Chiefs-Raiders game becomes the most watched Christmas Day game with over 29 million viewers

The game also clocked in 37.2 million eyes as its peak.

Chiefs-Raiders game becomes the most watched Christmas Day game with over 29 million viewers

Kansas City Chiefs safety Mike Edwards (#21) goes to dive after Las Vegas Raiders running back Zamir White (#35) during the second half on December 25th, 2023 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City (Via Imago)

The Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers game was thought to be the most impactful game on the day of Christmas. Since it was a mouthwatering clash between the two most favorites of this season, it was expected to draw the most number of spectators.

Surprisingly, it did not attract the most number of crowds. Despite having a large number of spectators, it failed to surpass the viewership of the Kansas City Chiefs–Las Vegas Raiders game.

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A few statistics will do well here. Citing the data from CBS and Nickelodeon, NBC Sports reported that the Chiefs vs. Raiders game attracted 29.2 million viewers. Whereas, the Ravens vs. the Niners was restricted to 27.2 million. With the hefty lead of 2.2 million eyes, the Chiefs-Raiders game was a distant winner of the Christmas Day.

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As per other sources, the viewership of the game was also picked at 37.2 million at one point. However, it had an average viewership of 29.2 million throughout the game.

With these statistics, the game set a new record for targeting the most number of audience since 1989. In that year, the Vikings hosted the Bengals for a record 33.1 million viewers. It had the most number of views. After that, the Chiefs vs. Raiders became the most-viewed game.

However, the Vikings vs. the Bengals were not hosted on the day of Christmas. Hence, the Raiders and the Chiefs game became the most viewed game on Christmas Day.

This year’s NFL has witnessed some high turnovers. On the day of Thanksgiving, the Dallas Cowboys vs. the Washington Commanders witnessed 41.76 million viewers watching the game. The other game between the Lions and the Packers also had a 33 million viewership. With these numbers of audiences, the league management surely is expecting huge viewership for the playoffs.

The Raiders gave an upset for the Chiefs fans

The viewers who came to see Patrick Mahomes‘ brilliance on the gridiron had to be disappointed as the Chiefs failed to make their Christmas happy. The Raiders beat the Chiefs 20-14 in one of the worst days of the latter.

Still from Chiefs vs Raiders
Still from Chiefs vs. Raiders (Via Imago)

It was a disappointing day for Mahomes, who was subjected to four sacks, fumbles, and interception. In addition, his giveaways made room for the Raiders to come back in the game. In seven seconds, the Raiders scored two defensive touchdowns that created the path for them.

The Raiders are presently standing with a 7-8 record after 15 games. Their hope for the playoffs however stand by a thread.

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