CBS Draws 28.18 Million for Chiefs-Broncos
The Week 8 broadcast became the most-watched Week 8 game on record for CBS, just short of the season's top audience.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Football
Live Poll
Do you plan to watch NFL games on TV this season?
CBS Sports averaged 28.18 million viewers for the Week 8 Chiefs-Broncos broadcast, which Denver won 28-24. The audience fell just short of the most-watched broadcast of the 2026 NFL season.
Why it matters
The result pushes CBS's season average higher, with the network up 5% from the same point a year ago. It reinforces the strong draw of Kansas City games and the late Sunday afternoon national window.
CBS Sports averaged 28.18 million viewers, the most-watched Week 8 game on record for the network, while its 4:25 p.m. ET Sunday window averages 25.3 million. Updated league figures incorporating the week are expected Thursday.
The players
Kansas City Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs are a resurgent NFL franchise that won three Super Bowls and five conference titles beginning in 2019, and have long been one of the league's top viewership draws.
CBS Sports
CBS Sports is the television network that broadcast the Week 8 game and has been the regular-season audience leader in the 2025 and 2026 NFL seasons.
The details
Denver defeated Kansas City 28-24 in the Week 8 game, which followed a Ravens-Bills game in the 1 p.m. ET window and was the first late Sunday afternoon national slot since the change to standard time. The broadcast benefited from that strong lead-in audience.
Timeline
Week 8 of the 2026 NFL season: Chiefs-Broncos broadcast on CBS, Sunday, November 1, 2026.
Updated NFL viewership figures incorporating Week 8 are expected Thursday.
Season Trajectory
The result extends the 2025 season, when the NFL recorded its best viewership in 36 years, into the current campaign. CBS's five percent gain over last year's pace suggests the league is aiming to build on that banner season.
Fans tracking the season can use the Week 4 Chiefs-Raiders average of 28.5 million as the current viewership benchmark. The Week 8 result is a useful reference point for judging how the late Sunday afternoon national window performs.
The takeaway
Late Sunday afternoon national games on CBS have drawn audiences that rival the season's biggest broadcasts, so viewers should expect this slot to remain a major draw.
What happens next
Updated NFL viewership figures incorporating Week 8 are expected on Thursday.
Further reading
Explore more Football coverage for the broader league viewership picture.
Live Poll
Do you plan to watch NFL games on TV this season?
