The rematch of last season’s Super Bowl between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs drew a massive audience, with 29.02 million viewers tuning in to watch the game on “Monday Night Football.” The game was the most-watched of the season across all networks and set a new record for the most-watched “Monday Night Football” game in the ESPN era, which began in 2006.
The last time a Monday night regular-season game saw such high viewership was in November 1996, when 31.45 million viewers watched the Dallas Cowboys defeat the Green Bay Packers.
The significance of these record-breaking numbers is not lost on those involved in the broadcast. “Monday Night Football” play-by-play broadcaster Joe Buck stated last week that the Eagles-Chiefs game was likely the biggest regular-season game he and partner Troy Aikman had been assigned in their 22 years of calling NFL games together. The fact that the game’s audience exceeded expectations has been noted by many as a significant achievement.
In addition to the high viewership, the game further solidified the Chiefs and the Eagles as strong contenders for Super Bowl LVIII, alongside the San Francisco 49ers, according to the latest BetMGM odds. The Chiefs currently have a 7-3 record, while the Eagles stand at 9-1.
The viewership on ABC alone accounted for 15 million of the total viewers, driving home the popularity and significance of this highly anticipated rematch.