The Bills not only handed the Chiefs their first loss of the year Sunday but also gave the NFL its most-watched game of the season.
CBS drew 31.14 million viewers for Buffalo’s 30–21 victory over Kansas City, according to a source who viewed the game’s Nielsen ratings, which is the league’s highest TV audience this fall. That number beats the NFL season kickoff game record of 29.2 million viewers NBC got for the Chiefs’ 27–20 win over the Ravens in Week 1.
Ahead of the previously undefeated Chiefs visiting the AFC rival Bills, CBS went all out promoting the potential game of the year. The network took its pregame studio show, The NFL Today, on the road to Highmark Stadium. The program aired in its traditional noon ET time slot, several hours before Patrick Mahomes and Josh Allen squared off at 4:25 p.m.
The massive viewership continues Kansas City’s dominance as the NFL’s No. 1 TV team, further separating the Chiefs from the Cowboys, who fell to 3–7 on the season after Monday night’s 34–10 loss to the Texans. The Chiefs are now responsible for the three most-watched games this season, including 27.9 million viewers on CBS for a victory over the Bengals in Week 2.
![The University of Alabama showed off renovations to Bryant Denny Stadium Thursday, Oct. 1, 2020. Sports Illustrated covers decorate the walls inside the new press box. [Staff Photo/Gary Cosby Jr.]](https://frontofficesports.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/USATSI_15005835_168422351_lowres-scaled-e1779297429645.jpg?quality=80&w=300)
