X

Chiefs vs. Bills Draws 31.2M Viewers, Most-Watched NFL Game of 2024 Season

Doric SamNovember 20, 2024

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 17: Josh Allen #17 of the Buffalo Bills greets Patrick Mahomes #15 of the Kansas City Chiefs after defeating the Kansas City Chiefs 30-21 at Highmark Stadium on November 17, 2024 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images

The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills added another epic installment to their rivalry on Sunday, and their clash drew a massive audience of football fans who were treated to an exciting game.

The NFL announced on Wednesday that Buffalo's 30-21 win over Kansas City drew a whopping average of 31.2 million viewers, making it the most-watched game of the 2024 season so far:

NFL Media @NFLMedia

🚨NFL Viewership🚨<br><br>*17.5 million avg. viewers per game -- highest avg. through Week 11 since 2015<br><br>*NFL games rank as 47 of the top 50 shows on TV since start of 2024 season<br><br>*Chiefs-Bills avg. 31.2 million viewers <a href="https://t.co/abnuZjwavn">pic.twitter.com/abnuZjwavn</a>

Austin Karp of Sports Business Journal reported that excluding Thanksgiving and Christmas Day games, the Chiefs vs. Bills game was the most-watched regular-season game since 2007 when a Week 9 game between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts drew 33.8 million viewers.

The Bills handed the back-to-back reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs their first loss of the season in a back-and-forth battle that will surely boost Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen's chances to finally take home his first NFL MVP award.

Allen threw for 262 yards, a touchdown and an interception while adding a team-high 55 rushing yards. His 26-yard rushing touchdown on a fourth-down play late in the fourth quarter sealed the win for Buffalo and is widely regarded as a candidate for the Play of the Year.

NFL @NFL

JOSH. ALLEN. GREATNESS.<br><br>📺: <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/KCvsBUF?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#KCvsBUF</a> on CBS/Paramount+<br>📱: <a href="https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG">https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG</a> <a href="https://t.co/3HyIoDCaAC">pic.twitter.com/3HyIoDCaAC</a>

"The Josh Allen experience, with this magnitude, has been phenomenal, man," Bills wide receiver Amari Cooper said after the win. "... He's a great player. The old adage, big-time players make big-time plays in big-time situations, and that's exactly what he did."

Chiefs star quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw for 196 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss. Kansas City is hoping to achieve the first three-peat in modern NFL history, but falling to Buffalo possibly exposed the team's deficiencies.

The Chiefs will try to bounce back on Sunday when they visit the Carolina Panthers, while the Bills will be seeking their seventh straight win when they return from their bye week on Dec. 1 to face the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football.