Chiefs-Bills Clash Could Set Ratings High, and CBS Is Going Big

This Sunday’s Chiefs-Bills game from Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y., is no ordinary regular-season contest, and it certainly isn’t being treated that way, either. 

The high-profile clash between the top two teams in the American Football Conference was already set for national-level coverage on CBS in the key 4:25 p.m. ET broadcast window, and it is being billed as the NFL’s game of the year so far. The network, however, is supplementing that status by bringing its The NFL Today pregame studio show to Highmark Stadium, an on-site broadcasting plan for that program normally reserved for the Super Bowl and conference championship game. 

“Yeah!” The NFL Today’s Nate Burleson screamed on-air with clenched fists upon the network’s announcement of the on-location presence. “I can’t wait to go to Buffalo. Can’t wait!”

As a result, the matchup could challenge the 2024 league opener between the Chiefs and Ravens, which drew an average of 29.2 million viewers, as the most-watched game of the regular season.

Lots of Appeal

Beyond the on-field supremacy of both teams, there are plenty of storylines with each franchise—and between them—to help draw in viewers.

The Chiefs, of course, are the two-time defending Super Bowl champions and will enter the game with a 9–0 record as Kansas City continues its pursuit of an undefeated season, one dramatically extended this past Sunday with a blocked field goal against the Broncos as time expired. The team has also supplanted the struggling Cowboys as the top television draw in the NFL.  

The Bills, meanwhile, have raced to their first 8–2 mark since 1993, the last of their four straight Super Bowl seasons during that early 1990s dynasty, and have one of the league’s most celebrated fan groups with Bills Mafia. Star quarterback Josh Allen has elevated his game even further to become a serious candidate for NFL Most Valuable Player. A forthcoming new stadium, also to be known as Highmark Stadium, is moving along in construction and remains on target to open for the 2026 season. 

Kansas City, meanwhile, has ended the Bills’ season three of the last four years, including a 27–24 divisional-round win last season in Buffalo, and a dramatic 42–36 overtime victory at Arrowhead Stadium in the same playoff round of the 2021 season.