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Morning Edition

December 9, 2025

After a decade of dominance, one of the NFL’s biggest draws is on the brink of missing the playoffs, leaving the league without a ratings powerhouse.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

NFL’s Most-Watched Team Is on the Brink of Playoff Exclusion [[link removed]]

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

​​It’s now really looking like the end of the line of the Chiefs, at least for now, after a historic, decade-long run by the National Football League’s top television draw.

The Chiefs fell 20–10 to the Texans on Sunday Night Football, dropping the team to 6–7 and 10th place in the American Football Conference playoff chase. Kansas City now has just a 15% chance of reaching the postseason, a stunning fall after reaching the conference title game each of the last seven seasons and the playoffs each of the last 10.

“We know the chances are getting lower and lower,” said Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Alarms started ringing in force [[link removed]] around the Chiefs in September after an 0–2 start to the season. Since then, Kansas City briefly rebounded, winning five of the next six before beginning a 1–4 skid that included the loss to Houston.

Tuning In

Viewers have been front and center for all the ups and downs, as the Chiefs were part of four of the NFL’s five most-watched games this season, including a Thanksgiving Day clash against the Cowboys that averaged 57.2 million viewers [[link removed]] and set a league record for the regular season.

With the playoff chances increasingly dim, the NFL and its rights holders will likely need to head into January and February without the highly reliable draw of the Chiefs.

There’s still plenty of inherent strength, however, across the league. Each of the rights holders is posting audience increases this season, as the NFL is currently averaging 18.6 million viewers per game [[link removed]], its highest average through week 13 of the season since 1989.

The Chiefs, meanwhile, are in the midst of a high-stakes deliberation [[link removed]] regarding its facility future. The team is weighing whether to renovate its current home, Arrowhead Stadium, or build a new stadium in either Missouri or neighboring Kansas.

There are also heavy financial and roster decisions coming for the Chiefs. After several years of aggressive spending [[link removed]] to retain key players, the team is projected to be more than $31 million over the salary cap [[link removed]] for 2026, better than only the Cowboys.

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Amazon Draws 19.4M Viewers for ‘TNF’ Record With Cowboys-Lions [[link removed]]

Detroit Free Press

Just six days after setting several records on Black Friday, Amazon made more history with the National Football League.

The streaming and online retail giant said it averaged 19.39 million viewers for its Thursday Night Football coverage on Prime Video on Dec. 4 with the Cowboys and Lions, the largest such regular-season figure since Amazon began showing TNF in 2022. The viewership total beat Amazon’s prior high-water mark, an average of 17.76 million for a Sept. 11 game between the Commanders and Packers [[link removed]] to start its 2025 NFL schedule, by 9%.

The latest viewership figure provides another data point in the increasing ability of streamers such as Amazon to draw linear-type audiences. This latest TNF figure is slightly higher than the NFL’s season-to-date average of 18.6 million viewers per game [[link removed]] across all networks—itself the league’s best mark through Week 13 since 1989.

The Cowboys-Lions game happened less than a week after its 15-hour live sports bonanza [[link removed]] on Black Friday that generated an average of 16.3 million viewers [[link removed]] for a Bears-Eagles game, its best football mark to date on the unofficial holiday, as well as season-best NBA viewership.

For the entire 2025 NFL season to date, Amazon is averaging 15.2 million viewers, up 15% from the comparable point last year, and up 28% from 2023.

As has been the case since the Thursday-night package moved to Amazon, viewers there have been much younger as well, as the TNF audience has a median age of 49 years old, nearly seven years younger than the comparable linear NFL figure of 55.9.

The Lions beat the Cowboys, 44–30, to keep their playoff hopes alive. Detroit has an 8–5 record, one game out of the final postseason spot in the National Football Conference. The Cowboys fell to 6–6–1, and are 10th in the conference.

Malik Beasley’s Agent Calls EuroLeague Report ‘Exaggerated’ [[link removed]]

Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Malik Beasley’s agent is pumping the brakes on a report that the former Pistons guard is headed to Serbia.

Serbian outlet Nova reported Sunday that Partizan Belgrade of the Adriatic Basketball Association and EuroLeague is negotiating with Beasley on a deal [[link removed]] for the remainder of the season worth $2 million. Nova reported that the deal with Partizan—which has rostered former NBA players like Bogdan Bogdanović and Tristan Vukčević—will not allow Beasley to opt out if he is to receive an offer to return to the NBA.

Beasley was close to signing a three-year, $42 million deal with the Pistons this past summer before he became involved in a federal gambling investigation [[link removed]]. The 29-year-old is no longer a target [[link removed]] of the investigation, but he remains unsigned by an NBA team.

Brian Jungreis, Beasley’s agent, tells Front Office Sports that there have been talks with the European club, but the two sides are far from securing a deal.

“These are exaggerated reports. We had conversations and some framework, but nowhere close to anything closing or happening for the moment,” Jungreis tells FOS.

He also shot down the idea that Beasley would sign an overseas contract without an option to return to the NBA.

“The report of no NBA out is 100% inaccurate. We’d never not have that in the case he were to play anywhere else than the NBA,” Jungreis said.

In a video posted on social media last month [[link removed]], Beasley admitted that he could play overseas, but has continued to wait for an NBA opportunity.

“I could go overseas right now but I’m not. Like, I want to play in the NBA and I know what I know. I’m just going to stay patient,” Beasley said.

Beasley said in November that while he is eyeing an NBA return, he has not yet been cleared by the NBA. Jungreis confirmed to FOS that Beasley’s camp is “still waiting” for clearance from the league.

Steve Haney, Beasley’s lawyer, told FOS last month that the 9-year NBA veteran is stuck in “investigative purgatory” given the recent gambling-related arrests [[link removed]] of Heat guard Terry Rozier and Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups.

The NBA investigated Rozier in 2023, but he played two more seasons before he was arrested in October.

“Given the recent arrests, and the criticism the league has received regarding its investigative ineptness, they are reluctant to take a position on clearing Malik despite him completely complying with the league investigation. Losing over $40m for accusations void of a criminal charge or conviction may be unprecedented in the history [of] pro sports,” Haney said in November.

The report about Beasley’s potential move to Partizan also comes amid significant turmoil for the club. After winning a record eighth ABA championship last year, the club started the season 4–9, leading to the resignation of legendary head coach Željko Obradović late last month.

Conversation Starters Knicks guard Josh Hart had his twins on the bench [[link removed]] at the end of a game and had to hand one to teammate Mitchell Robinson when he subbed in. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones wore a custom 3D-printed leg pad [[link removed]] made by former Duke teammates Clark Bulleit and Kevin Gehsmann. Their company, Protect3D, designs custom injury gear for athletes at all levels. Terminal cancer patient and student Owen Pitts made his first varsity basketball start [[link removed]] for Medical Lake High School. Pitts made a bucket and earned his cap and gown in an early graduation ceremony, where he received an honorary diploma. Editors’ Picks MLS Signals New Openness to Promotion and Relegation [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]Commissioner Don Garber says “there’s no real point in saying never.” Kentucky’s $22 Million Basketball Roster Looks Like a Dud [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The Wildcats have yet to beat a Power 4 team. Warriors Breakout Star Pat Spencer Is Already Halfway Through Two-Way Eligibility [[link removed]]by Colin Salao [[link removed]]The Warriors could eventually convert Spencer’s contract to a standard NBA deal. Question of the Day

Are you still interested in watching the Chiefs?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Monday’s result: 51% of respondents think Notre Dame should have been in the College Football Playoff.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Show [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Dennis Young [[link removed]], Lisa Scherzer [[link removed]]

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