Oct 7, 2026 1:17 AM
The Las Vegas Raiders' showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs helped CBS draw a record-setting audience and the NFL's biggest television viewership of the 2026 season.
The Las Vegas Raiders may have lost their undefeated record Sunday, but their showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs certainly attracted plenty of attention.
CBS's late-afternoon window, headlined by the battle between the previously unbeaten AFC West rivals, averaged 28.448 million viewers, according to figures released by CBS Sports on Tuesday.
That made it the most-watched NFL broadcast of the 2026 season and the largest Week 4 audience in NFL broadcast history.
The late window primarily featured the Raiders-Chiefs game, although some markets received the San Francisco 49ers-Denver Broncos matchup.
The enormous audience came as the Raiders entered the game as one of the NFL's biggest early-season surprises.
Las Vegas had opened the season 3-0 after winning just three games a year ago, setting up the first meeting in the history of the Raiders-Chiefs rivalry in which both teams entered with records of 3-0 or better.
The game lived up to the billing.
The Raiders led 13-10 at halftime and took a 20-17 lead into the fourth quarter before the Chiefs scored two touchdowns in a span of 19 seconds to take control.
Las Vegas responded with a late touchdown from Brock Bowers and a two-point conversion to pull within three, but Kansas City held on for a 30-27 victory.
The Raiders showed they could compete with the Chiefs, even though they were unable to finish off what would have been their biggest victory of the season.
Viewers apparently wanted to see whether they could.
CBS said its NFL broadcasts are averaging 19.883 million viewers this season, a 9% increase over last year's record-setting pace.
The record-setting audience is another indication of how quickly interest in the Raiders has grown following their 3-0 start.
Despite entering the year without a scheduled prime-time game, the Raiders have already played a central role in the NFL's most-watched broadcast of 2026.
They will now try to get back in the win column when they face the New England Patriots in Week 5.
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