2023 NFL Playoffs: Chiefs AFC championship win sets record 53M viewers; Eagles' NFC title draws 47.5M

The NFL’s conference championship Sunday offered two games that could not have been more different, but massive viewership numbers show that both kept audiences’ attention.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ 23-20 AFC championship win over the Cincinnati Bengals went down to the wire and enticed 53.1 million people to watch. According to CBS, It was the most-watched television program on any network since last year’s Super Bowl and the NFL’s most-watched conference championship in four years. The game peaked with 59.374 million viewers.

Meanwhile, the 31-7 NFC championship was dominated by the Philadelphia Eagles in a tough series of unfortunate events for the San Francisco 49ers. It was also just a generally weird game — which may have included an Eagles punt hitting a camera wire.

Mishaps aside, the matchup was a success for Fox. According to the network, the conference title game drew 47.5 million viewers — becoming its most-watched telecast of any kind since last year's NFC championship. The broadcast peaked at 52.3 million viewers and was the second most-streamed NFL game in Fox Sports’ history.

Unalike as they were, both broadcasts came to emotional conclusions.

The AFC title game ended with Bengals defensive end Joseph Ossai left crying on the bench after his late push of an out-of-bounds Patrick Mahomes. The ensuing 15-yard penalty put the Chiefs in position for a 47-yard field goal that secured the win.

Postgame interviews featuring Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce showed that emotions were high for them as well, as they took turns returning the Bengals’ trash talk. Kelce even called the mayor of Cincinnati a “jabroni.”

In the fourth quarter of the NFC championship, San Francisco left tackle Trent Williams’ body-slammed Eagles safety K'von Wallace, a frustrated reaction in the blowout loss. Wallace immediately popped up to throw a punch and both players were ejected as players from both teams got involved.

Tears and tempers are to be expected when a Super Bowl berth is on the line. While sometimes these can manifest in less-than-desirable ways, it appears that the high stakes make for must-see television.

Even before the grand finales, each championship game gave fans moments that will not soon be forgotten — for better or worse. This includes the stunning one-handed catch from Eagles receiver Devonta Smith that shouldn't have counted, but set up the team for its first touchdown of the game.

Likely to be remembered for different reasons, the Eagles vs. Chiefs Super Bowl boasts historic firsts to attract viewers back to Fox. Mahomes and Jalen Hurts will be the first black quarterbacks to face-off in Super Bowl history, while the Kelce brothers are set to be the first siblings to compete against each other in a Super Bowl.