Aided by a later timeslot, one of the more eventful playoff games in recent NFL history delivered big ratings for CBS.
Sunday’s Texans-Chiefs AFC Divisional Round game averaged a 20.3 rating and 35.40 million viewers on CBS, per Nielsen fast-nationals — marking the highest rated AFC Divisional game since 2016 (Steelers-Broncos: 23.6) and the most-watched since 2017 (Steelers-Chiefs: 37.11M).
Kansas City’s comeback rout, which peaked with 41.1 million viewers from 5:45-6 PM ET, increased 19% in ratings and 21% in viewership from Chargers-Patriots last year (17.1, 29.34M) and 11% and 13% respectively from Jaguars-Steelers in 2018 (18.3, 31.45M).
Not counting Steelers-Chiefs in 2017, which was scheduled to begin at 1 PM ET but was pushed back to primetime, ratings and viewership were the highest for the early Sunday Divisional Round window since 2016 (Seahawks-Panthers: 21.1, 36.68M).
Overall, the game delivered the fifth-highest rating and fourth-largest audience in the window dating back to 2002. It was the most-watched AFC game over that span.
Those superlatives come with a caveat. Under a new scheduling format, Sunday’s game began at 3 PM ET — two hours later than in previous years.
Three of four AFC playoff games thus far have hit multi-year highs in ratings and viewership. Of the eight playoff games overall, four have hit multi-year highs in ratings and five have done so in viewership.
[Nielsen estimates from CBS Sports]
