The NFL never lacks for ratings in the media sphere. It has dominated television for decades and is making headway on streaming platforms as well. Still, it has felt for some time that they haven’t achieved their full potential in viewership numbers. It isn’t due to a lack of starpower. There is plenty to go around. Part of the problem has been that the teams in their biggest markets haven’t been successful, particularly New York and Chicago. So you can imagine the league was thrilled once it became clear that the Chicago Bears were turning things around under new head coach Ben Johnson.
Once it became clear they were going to the playoffs, the league wasted no time putting them in the primetime slot during both the wild card and divisional rounds. They weren’t disappointed. Chicago’s comeback win over Green Bay set an NFL streaming record with 31.6 million viewers on Amazon Prime, shattering the old mark of 27.5 million. Not to be outdone, the Bears topped themselves the next week, pulling in an NBC record 45.4 million viewers for their back-and-forth slugfest with the Los Angeles Rams.
The Chicago Bears reminded everybody they’re a major attraction.
This fanbase is among the largest in the NFL and manages to still do good views even when the team is terrible. So just imagine how things might be if the team remains good in the next few years. This isn’t your typical Bears team either. It isn’t driven by great defense and a strong running game. They are built around quarterback Caleb Williams, who led one of the most prolific offenses in football. Not only are the Bears winning, but they’re also so much more watchable.
You can bet everybody will want to see this team play after what happened in the playoffs. They know they’ll be treated to plenty of drama, if nothing else. It is a safe assumption that the NFL will line the Chicago Bears up for several primetime games next year, getting them in front of a national audience as much as possible. If nothing else, it should help prepare the team for what to expect in the playoffs next season, presuming they can repeat what they accomplished in 2025.
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