Cowboys vs Commanders Join List Of Most Watched NFL Thanksgiving Day Games Ever

The Dallas Cowboys’ 45-10 victory over the Washington Commanders was hardly one of the most anticipated games of the NFL season. However, that didn’t stop a whopping 41 million viewers from tuning into the NFL’s Thanksgiving Day matchup, according to CBS Sports.

The Cowboys vs Commanders game finished as the most-watched program since last year’s Super Bowl. The game also marked the third-most watched NFL regular season game ever and the second-most watched Thanksgiving Day game in history, behind only the Cowboys-Giants Thanksgiving Day game from a season ago.

The game peaked with 44.265 million viewers, which also helped Paramount+ set a new record for its most-streamed NFL regular season game ever.

Here are the most-watched NFL Thanksgiving Day games of all time.

1. Cowboys vs Giants (2022) — 42 million viewers
2. Cowboys vs Commanders (2023) — 41 million viewers
3. Cowboys vs Raiders (2021) — 40.8 million viewers
4. Cowboys vs Dolphins (1993) — 38.4 million viewers
5. Cowboys vs Chiefs (1995) — 35.7 million viewers
6. Cowboys vs Redskins (2016) — 35.1 million viewers

Cowboys Are Common Theme In Most-Watched Thanksgiving Day Games Ever

There were a few different reasons that the game was wildly successful.

The Cowboys vs Commanders game earned arguably the best time slot of the tripleheader. Airing at 4:30 pm ET, the game brought together families on the East and West Coasts and came at an ideal time during Thanksgiving Day. Fans on the East Coast were able to watch the game between lunch and dinner while fans on the West Coast got to enjoy the game shortly after lunch at 1:30 pm PST.

Part of the reason that Dallas drew the coveted time slot despite the lackluster matchup is that the Cowboys have historically been among the top-rated Thanksgiving Day games.

Even prior to this year’s success, the Cowboys had been featured in the top five most-watched Thanksgiving Day NFL games. Dallas set a record for the most-watched game ever in 2021 against the Raiders and broke the mark again with 42 million viewers last year versus the Giants.

Dolly Parton Provides Halftime Entertainment

Like the Super Bowl, the NFL Thanksgiving Day games also provide a halftime entertainment show. While the Lions-Packers opted for rapper Jack Harlow and the 49ers-Seahawks selected Steve Aoki to entertain a younger audience, the Cowboys and Commanders made a more auspicious choice.

Singer and legend Dolly Parton performed at the Cowboys halftime show. The 77-year-old dressed in a Cowboys cheerleader uniform.