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The Most Watched Sunday Night Football Games of All Time

  • The Cowboys are featured in five of the most-watched Sunday night games.
  • Tom Brady’s reunion game against the Patriots is one of two games with over 28 million viewers.
Oct 29, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Jac Collinsworth (left), Tony Dungy (center) and Rodney Harrison on the Sunday Night Football Final set at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Regardless of any legal or PR blowback stemming from its Sunday Ticket lawsuit case, the NFL remains the most profitable sports league in America, with primetime broadcasts playing a large part.

The most-watched Sunday Night Football game is the 2012 matchup between Dallas and Washington, drawing 30.3 million American viewers.

The division rivals met in Week 17 that year, with a playoff spot for Dallas and the NFC East for Washington on the line. It received an 18.3 Nielsen rating, the highest rating for a primetime NFL game in 15 years.

Washington knocked off the Cowboys 28-18 to deny them a playoff spot and win the NFC East.

Living up to their billing as America’s Team, the Cowboys appear in five of the most-watched Sunday Night Football games of all time.

In those games, an average of 27.24 million viewers tuned in to catch the Cowboys in primetime. Two of their matchups over the years with the Giants, also division rivals, have gained over 26 million viewers.

The 2021 matchup of the Bucs and Patriots is the second-most-watched Sunday Night football game, gaining 28.5 million reported viewers in the U.S.

In the build-up to the game, New England legend Tom Brady was set to make his highly-anticipated return to Foxboro Stadium. Tampa Bay barely escaped with a win on the road, 19-17, and the game earned a 14.6 Nielsen rating. 

Five matchups from 2023 are featured among the 10 most-watched Sunday Night Football games. Only one matchup from last season made the cut, the division-deciding season finale between the Vikings and the Lions.

Ranking The Most Watched Sunday Night Football Games

Here is the list of the top 10 most-watched Sunday Night Football games based on average U.S. viewership. The list was compiled using historical data from SportsMediaWatch.

  • Updated: April 15th, 2025
RankingYearMatchupFinal ScoreReported U.S. Viewership
12012Washington vs Cowboys28-18 Redskins30.3 million
22021Bucs vs Patriots19-17 Bucs28.5 million
32015Giants vs Cowboys27-26 Cowboys26.8 million
42023Chiefs vs Jets23-20 Chiefs26.7 million
52023Eagles vs Cowboys33-13 Cowboys26.5 million
62016Cowboys vs Giants10-7 Giants26.5 million
72015Seahawks vs Packers27-17 Packers26.4 million
8202349ers vs Seahawks28-16 49ers26.4 million
92023Cowboys vs 49ers42-10 49ers26.1 million
102024Vikings vs Lions31-9 Lions25.8 million

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