Chiefs vs. Ravens Sets Record for Most-Watched NFL Kickoff Game Ever

Just one game into the season, the Kansas City Chiefs helped set a viewership record for their Week 1 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Sep 5, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) embraces Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Broderick Washington (96) on field after the win over the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

When the Kansas City Chiefs play, there's bound to be a large audience tuning in via television and streaming services. If the game is on a big-time stage, the stakes are even higher for both teams involved and those watching from home.

One outing into the 2024-25 season, Kansas City helped set a new viewership record. Their Week 1 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, aired on NBC and Peacock, averaged 28.9 million viewers between the two platforms. According to a release from NBC Sports, that figure was slightly higher than last season's Chiefs-Lions opener and is a new high for an NFL Kickoff game.

"A rematch of last season’s AFC Championship Game headlined by star quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, Ravens-Chiefs averaged an NFL Kickoff Game-record Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 28.9 million viewers on NBC and Peacock, based on live plus same day custom fast nationals from Nielsen and digital data from Adobe Analytics," the release read. "Ravens-Chiefs topped viewership for last year’s NFL Kickoff Game opener by 5% (27.5 million for Lions-Chiefs)."

Between 9:30 and 9:45 p.m. ET, the broadcast coverage peaked at a staggering 33 million viewers during the second quarter of the game. According to NBC, the combination Average Minute Audience (AMA) numbers on Peacock, NBC Sports Digital and NFL Digital services was 4.6 million, making it the second-highest simulstreamed number for such contests.

As expected, both Kansas City and Baltimore topped the market rankings for those who tuned in. Denver, St. Louis and Norfolk rounded out the top five.

Considering the Chiefs' playoff run earlier this year, which also set records, it's clear that the back-to-back Super Bowl champs get plenty of national attention. With a pivotal Week 2 game against the Cincinnati Bengals on deck, there will surely be another sizable audience finding a way to watch this weekend as well.

Read More: Chiefs Named Week 1 'Winner' with Reloaded Firepower, Defensive Consistency