Unsurprisingly, the Detroit Lions-Kansas City Chiefs NFL Kickoff Game on Thursday night drew massive viewership numbers for NBC.
On their official X (formerly known as “Twitter”) NBC Sports PR account, the network announced that the Lions-Chiefs game recorded almost 27 million viewers. This marks the most-watched show since Super Bowl 58 between the Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles eight months ago.
This is a considerable increase from last year’s Kickoff Game between the Buffalo Bills and the defending Super Bowl champion Los Angeles Rams, which drew 21.6 million viewers.
Thanks to a stingy defense and a productive rushing game, Jared Goff and the Lions narrowly escaped Arrowhead Stadium with a stunning 21-20 victory. This marked Detroit’s first Week 1 win since 2017, as well as the Chiefs’ first opening week loss since 2014.
Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City offense struggled mightily without tight end Travis Kelce, who was sidelined with a bone bruise and hyper-extended knee. Mahomes completed just 21 of 39 pass attempts for 226 yards and two touchdowns.
Mahomes finished as the Chiefs’ leading rusher with 45 yards on just six carries, and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling led the team with only 48 receiving yards.
Detroit will now travel back home for a Week 2 home tilt against the Seattle Seahawks next Sunday, while the Chiefs will try to avoid an 0-2 start when they visit the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field.