The Chicago Bears have emerged as a major television draw, a status amplified when they compete in a tightly contested matchup. Sunday night’s 27-24 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers averaged 21.5 million viewers across NBC and Peacock.
The broadcast delivered the largest Week 9 Sunday Night Football audience since 2019 and marked the seventh game this season to surpass the 20-million viewer threshold for the primetime franchise. The momentum appears poised to continue: the Week 10 clash between the 6-2 Pittsburgh Steelers and 6-2 Cincinnati Bengals is also projected to exceed 20 million viewers, as is the Week 11 international matchup featuring the 6-2 Minnesota Vikings and 7-1 San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City.
Week 12 presents a stiffer challenge, with the New England Patriots visiting the Los Angeles Chargers. As the saying goes, they can’t all be winners.
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