A modern-day rivalry for NFL Kickoff is obviously going to attract a lot of viewers. Fans have been starved of football action for months and the first game that they are getting on their screens was an intense matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens. From Patrick Mahomes' streaky ability to get downs to Lamar Jackson's heroics up until the last out-of-bounds catch by Isaiah Likely, it was all the sports world could talk about. So, how did it do on the airwaves?
Well, the matchup between the Chiefs and Ravens broke a lot of records. This clash between two legendary quarterbacks amassed a viewership that totaled 28.9 million viewers. At the peak of the Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson battle, they had 33 million viewers from all around the world, per NBC Sports. This is the second-most simulstreamed NFL game on NBC ever. It even usurped three Super Bowls. The only big game it did not top was Super Bowl LVI.
Furthermore, this was the most-watched NFL Kickoff game ever. It beat out last year's game between the Detroit Lions and Chiefs by 5% which only notched 27.5 million viewers. Clearly, people were joining in because of the intrigue but they stayed because of the slugfest between the two signal callers.
What happened in the Chiefs and Ravens' Week 1 matchup?
Well, Patrick Mahomes is very ready for the Chiefs to be called a dynasty. His passing acumen got Andy Reid's squad the big 27-20 win. All eyes were on Isaiah Likely for what could have been a Hail Mary play for the Ravens. Unfortunately, his shoe size was a bit too big to stay in bounds for the touchdown.
It was a great game between Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes up to the final second. The fact that Derrick Henry was also making his debut for the Ravens and Xavier Worthy popped off in his first career game made it all the more special. Obviously, some Swifties were also tuned in because of the spillover from last season. They were not disappointed because Taylor Swift was at Arrowhead Stadium cheering for Travis Kelce.
NFL Kickoff might only start getting better every year due to the growing interest in the game. This might also mean more opportunities for people to know the league through word of mouth or just seeing it in a bar because of the influx of new fans. Will this growth be sustainable?