ESPN reveals Texans-Chiefs playoff game - with Taylor Swift in the stands - was its most-watched NFL game EVER

The divisional playoff showdown betwixt the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Texans was ESPN's most-watched NFL crippled successful history.

On Saturday, the defending Super Bowl champions began their playoff quest toward a 3rd consecutive rubric by hosting the Texans astatine Arrowhead Stadium.

After 4 quarters, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce cruised toward a 23-14 triumph astatine location implicit CJ Stroud and company.

Apart from Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark successful the suits, ESPN revealed that 32.7 cardinal viewers tuned successful to the crippled - the astir since the web began showing regular play and playoff games successful 1987.

The game's numbers overtook the Texans' divisional playoff crippled against the Baltimore Ravens successful 2024, which garnered 32.3 cardinal viewers.

Dallas' Wild Card crippled against Tampa Bay successful 2023 sits 3rd with 31.2 cardinal followed by different Wild Card showdown betwixt the Eagles and Buccaneers from 2024 astatine 29.1.

The Chiefs' Monday Night Football crippled against the Philadelphia Eagles successful November wraps up the Top 5 with 29.9 million.

Swift sat successful the VIP suite with Caitlin Clark and Kecle's household arsenic the choky extremity began his playoff run with an all-important touchdown aft a subpar regular season.

In his tenth twelvemonth with Kansas City, Kelce's numbers person fallen importantly from erstwhile campaigns. While he's tallied 97 receptions, 4 much than past year, the choky extremity is seeing career-low yards (823) and touchdowns (3).

The Chiefs anticipation for a repetition of Kelce's postseason signifier past twelvemonth erstwhile helium tallied 2 touchdowns against Buffalo successful the divisional playoffs and different against Baltimore successful the AFC rubric game.

While Kelce has not been the champion mentation of himself, Mahomes' title-winning signifier has continued with 392 completions for 581 attempts. He besides threw for 3,928 yards and 26 touchdowns.

He led Andy Reid's men to triumph connected Saturday with 16 completions for 177 yards and the touchdown walk to Kelce. Kareem Hunt besides rushed to the extremity portion portion Harrison Butker completed each 3 tract extremity attempts for 11 points.

The Chiefs and Buffalo Bills volition conscionable successful Kansas City connected Sunday astatine 6.30pm ET for the AFC title. Meanwhile, the Washington Commanders and the Philadelphia Eagles volition conflict for NFC supremacy.