• Loading stock data...
Thursday, September 18, 2025

From Punch Line to Prime Time: Lions Have Captured America’s Attention

The Lions appeared in four of the 20 most-watched games this season. That ties them with the Cowboys, who have long held a reputation as America’s Team.

Detroit Free Press

The Lions were an NFL laughingstock for decades, with viewers bemoaning their annual appearance on Thanksgiving Day games. But NFL fans are not laughing at coach Dan Campbell’s scrappy squad anymore. 

Heading into the NFL playoffs, the 15–2 Lions are the No. 1 seed in the NFC. Viewers have caught on; the Lions are challenging the mighty Cowboys as one of the league’s most popular TV draws. 

The same people who scoffed when the NFL paired the Lions with the Chiefs for the league’s 2023 opening kickoff game are voting with their TV remotes. The Lions could become the Cinderella team of the NFL playoffs. And the Cowboys? As Charles Barkley would say, they’ve gone fishin’ until next season.

As FOS has reported, Patrick Mahomes’s defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs are America’s new top TV team, costarring in three of the five most-watched regular-season games in 2024—and eight of the top 20. 

But the Lions appeared in four of the 20 most-watched games this season. That ties them with the vaunted Cowboys—as well as the Packers and Ravens.

Yes, the Cowboys beat the Lions for the regular season’s most-watched regular-season game on Thanksgiving Day. But Giants-Cowboys—which averaged a season-high 38.8 million viewers—was broadcast in Fox Sports’ marquee 4:30 p.m. ET window. Despite kicking off at 12:30 p.m. on Turkey Day, Bears-Lions came close, averaging 37.5 million viewers on CBS.

This season’s viewership represents a changing of the guard. For decades, the Cowboys were the league’s ratings juggernaut. America’s Team won its last Super Bowl in 1996. Even though they stunk this season, Cris Collinsworth admitted NBC’s Sunday Night Football would air 17 Cowboys games if they were allowed to.

“I’m not kidding. It doesn’t matter what their record is,” Collinsworth told Dan Patrick.

Given their glamorous Super Bowl pedigrees, the Steelers, Packers, and 49ers boast the biggest national fan bases. Ditto for the Giants, Jets, and Bears since they play in the country’s first- and third-largest TV markets. But the emergence of the Lions and Ravens has benefited the NFL’s TV partners. Especially since the league suffered a 2.2% drop in viewership this season, with games averaging 17.5 million viewers across all networks.

Campbell’s high-risk, high-reward coaching style, and the emergence of stars like running back Jahmyr Gibbs, have made the Lions must-see TV. It wouldn’t surprise me if they generated the biggest audience during the NFL’s divisional weekend. Chiefs-Lions would be a dream matchup for Fox Sports’ coverage of Super Bowl LIX on Feb. 9. In February, the CBS telecast of the 25–22 Chiefs overtime win over the 49ers set the record for most-watched Big Game in history, with 123.4 million average viewers across all platforms. 

Mike Greenberg, host of ESPN’s Get Up, points to Campbell’s charisma, and Detroit’s high-octane offense, as key reasons for their newfangled TV popularity. Many fans have fallen in love with the Lions, he says.

“They’re essentially a founding franchise of the NFL. So they have a huge and long-suffering fan base,” Greenberg says. “People like to see these perennial losers [succeed]. Maybe not quite to the same level when the Cubs finally won the World Series. But I think there’s an element of that.”

Linkedin
Whatsapp
Copy Link
Link Copied
Link Copied

What to Read

ESPN Draws Highest ‘MNF’ Doubleheader Audience Since 2015

Buccaneers–Texans and Chargers–Raiders averaged 13.5 million viewers.

Stephen A. Smith on MNF Role, Inside the NBA, Molly Qerim Departure

Smith told FOS he will work “at least” three games this season.
Brian Flores

Brian Flores Says NFL Arbitrator Is Stalling in Discrimination Case

A new filing says the arbitrator has done nothing for a year.
Tush Push

Why Fox’s Dean Blandino Is ‘Done’ With the Tush Push

The NFL rules analyst outlines why the play should be banned.

Featured Today

Adriunna Brown

Business Is Booming for WNBA’s Top Beauty Pros

A network of stylists is shaping how players look, feel, and perform.
Premier Lacrosse League
September 14, 2025

‘The Circus Is Coming to Town’: Why Upstart Leagues Start on Tour

In their ambitious plans, a traveling schedule is only temporary.
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - APRIL 19: A detailed view of the MLB Debut patch on the jersey of Patrick Monteverde #44 of the Miami Marlins prior to game against the Philadelphia Phillies at Citizens Bank Park on April 19, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
September 13, 2025

The Tiny Jersey Patch at the Center of the MLB Rookie Card..

Autographed cards containing a piece of baseball history have upended the market.
September 11, 2025

Eagles-Chiefs Super Bowl Rematch Could Set More NFL Ratings Records

Fox will nationally televise Sunday afternoon’s matchup.

Bethpage Black Joins Trend of Hosting Top Men’s, Women’s Tournaments

The 2028 Women’s PGA Championship will be there for the first time.
September 17, 2025

Netflix Boxing Ratings Spark New Fight Over Streaming Metrics

The streamer used a non-accredited process to measure the boxing match.
September 17, 2025

Silver: My Comments About Basketball Highlights Were ‘Misconstrued’

The NBA commissioner spoke at the Front Office Sports Tuned in summit.
Sponsored

How World Series Champ Dexter Fowler Became a Premier League Team Owner

Dexter Fowler discusses navigating retirement and embracing new roles as an owner & investor.
Apr 24, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Detroit Pistons guard Malik Beasley (5) dribbles on New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson (11) in the second half during game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Little Caesars Arena.
September 17, 2025

Adam Silver: NBA’s Problems With Gambling ‘Have Been Predictable’

Silver originally advocated for legalized sports betting in a 2014 op-ed.
September 17, 2025

CFB TV Ratings Stay Hot As Georgia-Tennessee Sets ABC High of 12.6M

ABC has had four games that have topped 10 million viewers this season.
Maria Taylor
September 17, 2025

Maria Taylor Talks About ‘Moving Differently’ in ESPN-NBC Jump

Taylor will be NBC Sports’ lead NBA and WNBA studio host.
September 17, 2025

MLB, NBC Leaders Say Broadcast TV Still Matters in Streaming Era

The network and league tout the forthcoming rights deal.