The NFL season in 2023 may be the most anticipated to date.
Just about 27 million individuals watched the Detroit Lions’ 21-20 over the Kansas City Bosses on Thursday, making the season opener the most-watched show since Super Bowl LVII circulated on Fox in February, as per NBC.
The Lions-Chiefs game also became the second-most watched NFL game ever on streaming, surpassing three previous Super Bowls in terms of streaming views.
According to NBC, the second quarter saw the most viewers, with over 29 million people watching the game-winning fourth quarter drive led by Lions quarterback Jared Goff.
The start of the NFL season wasn’t the main attract driving crowds to turn on Lions-Bosses Thursday night.
Watchers showed up to perceive how the Kansas City Bosses would begin their Super Bowl title guard after 115.1 million watchers watched them beat the Philadelphia Hawks in February, making their title win the most seen broadcast in American history.
Goff, who was called a bust by the Los Angeles Rams and lost 19 of his first 24 games with the Lions, also sparked curiosity because he helped lead Detroit to their most wins since 2017 last season.
Regardless of the outcome, the Lions’ fourth-quarter comeback that ended the Chiefs’ late lead was entertaining for viewers.
According to NBC, the number of viewers was up 24% from the first game of the season last year, when the Buffalo Bills beat the Los Angeles Rams 31-10 in another upset of the NFL’s defending champions.
Since the 2015 matchup between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New England Patriots, the Lions-Chiefs game was the NFL season opener with the second most viewers. The Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 31-29 victory over the Dallas Cowboys to begin the 2021 season remains the kickoff game with the most viewers over that time period.