Football is still king, but the league might've been hoping for slightly better TV ratings to the start of the 2023 NFL playoffs. Viewership for the first two days of Wild-Card Weekend was down nearly 10% compared to last year.

An average of 27.8 million people watched the five wild-card playoff games Saturday and Sunday, according to Sportico's Anthony Crupi. The first two days of Wild-Card Weekend 2022 generated an average of 30.71 million viewers.

The Dallas Cowboys are mostly responsible for the decrease in TV viewership. North of 40 million people watched the San Francisco 49ers beat the Cowboys in last year's wild-card game, which started at 4:40 p.m. ET on a Sunday. Dallas concluded Wild-Card Weekend 2023 by defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on "Monday Night Football."

The Cowboys did draw monster ratings, once again, and that should improve the overall viewership of the entire first round when the final numbers are in. ESPN estimates that more than 31 million people watched Dallas' 31-14 rout of Tom Brady and Tampa Bay, based on Nielsen fast nationals. It's expected to go down as Disney's Most-Watched NFL Playoff Game since the 2006 Super Bowl.

An average of 33.21 million viewers watched the New York Giants upset the Minnesota Vikings on FOX in Sunday's late afternoon contest. The Giants won 31-24 in a game that came down to the wire, though it still drew close to seven million fewer viewers than the 2022 late-afternoon contest. The Cowboys had a chance to beat the 49ers until the very last play when time expired.

San Francisco hosts Dallas Sunday night in a rematch during the divisional playoffs.

The Buffalo Bills defeated the Miami Dolphins 34-31 in a wild-card game that started Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on CBS. Buffalo's victory generated an average viewership of 30.87 million people, according to ShowBuzzDaily.

The first 2023 playoff game finished third in the weekend ratings. An average of 27.46 million viewers tuned in to see the 49ers beat the Seattle Seahawks 41-23 in a late-afternoon game. The Jacksonville Jaguars' miraculous comeback against the Los Angeles Chargers drew 20.6 million viewers for the lowest-rated game of the weekend.

Just south of 27 million people watched the Cincinnati Bengals hold off the Baltimore Ravens 24-17 on "Sunday Night Football."

Dalvin Cook Minnesota Vikings
Dalvin Cook #33 of the Minnesota Vikings holds the ball after a play in the second quarter of the game against the Tennessee Titans at U.S. Bank Stadium on September 27, 2020 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Stephen Maturen/Getty Images