September 9 – A thrilling Thursday night game between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs drew a record number of NFL kickoff crowds.
According to NBC Sports, NBC and Peacock averaged 28.9 million viewers, compared to 27.6 million for the New England Patriots’ first-ever win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2015.
Those numbers are up 5 percent from last season’s opener, when the Detroit Lions beat the Chiefs 21-20.
Ratings for “Ravens-Chiefs” peaked at 33 million in the second quarter, undoubtedly including many Swift fans.
Thursday’s game at Arrowhead Stadium started 20 minutes late because of weather, but that didn’t affect attendance.
Kansas City and Baltimore were the first two markets in this game, which the Ravens lost when tight end Isaiah Riley was forced out of bounds and his apparent touchdown catch on the final play was overturned.
——Visual-level media
