NBC Sports delivered a historic audience Sunday night as the Los Angeles Rams’ overtime victory against the Chicago Bears became the most-watched NFL Divisional Playoff game in the network’s history, according to official measurement data released this week.
The Rams-Bears thriller averaged 45.4 million viewers across NBC, Peacock, NBC Sports Digital platforms, and NFL Digital platforms, based on Nielsen Big Data + Panel results combined with digital data from Adobe Analytics.
The performance surpassed every Divisional Playoff game NBC has aired since Nielsen introduced the People Meter in 1988, a span that includes 34 postseason matchups.
NBC Sports benefited from a dramatic on-field product that kept viewers engaged throughout the night. The audience increased during every quarter-hour window from kickoff at 8:15 p.m. ET until the decisive score, before peaking late. From 9:45 to 10 p.m. ET, the broadcast averaged 52.6 million viewers as the game reached its conclusion.
The game also proved to be a digital milestone. Led by Peacock, NBC Sports Digital recorded its largest NFL simulstream audience ever outside of Super Bowls. The combined platforms generated an Average Minute Audience of 5.3 million viewers, signaling continued growth in streaming consumption for marquee NFL events.
Locally, Chicago topped all markets with a dominant 34.7/66 rating. Los Angeles posted a 16.3/55, marking a 15% increase compared to last season’s Rams-Eagles Divisional Playoff game on NBC, further highlighting the matchup’s broad national and regional appeal.
The record-setting audience also capped a milestone year for NBC’s Sunday Night Football. The franchise’s 20th season finished as its most-watched ever and now sets the stage for an even larger media moment ahead. NBC will present Super Bowl LX on February 8 from Levi’s Stadium, with coverage streaming on Peacock and Spanish-language broadcasts airing on Telemundo and Universo.
Super Bowl coverage begins at 1 p.m. ET, closing a season that has consistently delivered both compelling games and massive audiences.
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