The Kansas City Chiefs are in unfamiliar territory going into the final stretch of the NFL’s season, having a 6-6 record and on the outside looking in for the playoff picture. But, the Chiefs are still one of the most beloved teams in the NFL, and people want to watch them.
The Chiefs’ most recent game was against the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving Day. The Cowboys squeezed out a win over the Chiefs with a 31-28 final score in a close rand dramatic finish, and now, Kansas City has to win out the rest of their season.
“My hat goes off to the Cowboys. They did a nice job today battling through,” Kansas City Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said after the team’s loss on Thanksgiving. “I was proud of our guys for battling through with some of the things that were going on…The bottom line is we’re having too many penalties…and [we have] to get off the field on third downs.”
He added, “We had too many opportunities that we gave away. When two good teams are playing each other, you can’t have that.”
Kansas City Chiefs Are Drawing Big Numbers
Even having a rough season, people watch to watch the Kansas City Chiefs, and that’s a good thing. On Wednesday, December 3, the NFL shared that the Chiefs and Cowboys game on Thanksgiving Day averaged 57.23 million viewers on CBS, making it the most watched regular-season game in the entire history of the NFL, according to NFL research.
“It was widely thought that the holiday matchup featuring two of the most popular teams in the league would set records,” the NFL notes in their feature on the record being broken. “The numbers sent out by CBS Sports certainly didn’t disappoint.”
They added, “The 57.23 million viewers topped the previous NFL record by +36% (42.059 million for Giants-Cowboys on Thanksgiving 2022). Viewership peaked with 61.357 million viewers between 7:45 and 8 p.m. ET.”
Where the Kansas City Chiefs Stand
It’s great that people are so fixated on the Chiefs, but they need to start winning games. In a piece out on Tuesday, December 2, ESPN puts the Kansas City Chiefs at No. 16 in the NFL, with their X-factor being wide receiver Rashee Rice.
“After missing the first six games while serving a suspension, Rice has been a difference-maker for quarterback Patrick Mahomes,” Nate Taylor of ESPN states. Alongside tight end Travis Kelce, Rice will need to continue to elevate his play, in particular his ability to gain yards after the catch, to keep the Chiefs’ playoff hopes alive.”
He adds, “Mahomes will likely need to rely even more on short passes to Rice because Kansas City is dealing with numerous injuries along its offensive line.”
Their No. 1 team is the New England Patriots after their win over the New York Giants. What year is it, again? In the feature, ESPN’s Mike Reiss notes, “Through the first nine weeks, the Patriots hadn’t allowed an opposing running back to gain 50 rushing yards in a game. But in Weeks 10-12, Patriots opponents averaged more than 5.0 yards a carry.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Major Chiefs Announcement Proves They’re Still on Top appeared first on Heavy Sports.