NFL TV Ratings: 2022 Playoff Viewership Increases, Most-Watched Divisional Games In Years

The NFL continues to separate itself from other professional leagues as America's most popular sport. The 2022 playoffs have drawn massive television ratings with some of the most-watched football games in years.

Both FOX and CBS have seen historic TV ratings through the divisional playoffs. The 2022 NFL playoffs are the most-watched postseason on CBS in 10 years. Fox’s divisional matchup between the Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers was the most-watched Saturday TV event in 28 years.

An average of 36.9 million viewers watched the 49ers upset Aaron Rodgers and the Packers at Lambeau Field. It marked an increase of 10.9 million viewers from last year’s Saturday night divisional game between the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens.

San Francisco has been a ratings winner this postseason. The 49ers’ upset of the Dallas Cowboys was the most-watched wild-card game in seven years. The Cowboys are the NFL’s most popular team, and the Packers are near the top of the list.

This year’s divisional playoffs ended with Sunday night’s overtime thriller between Buffalo and the Kansas City Chiefs. An average of 42.736 million people watched the game, making it the most-watched divisional game in five years. Nearly 52 million viewers were tuned into CBS at the game’s peak.

On average, only 15% of the televisions in Kansas City that were being used during the game were not tuned in to see the Chiefs play the Bills. The Kansas City market generated a 55.3 rating for the game, meaning more than half of the homes with TVs watched the playoff game.

With an average of nearly 31 million viewers, the Cincinnati Bengals’ win over the Tennessee Titans was the most-watched divisional game on a Saturday afternoon in six years.

All four divisional playoff matchups were decided by the winning team scoring on the last play of the game.