Chiefs vs. Lions Averaged Nearly 27M Viewers; Most-Watched Show Since Super Bowl 57

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The 2023 NFL season could be the most popular one yet.

Almost 27 million people watched the Detroit Lions’ 21-20 over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, making the season opener the most-watched show since Super Bowl LVII aired on Fox in February, according to NBC.

The Lions-Chiefs game also beat out three previous Super Bowls in terms of streaming views to become the second-most viewed NFL game ever via streaming.

Viewership peaked at over 29 million viewers in the second quarter, while at least 27 million audience members watched the game-winning fourth-quarter drive led by Lions quarterback Jared Goff, NBC reported.

The beginning of the NFL season wasn’t the only draw leading audiences to turn on Lions-Chiefs Thursday night.

Viewers arrived to see how the Kansas City Chiefs would start out their Super Bowl title defense after 115.1 million viewers watched them beat the Philadelphia Eagles in February, making their title win the most viewed telecast in American history.

Curiosity also surrounded Goff, who after being labeled a bust with the Los Angeles Rams and losing 19 of his first 24 games with the Lions helped lead Detroit to their most wins since 2017 last season.

Whatever the draw, viewers were entertained by the fourth-quarter Lions rally that overturned the Chiefs’ late lead.

The viewership numbers represented a 24 percent increase from last year’s season opener, when the Buffalo Bills defeated the Los Angeles Rams 31-10 in another upset of the NFL’s defending champions, according to NBC.

Overall, Lions-Chiefs was the second-most viewed NFL season opener since the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots played in 2015. The most viewed kickoff game over that span remains the Tom Brady-led Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 31-29 win over the Dallas Cowboys to open the 2021 season.