Weitman-Imagn Images

The 1998 season marked the first year CBS rejoined the NFL as a network partner. The network had aired NFL games for 38 seasons until the league signed new TV contracts in December 1993. As a result, FOX began airing the NFL in 1994.

Ultimate schedule quirk, but no one is complaining

In one of the most unique quirks in the NFL’s schedule matrix, Kansas City is actually slated to return to Buffalo during the 2026 regular season. While the majority of opponents and locations are predetermined by the matrix, the NFL won’t announce dates, times and networks until May.

Next year’s game – slated for Buffalo’s brand-new Highmark Stadium across the street from the current venue -- will mark the seventh consecutive regular season in which the Chiefs and Bills meet. Bills quarterback Josh Allen has now won the past five games.

Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, however, has won all four postseason meetings between the quarterbacks.

The Chiefs aren’t finished with TV ratings headlines this month. Their Thanksgiving Day game at Dallas on Nov. 27 is expected to break the all-time regular-season record of 42.1 million viewers, established on the holiday in 2022 when Dallas beat the New York Giants.

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