Cris Collinsworth says NBC would air 17 Dallas Cowboys games if they could

A new football season is just about here which means a whole new batch of the most-watched things on television are about to unfold.

Generally speaking, NFL games do lead the way in terms of the most-watched “programs” on television in a given year. As you are likely well aware, the Dallas Cowboys lead the way within that as they are the top draw among the top draw. They are, and remain, America’s Team for a reason.

Of course there are no trophies handed out for being a polarizing group which is an undeniable part of who the Cowboys are. People watch for different reasons as there are factions rooting both for and against Dallas to succeed. The point is that they watch.

This seems to be well understood by the powers that be in terms of the NFL’s broadcast partners. Cris Collinsworth, the color analyst for NBC’s Sunday Night Football, was a guest on The Dan Patrick Show on Monday and noted that if his employer had their pick that they would want a Dallas Cowboys game every week of the season.

Dan Patrick: Explain to me the difference of people talking about the Cowboys because they know that gets clicks, it’s the biggest fanbase out there, and the reality of just how good the Cowboys are. So, in relationship to, how much coverage to how good are they going to be, how close are those two entities?

Cris Collinsworth: It’s a really good question. Historically it was, they were really great for a decade, and then they really weren’t for a long time. And yet if NBC had their choice, we would do 17 Dallas Cowboys games. Right? I’m not kidding you. It doesn’t even matter what their record is. It doesn’t matter. They could be 4-6, we would take them. ‘You guys can pick any game you want this week,’ we’ll take the Dallas Cowboys. It’s insanity, but it’s true. They draw the ratings. They get it done.

Given how well NBC’s ratings are when the Cowboys are on their network it makes sense for Collinsworth to joke like this, although he said that he was not kidding. Every time a network has the Cowboys their numbers soar. It is not a coincidence that Dallas kicks off in the early window only twice this coming season. Even then those games will likely do well.

Interestingly within his quote Collinsworth mentions that NBC would take Dallas even with a 4-6 record. You may recall that during the 2020 season the Cowboys were flexed out of SNF for their home matchup against the San Francisco 49ers in favor of a matchup between the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants. Dallas held a 4-9 record at that point in the 2020 season.