Cowboys-Dolphins Christmas Eve game hauls in second-biggest audience of 2023 NFL season
The Dallas Cowboys‘ Week 16 game against the Miami Dolphins drew in massive viewership for FOX Sports this week on Christmas Eve. According to the broadcast channel’s ratings, the game, which resulted in a 22-20 victory for Miami, was Fox’s best-performing America’s Game of the Week since 1995 and it had the second-biggest audience of the 2023 NFL season.
The game’s 31.518 million viewers was second only to the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day game against the Washington Commanders, which was on CBS. The Thanksgiving game had an average of 41.438 million viewers tuned in to see the Cowboys’ blowout win. Many also tuned in specifically to Dolly Parton’s iconic halftime show.
The game’s viewership on Saturday was up 13% over the same game in Week 16 last season and, overall, FOX’s America’s Game of the Week program is up 2% year-over-year with average viewership of 24.93 million viewers.
Cowboys begin first losing streak
Despite performing at a higher level than last week during the loss to the Buffalo Bills, the Dallas Cowboys still lost to the Miami Dolphins on Christmas Eve. From a 17-play opening drive that ended in a fumble to a penalty aiding the Dolphins on their final drive to clinch the win on a field goal, the Cowboys’ day was “frustrating,” according to QB Dak Prescott.
“It’s frustrating that [we had a] dead spot in the middle of the game for the offense after the first two drives, when we couldn’t get anything going again,” Prescott said post-game. “We come back in the second half and we’re a little dry there [as well]. We finally got rolling and got some points on the board and took the lead, and our defense did a hell of a job.
“This is one that’s on everybody and it sucks, but we definitely took a step over last week’s game in getting some points. We played a hell of a team here on the road, and we’ll have to build off of it. We’ll have to use the good and make sure we get better from the things that weren’t up to standard.”
Playing without starting left tackle Tyron Smith due to injury, Prescott had a tough time after the first quarter. He took four sacks while going 20-for-32 for 253 yards and two touchdowns.
The loss gave Dallas their first losing streak of the season and dropped their record to 3-5 in road games. It also bolstered the narrative that the Cowboys will have a challenge in the postseason if they aren’t playing in AT&T Stadium.