There are several factors in those rankings besides the popularity of the team, and at least one anomaly that doesn't add up.
First of all, Prime Time makes a huge difference. The Cowboys always get a bunch of Prime-Time games because they are the most popular team in the country playing in one of the largest markets, so even if they have a down year like they had this season, they still draw viewers. A lot of people like me aren't Cowboy fans but love to watch them lose. It's no coincidence that the Panthers finished dead last in viewers and had zero Prime Time games.
Obviously, the success of the team draws viewers. That's why the Lions lead the league in viewership, because they're one of the better teams in the league. Same with the Chiefs.
The anomaly that doesn't add up is the Colts. They do not have a nationwide following, are in a relatively small market, and had just one Prime Time game, had a losing record, no major star, yet they attracted more viewers than did the Jets, who had a league high 6 Prime Time games, are in the nation's biggest TV market, and had a recognizable "star" in Aaron Rodgers. So go figure.
And by the way, the Seahawks and the Broncos were the only two teams in the bottom 11 of TV viewership that had winning records. The Broncos have an excuse in that they had just 2 games in Prime Time while we had 4, so obviously, our new regime has its work cut out to win back the confidence of its fans.
FYI here are the number of Prime-Time games for each team for the 2024 regular season:
6: NYJ, SF, DAL
5: KC, BUF, GB, DET, CIN, BAL, PHI, MIA, LAR
4: HOU, PIT, TB, SEA, ATL, CLE
3: NYG, CHI, LAC, NO
2: MIN, LV, WSH, DEN, JAX
1: IND, NE, ARZ, TEN
0: CAR