FOX bosses love the Dallas Cowboys and it is easy to understand why. The team has tremendous national appeal. That was evident on Sunday as 45.7 million people tuned in to see the team lose to the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round of the NFL Playoffs.

The audience is significant. First, it is the second highest-rated Divisional Round game on record. The top spot is held by the Cowboys’ loss to the Packers in 2017. That game drew 45.8 million viewers. It is also the most-watched TV broadcast since the Super Bowl last year.

NFL football is always a ratings driver, but the Cowboys have been at the center of some major milestones this season. Last week, their win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was the most-watched playoff game in ESPN history. On Thanksgiving Day, more than 42 million people tuned in to see the Cowboys take on the Giants, making it the most-watched regular season game in history.

Overall, the Divisional Round continued the positive ratings trend for the NFL. Across all four games, the league averaged 37.1 million viewers. While that is a 3% drop from last year, it is still the third highest-rated Divisional Round of all time.

NBC Sports on Monday reported viewership numbers for Saturday night’s AFC divisional playoff game between the Chiefs and Jaguars. They are very good.

Viewership of Kansas City’s 27-20 win over Jacksonville peaked at 37.3 million, averaging 34.1 million across TV, streaming on Peacock and NBC Sports Digital, as well as NFL Digital platforms.

The game was the most watched Saturday afternoon divisional game since 2015 and also set a new NBC Sports NFL streaming record.

“What an exciting way to cap our coverage of the 2022 NFL season, with star quarterbacks in a one-score game for a berth in the AFC Championship Game,” NBC Sports chairman Pete Bevacqua said. “We thank our best-in-class team for their creative effort and tireless work throughout the season, and look forward to watching the culmination of an exciting postseason.”

Kansas City will take on Cincinnati on Sunday afternoon in the AFC championship game.

The St. Louis Cardinals have hired a new TV play-by-play announcer. Chip Caray was believed to be the leading candidate according to Dan Caesar of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. By Monday evening The Athletic’s Cardinals reporter Katie Woo and Atlanta Braves reporter David O’Brien confirmed that Caray will be trading his seat in the booth at Truist Park for the one at Busch Stadium.

Chip, the son of broadcaster Skip Caray and grandson of Harry Caray, had called Braves games on Bally Sports South and Bally Sports Southeast since 2005.

Chip was born in St. Louis and went to high school in the area. His grandfather, who s best known by many for calling Cubs games on WGN, called Cardinals games for over two decades.

Chip Caray fills the seat of Dan McLaughlin on Bally Sports Midwest. McLaughlin and Bally parted ways in December.

Neither the Cardinals or Bally Sports Midwest have made any formal announcement of Caray’s hiring.

Seattle Mariners broadcaster Aaron Goldsmith was also interviewed for the job but recently withdrew his name from consideration according to Caesar.

The Braves now have to find a new voice to replace Caray on TV. The first full-squad spring training workout for the Braves is February 21, and Grapefruit League games begin February 25.

Atlanta opens the 2023 season on March 30.