NFL Week 2 Audiences Surge Across Networks After Slow Start
The short version
- Fox averaged 27.2 million viewers for Cowboys-Commanders, the season's most-watched telecast on any network
- NBC's Colts-Chiefs Sunday night game drew 24.3 million viewers, the best Week 2 primetime figure since 2015
- CBS posted a record 19.34 million-viewer Week 2 singleheader, up 29% from last year
- Week 2 gains came after NFL opening-week viewership dropped 13%
- The Cowboys face Baltimore in Week 3 in Rio de Janeiro
Fox, NBC and CBS all posted strong viewership numbers for Week 2 NFL games, reversing a 13% decline in the league's opening week.
The NFL's television audience rebounded sharply in Week 2 of the 2026 season after opening-week ratings fell 13%. Fox Sports led the way, averaging 27.2 million viewers for its late Sunday national window featuring Dallas's 37-20 victory over Washington. That made it the most-watched game telecast of the season on any network, surpassing the 25.7 million NBC averaged for its Sept. 13 Sunday Night Football opener between the Cowboys and Giants.
NBC also had reason to celebrate its Week 2 numbers. The Colts-Chiefs matchup, won by Kansas City 33-30 in overtime, drew an average of 24.3 million viewers, the largest Week 2 audience for the Sunday primetime slot since 2015. CBS posted its most-watched Week 2 singleheader ever at 19.34 million viewers, headlined by New England's 20-3 win over Pittsburgh in the early window. That figure was up 29% year over year and marked CBS's biggest September singleheader since 1989.
The strong Sunday followed a 5% bump for the Sept. 17 debut of Amazon's Thursday Night Football slate, which opened with a Lions-Bills matchup. ESPN's Week 2 Monday night audience for Giants-Rams was expected to be released late Wednesday.
The ratings recovery aligns with expectations tied to recent measurement changes implemented by Nielsen. Dallas remains one of the league's biggest draws despite not reaching an NFC Championship game since winning Super Bowl XXX after the 1995 season. The Cowboys are scheduled for another national showcase in Week 3, facing Baltimore on CBS in a late-afternoon game played in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
