Chiefs’ AFC Championship rematch against Ravens draws nearly 29 million viewers, becoming most-watched NFL kickoff game ever

Kansas City Chiefs secured a 27-20 victory over conference rivals Baltimore Ravens in the most watched NFL kickoff game ever.

Chiefs’ AFC Championship rematch against Ravens draws nearly 29 million viewers, becoming most-watched NFL kickoff game ever

Kansas City Chiefs edge past Baltimore Ravens in the most watched NFL kickoff game ever. (Image via AP/X)

The electrifying atmosphere, marked by a lightning delay, set the stage for one of the most intense NFL kickoff games. The Baltimore Ravens were narrowly edged out 27-20 by the defending Super Bowl champions, the Kansas City Chiefs. Despite the weather disruption, the game became the most-watched kickoff game ever, recording an average audience of 28.9 million viewers.

The Chiefs-Ravens game surpassed the record held by the 2015 NFL season opener to become the most-watched NFL kickoff game ever since starting in 2002. An average audience of 27.6 million tuned in to watch the New England Patriots defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015.

YouTube video

The game, ultimately decided by narrowest margins, showed a 5% increase in viewership from 2023. The 2023 kickoff game, Detroit Lions vs. Chiefs was watched by an average audience of 27.5 million.

FS Video

As per Nielsen, NBC recorded 28.9 million average viewership, peaking at 33 million around the second quarter. Furthermore, they drew a 37% share (percent of all TV sets in use at a given time watching a program) during the game. This is the highest share ever received by the media house since they started carrying the prime-time NFL games.

The top metered markets for the game were Kansas City and Baltimore in the first two positions. The simulcast, simultaneous streaming in NBC and Peacock, drew audiences from multiple big cities. Denver, St. Louis, Norfolk, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, Austin, Minneapolis, Detroit, and Cleveland finished up the top 10 markets forming record viewership.

The first NFL kickoff game, after Taylor Swift‘s introduction to the game, had good numbers in streaming as well. According to Adobe Analytics, over 4.6 million people accessed the game by streaming on the digital platforms of NBC, Peacock, and NFL.

RELATED
Ravens’ Ronnie Stanley claims Refs targeted him with illegal formation penalties during Chiefs game: “They were trying to make an example”
Ronnie Stanley feels penalties called on him helped Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs win

Patrick Mahomes breaks franchise record amid most-watched NFL kickoff game

Amid the high viewership and a failed revenge game for the Ravens, Patrick Mahomes, the starting quarterback for the Chiefs surpassed a 50-year-old record. One game into the new season, Mahomes smashed the all-time passing yards for the Chiefs.

Patrick Mahomes. (Image via Imago)

In the second quarter, Mahomes threw a 23-yard pass to TE Travis Kelce, as he surpassed noticed quarterback Len Dawson to grab the record. In between 1962 and 1975, Dawson recorded 28,705 passing yards from 183 games. Mahomes coveted the record in just eight years and almost half games than Dawson (97 games). As Mahomes seems to be in the most powerful era, gunning down for a historic peat, he might extend the lead further.

The Chiefs will play the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2. Meanwhile, the Ravens will meet the Las Vegas Raiders looking for their first win of the season after a disappointing kickoff game.

In case you missed: