New York Giants vs. Cowboys drew a massive Thanksgiving Day audience

So much for the New York Giants not being a national draw any longer.

The Thanksgiving Day game between the New York Giants (2-9) and Dallas Cowboys (4-7) in the late afternoon window on FOX, “drew an average of 38.5 million viewers, according to Fox Sports, making it the most-watched NFL game on any network this regular season. Viewership reportedly peaked at 41.3 million viewers during the second quarter,” per Yahoo! Sports.

Pass the turducken! 🦃

The @DallasCowboys Thanksgiving victory on FOX earned 38.5 million viewers and projects to rank as the most-watched NFL telecast this regular season on any network.

The game peaked at 41.3 million viewers from 6:00-6:15 PM ET. pic.twitter.com/7Uce1TVONP

— FOX Sports PR (@FOXSportsPR) November 29, 2024

FOX had to be pleased with the ratings, but it isn’t surprising since the NFL has been ratings gold for several decades now.

The game, which usually has some significance in the standings, was only the second Cowboys-Giants matchup this late in the season where both teams had losing records since 2004.

The Giants came in riding a six-game losing streak and were starting their third quarterback in as many games (Drew Lock). Dallas had just broken a five-game skein against Washington the week before. They were also starting a backup quarterback, Cooper Rush.

Dallas won, 27-20, to push their record to 5-7 and give them a glimmer of hope for the postseason.

The Giants fell to 2-10 and at present time, are in line to select first overall in the 2025 NFL draft.