CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 10: Josh Jacobs 8 of the Green Bay Packers dives towards the end zone during the first half of a NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Chicago Bears on January 10, 2026 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA JAN 10 NFC Wildcard Packers at Bears EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260110102
CHICAGO, IL - JANUARY 10: Josh Jacobs 8 of the Green Bay Packers dives towards the end zone during the first half of a NFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Chicago Bears on January 10, 2026 at Soldier Field in Chicago, Illinois. Photo by Melissa Tamez/Icon Sportswire NFL, American Football Herren, USA JAN 10 NFC Wildcard Packers at Bears EDITORIAL USE ONLY Icon260110102
Jan 16, 2026, 1:07 PM CUT
NFL Wildcard Weekend Shatters Decade-Old Viewership with 100 Million Average Viewers
The 2025-26 NFL Wild Card Matches have not only been intense but also record-breaking.
The NFL Media released the Wild Card weekend viewership data, and the numbers have gone up 13% when compared to those of the 2024 season.
Not only did each of the Wild Card windows over the weekend post YoY increases, but they also recorded 32.0 million viewers on average. This makes it the most-watched Wild Card Weekend in a decade (2015-16). In total, they crossed the 100 million average viewer mark.
Before jumping into the top three most-watched games, let's look at the other matchups that caught everyone's attention.
- The Los Angeles Rams' 34-31 win over the Panthers had 27.98 million, a 7% rise from last year's Rams-Texans game on CBS.
- The New England Patriots' 16-3 win over the Los Angeles Chargers had 28.9 million average viewers, just shy of Washington-Tampa Bay's 29 million mark.
Green Bay Packers vs Chicago Bears
This was one of the best games of this weekend. The Packers jumped out to a big lead, scoring on their first three drives and leading 21-3 at halftime. But then the Bears mounted an 18-point comeback, one of the largest in franchise playoff history, powered by a huge 25-point 4th quarter.
The game was streamed on Amazon Prime Video and recorded 31.6 million viewers. This makes it the Most-streamed NFL game ever, as well as the Most-watched Saturday Wild Card game since 2020.
San Francisco 49ers vs Philadelphia Eagles
The defending champions were knocked out in this one. A bad offense, including multiple dropped catches by AJ Browns, and the 49ers banking on the opportunities with a balanced performance led to a 23-19 score.
Fox broadcast this game and recorded 41.1 million viewers, making it the most-watched NFL game ever. That marked a 14% increase from last year's game between the Eagles and the Packers during the same time slot.
Buffalo Bills vs Jacksonville Jaguars
This was a thriller with the Bills advancing to the AFC Divisional Round after a 27-24 win. This was their first road postseason victory since 1992. The Bills sealed the win with a late tush push, as Josh Allen converted a crucial fourth down and then powered in for the go-ahead touchdown.
Fans clocked onto the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) to watch this game. The broadcast recorded 32.8 million viewers and became the 3rd most-watched Wild Card game in the Sunday early window.
Written by
Reyansh Dubey
Edited by
Siddharth Shirwadkar