Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is riding on a wave of record-breaking news. Mahomes’ play on the field is still making national headlines and breaking record ratings.

According to Nick Jacob, Co-Host of @41IsTheMic, the Week 6 Chiefs win against the Detroit Lions received an average of 27.3 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, their second-largest October audience in NBC Sunday Night Football history. “The Lions at Chiefs averaged 27.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, based on official Nielsen Big Data + Panel and digital data from Adobe Analytics. ”

He continued to write, ”It is the 2nd most watched second-most watched October audience in the history of NBC SNF,” Jacobs stated.

Sunday Night Football’s Lions-Chiefs matchup drew massive attention, averaging 27.3 million viewers across NBC and Peacock. That marked the second-largest October audience in SNF history and made 2025 the first season through Week 6 to hit 25+ million viewers four times, matching the total 25-million-plus audiences for all of 2024. The game had the best-of-the-best playoff seeds of the previous year of each conference, and once again proved Mahomes’ popularity and appeal on a national scale.

The NFL monopoly over the sporting life of America is sustained primarily by television viewing and online streaming, and 2025 has proven to be the year in which the league broke some new records. Games are averaging 18.58 million viewers (TV + digital), the best average since 2010 and the second-best ever tracked. Viewership is up 8 percent over last year and 9 percent over 2023.

ESPN’s Week 5 Monday Night Chiefs-Jaguars game on its own tallied 22.3 million viewers, the network’s largest Week 5 audience since 2006, a 40 percent increase over last season. The September Eagles vs. Chiefs Super Bowl rematch also generated huge interest, with 33.762 million viewers on average.

Mahomes’ Chiefs are also the most-watched top October games in NBC SNF history, behind only 28.4 million for Tom Brady to play with Tampa Bay at New England in 2021. Andrew Luck’s Colts game against Peyton Manning in 2013 drew 26.9 million viewers.

However, this is not the only good news the Chiefs are getting.

Mahomes finally gets a breather

Kansas City also welcomes back one of its top offensive weapons, wide receiver Rashee Rice, bolstering an already potent passing attack.

The 25-year-old, completing the last six games of a suspension for his involvement in a multi-car crash and related legal issues early this season, is again active. Chiefs WR Rashee Rice’s six-game suspension is complete, and he is cleared to play Sunday against the Raiders. Rice’s absence forced Mahomes to rely on tight end Travis Kelce and wide receivers Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Tyquan Thornton, with Xavier Worthy still getting back into shape following a Week 1 shoulder injury.

Without Rice, the offense was not nearly as vertically explosive or red-zone effective, so his return is a bonus for head coach Andy Reid’s team. During Rice’s suspension, the Chiefs’ locker room was open regarding their support of their player. Before a Week 2 game against the Eagles, Kelce, Brown, and Thornton all wore “Free 4” shirts in solidarity, showing how much Rice meant to the team and the brotherhood of the locker room.

In his first year, Rice had 79 receptions for 938 yards and seven touchdowns and became one of Mahomes’ go-to targets. Despite having a knee injury that cut short his 2024 campaign, he is back and ready to contribute right away. Kansas City’s offense receives an essential vertical threat and red-zone option with Rice’s presence in the mix. The Chiefs sit 3-3 but in the middle of the AFC playoff chase.