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 last season are featured among the 10 most-watched Sunday Night Football games.
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: December 7, 2024
| Ranking | Year | Matchup | Final Score | Reported U.S. Viewership |
| 1 | 2012 | Washington vs Cowboys | 28-18 Redskins | 30.3 million |
| 2 | 2021 | Bucs vs Patriots | 19-17 Bucs | 28.5 million |
| 3 | 2015 | Giants vs Cowboys | 27-26 Cowboys | 26.8 million |
| 4 | 2023 | Chiefs vs Jets | 23-20 Chiefs | 26.7 million |
| 5 | 2023 | Eagles vs Cowboys | 33-13 Cowboys | 26.5 million |
| 6 | 2016 | Cowboys vs Giants | 10-7 Giants | 26.5 million |
| 7 | 2015 | Seahawks vs Packers | 27-17 Packers | 26.4 million |
| 8 | 2023 | 49ers vs Seahawks | 28-16 49ers | 26.4 million |
| 9 | 2023 | Cowboys vs 49ers | 42-10 49ers | 26.1 million |
| 10 | 2023 | Chiefs vs Packers | 27-19 Packers | 25.4 million |
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