Through the first three national windows of the 2026 season, the Dallas Cowboys and Kansas City Chiefs ranked first and second in viewers per telecast, at roughly 26 million and 25 million. Local ratings, which show how many people in a team’s own home market watch, tell a different story. Dallas, Kansas City and Buffalo are not the teams growing fastest. That distinction belongs to a team whose home-market rating has nearly doubled from last season.

“Fastest-growing NFL team in local ratings this year might surprise you. It’s the RAMS in an absolute runaway. Rams’ viewership in Los Angeles is up an incredible +86% so far this season. Raiders are a very distant second at +34%,” Michael Mulvihill posted on X on November 13, as per Nielsen’s local market television ratings.

Mulvihill did not share exact local growth percentages for Dallas, Kansas City, or Buffalo, as only the top two gainers were listed. Still, with Las Vegas sitting at a distant second at 34%, none of the NFL’s usual rating powerhouses are keeping pace with Los Angeles. Part of that is simple math: teams like the Chiefs and Bills already command near-total loyalty in their smaller home cities, leaving them with very little room to grow.

On the other hand, Nielsen Scarborough’s NFL Fandom Index, released in August, skips TV ratings. It looks at apparel purchases, attendance, listening, watching, and social and streaming activity instead. By that measure, only about one in four adults in the Los Angeles market, or 24%, had watched, streamed, attended, listened to, or followed the Rams over the past year.

That leaves roughly 11 million adults in the market with no connection to the team. Smaller markets like Buffalo, Kansas City, and Green Bay led the index. Those two numbers sound like they clash, but they actually explain each other.

Because the Rams started from such a small slice of Los Angeles, even a modest wave of new viewers creates a massive percentage jump. In a massive metro area of roughly 14 million adults, turning a few hundred thousand casual residents into regular Sunday viewers is enough to nearly double the local TV rating.

A big reason for that fresh interest was the preseason buzz around Los Angeles. Entering the year as August favorites for the Lombardi Trophy, backed by star power like Matthew Stafford, Davante Adams, and Myles Garrett, gave local fans a clear reason to tune in.

On Sunday, November 8, they beat the Commanders 20-13 for a third straight win and moved over .500 for the first time this season. Myles Garrett was dominant in his return, piling up three sacks. Matthew Stafford went 26 of 43 for 219 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

The good feelings come with a catch. Losing Nacua is a heavy blow, and Davante Adams is already out with a hamstring injury. Kyren Williams and Blake Corum have run well enough to carry some of the load, and Stafford will look to Tutu Atwell, Konata Mumpfield, and CJ Daniels for help. Tyler Higbee should see plenty of targets, though he missed Thursday’s practice with an illness.

Next up is a trip to Glendale to face the Cardinals, who are 3-6 and last in the NFC West after losing two of their last three. The Rams are tied with Seattle for second in the division, but they won’t overlook Arizona. The Cardinals already beat them 18-16 on October 18 at SoFi Stadium. Arizona scores just 19.8 points per game and gives up 28.3, but that earlier result is a reminder.

Kickoff is Sunday at 4:05 PM ET on CBS, but only eight markets will get the game, covering about 8% of U.S. homes. Those include Los Angeles (KCBS 2), Phoenix (KPHO 5), San Diego (KFMB 8), and Tucson (KOLD 13). Everywhere else, CBS will show a different game, so you’ll need NFL Sunday Ticket to watch the Rams.

Whether the Rams can turn a three-game winning streak into a playoff push may say more about their standing in Los Angeles than any ratings chart.