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I saw this and thought it interesting enough to share. It doesn't copy and paste well, so I'll transpose the info manually.

2024 NFL Average National TV Viewership

1. Lions (15-2) 22.65M
2. Cowboys (7-10) 22.47M
3. Chiefs (15-2) 22.07M
4. Packers (11-6) 21.11M
5. Ravens (12-5) 20.99M
6. Giants (3-14) 20.96M
7. Bears (5-12) 20.88M
8. Niners (6-11) 20.31M
9. Bills (13-4) 19.67M
10. Eagles (14-3) 18.82M
11. Vikings (14-3) 18.81M
12. Commanders (12-5) 17.68M
13. Steelers (10-7) 17.55M
14. Bucs (10-7) 17.34M
15. Bengals (9-8) 17.13M
16. Texans (10-7) 17.09M
17. Browns (3-14) 16.71M
18. Colts (8-9) 16.18M
19. Jets (5-12) 16.05M
20. Rams (10-7) 15.91M
21. Chargers (11-6) 15.77M
22. Dolphins (8-9) 15.46M
23. Saints (5-12) 15.21M
24. Falcons (8-9) 14.42M
25. Seahawks (10-7) 14.01M
26. Broncos (10-7) 12.86M
27. Patriots (4-13) 9.75M
28. Raiders (4-13) 8.79M
29. Cards (8-9) 8.59M
30. Jags (4-13) 6.4M
31. Titans (3-14) 5.51M
32. Panthers (5-12) N/A

https://www.sportico.com/business/media ... 234824258/

Prime Time games factor large into this equation. The Cowboys, being that they have the largest fan base in the country, always draw a slew of Prime Time games. This season, the Cowpukes, along with the Niners and Jets, had 6 Prime Time games.

The Giants, despite appearing in Prime Time just 3 times, without a "star", and having one of the worst records in the league, was still one of the best draws. Metro area obviously was the driving factor in that number.

Wouldn’t it be the case that the more a team is on national tv, the larger the national tv audience.
I can’t remember the last time I saw the Panthers outside of highlights.
I would also suggest that if the media concentrated on the Panthers as much as Dallas they would be the most popular team.

NorthHawk wrote:Wouldn’t it be the case that the more a team is on national tv, the larger the national tv audience.
I can’t remember the last time I saw the Panthers outside of highlights.
I would also suggest that if the media concentrated on the Panthers as much as Dallas they would be the most popular team.

True in most cases. But there are anomalies. The Colts, for example, were on Prime Time just once this season, yet they had a larger draw than did the Jets, who were tied with the Niners and Cowboys with 6 Prime Time appearances, had a "star" in Aaron Rodgers, are in a much larger metro area than are the Colts, and the Colts had a losing record. So go figure.

And you're right about the Panthers. They were the only team who did not have a single Prime Time appearance.

I am shocked the Chargers have that much viewership. Their fanbase must be spread nationwide, because they struggle to sell out at home games. The running joke at Charger games is that its a NCAA Bowl Game of sorts, most often the opposing crowd shares the spreads at their home games.

4XPIPS wrote:I am shocked the Chargers have that much viewership. Their fanbase must be spread nationwide, because they struggle to sell out at home games. The running joke at Charger games is that its a NCAA Bowl Game of sorts, most often the opposing crowd shares the spreads at their home games.

Once a year, I go to Las Vegas on a weekend during the fall so I can wear my colors...and see other fans from around the country wearing theirs...on NFL Sunday. I never took any kind of scientific poll, but the jersey I always saw the least of was the LA Chargers. Part of it is that the Chargers haven't won squat for decades, and another is that they lost their core fans when they left San Diego. But they are definitely one of the wimpiest fan bases in the league.

The other thing that we have to keep in mind is that there are two teams playing in those games, and when the Chargers play the Chiefs like they do twice a season, a lot of people tune in. But if you look at the NFC South, there is no popular, defending conference champs/SB champs team to drag the others along, so they drown in each other's misery.