Why Chiefs-Cowboys is both a football game and NFL's greatest popularity contest

Blair Kerkhoff, The Kansas City Star on Nov 25, 2025

Published in Football

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. — In terms of matching popular teams for a Thanksgiving Day marquee game, the NFL couldn’t have done better than the Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys.

Even with records at or around .500, they’re the league’s most watched teams. Entering last weekend’s games, the Chiefs had the NFL’s three most-watched games this season, losses to the Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills and Denver Broncos.

The Cowboys (5-5-1) are well-represented in the top 10, and Thursday’s game will make a bid for the most-watched NFL regular-season game of all time. The record is Cowboys-New York Giants on Thanksgiving in 2022 when 42.1 million watched.

This kind of attention for the Chiefs (6-5) is a decade or so in the making and the result of on-field success and star power. They’re in the midst of a dynasty with three Super Bowl victories in the past six years and seven straight trips to the AFC championship game.

The Cowboys haven’t been to a Super Bowl or played in the NFC championship game since 1995. But the franchise has been historically strong with five championship banners and may have the strongest brand in all sports.

Three-time Super Bowl MVP Patrick Mahomes, who grew up near Dallas, is set to play at AT&T Stadium for the first time in his career. No telling whether Taylor Swift shows up in Arlington to watch her fiance Travis Kelce play.

Where the Chiefs and all other NFL franchises fall behind the Cowboys is franchise value. According to CNBC, the Cowboys, owned by Jerry Jones, are valued at $12.5 billion. Next is the Los Angeles Rams at $10.7 billion.

The Chiefs, owned by the Dallas-based Hunt family, are valued at $7.1 billion and rank 18th. On Thanksgiving, the franchise is returning to the city where it was born, spending its first three years as the Dallas Texans.

The Cowboys and Texans started play in 1960, sharing the Cotton Bowl, before Lamar Hunt moved his team to Kansas City.

It’s worked out well for both franchises.

Here’s what to watch when the Chiefs take on the Cowboys:

Chiefs player to watch: safety Bryan Cook

Cook turned in an excellent game Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts. The stat line shows him with six tackles, including a tackle for loss, and a pass defended. One of his biggest plays went largely unnoticed. The only time that Jonathan Taylor broke free, Cook caught up and pushed him out of bounds. The play gained 27 yards, but it could have gone for 65 and a touchdown.

Cook is in his fourth season and plays 81% of the defensive snaps.

Cowboys player to watch: defensive tackle Quinnen Williams

It’s been only two games with his new team, but Williams is making the impact the Cowboys envisioned when they acquired him from the New York Jets. In the victory over the Philadelphia Eagles, Williams matched a career best with eight quarterback pressures. He didn’t get a sack, but the Eagles often double-teamed Williams, which freed other defenders.

Against the Chiefs, Williams could be going up against a backup guard with starter Trey Smith likely out with an ankle injury.

Special teams player to watch: Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey

Against the Eagles, Aubrey missed a field goal for only the second time this season. He’s 19 for 21 and, with one of the NFL’s strongest legs, has a long of 64 yards this season and 65 in his career. If the Cowboys reach midfield at the end of a half or the game, that’s Aubrey’s range.

The Chiefs are just as confident in their kicker, Harrison Butker, who made all five field-goal attempts against the Colts. That included the kicks to send the game to overtime and the game winner.