Patriots-Texans enjoyed a historic ratings day

Sunday's NFL divisional round playoff game between the Houston Texans and the New England Patriots was a historic day for viewership.

The telecast, broadcast across ESPN, ABC, and ESPN Deportes, had a record setting 38 million viewers tune in for the Patriots' 28-16 win over Houston. ESPN has been broadcasting NFL games since 1987. Not counting Super Bowls, it was Disney's most watched sporting event and their most watched broadcast since 2014.

The 2025 divisional round game saw a 12% jump in viewership from last year's divisional round between the Texans and Kansas City Chiefs.

The broadcast saw its largest audience late in the second half, peaking at nearly 45 million viewers.

ESPN averaged 32.8 million viewers across their two post season games this year.