While you were chowing down on some turkey, the NFL was making all the bread.

The dinner window of the NFL's Thanksgiving slate delivered a big portion for the league, as the Giants vs. Cowboys game delivered the most-watched broadcast of the 2024 season and the fourth-highest ratings of any Turkey Day game ever with 38.5 million viewers. The broadcast topped out at 41.283 million from 6-6:15 p.m. ET.

The people couldn't get enough of Drew Lock and Cooper Rush facing off in Dallas.

It comes as no surprise since the Cowboys are a huge draw, whether good or bad, while the Giants come from the country's biggest media market.

Regardless, plenty of quality football has been played at times this season, with some big matchups in prime time. Fox Sports projected the Thanksgiving tilt as the most-watched telecast on any network since Super Bowl 58, and the numbers were up 14% from last year's game between the Cowboys and Commanders.

The Thanksgiving slate was a big success for the league, especially since the schedule looked bleak a few weeks ago.

Caleb Williams staged a second-half comeback for the Bears in Detroit before the debacle in the final few seconds gave the Lions a win. The Giants kept it close for most of the night in a game between two bad teams in Dallas. The Packers topped it off with a dominating win over the Dolphins on a cold, snowy night at Lambeau Field.

The Giants won't be participating in this year's playoff action, and the Cowboys likely won't be either. Either way, that didn't keep the people from watching in the holiday spirit or, at the very least, from keeping the channel on while they passed the gravy.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NFL Thanksgiving TV ratings: Cowboys-Giants deliver 38.5 million viewers