According to NBC, the thrilling season opener between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Baltimore Ravens was the NFL’s most-watched opening game ever.
Data shows that viewership peaked at 33 million in the second quarter of the game, which the Chiefs won convincingly 27-20.
Fans couldn’t wait to see the return of football and were also eager to catch a glimpse of Taylor Swift as she returned to Arrowhead Stadium to see her boyfriend Travis Kelce in action.
It was a replay of last season’s AFC Championship game and drew an average of 28.9 million viewers across NBC and the streaming service Peacock.
Viewership was up five percent from last season’s season opener, in which the Detroit Lions surprised the Chiefs.
The Chiefs’ thrilling win over the Ravens was the NFL’s most-watched opening game ever
Swift watched as Kelce and the Chiefs defeated the Ravens in a thrilling final on Thursday
The large TV audience would not have been disappointed either, as the action on the field amounted to a dramatic video review
The Ravens thought they had tied the score 27-27 with zero seconds left on the clock, but tight end Isaiah Likely’s toe was out of bounds after he caught a pass from Lamar Jackson.
It was also the perfect NFL debut for Chiefs rookie Xavier Worthy, who showed off his blistering speed by scoring two touchdowns.
Kelce had, as is his custom, a quiet evening on the court, meaning NBC’s coverage of Swift in her luxury suite was also limited.
The pop star stunned in a denim outfit and thigh-high boots as she sat next to Kelce’s father, Ed. Swift later sat next to his mother, Donna.
The New York Post published photos showing the couple boarding a flight to New York on Friday.
Kelce was seen wearing a baseball cap, T-shirt and shorts, but his girlfriend used an umbrella to prevent photographers from capturing her face.
The couple have been spotted together in New York before. In October 2023, they made a surprise appearance on Saturday Night Live before heading to dinner at the Waverley Inn.
Kelce congratulates Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco after scoring a touchdown
The couple’s trip to the East Coast, where Swift owns a number of properties, comes after a night of celebration over the Chiefs’ victory.
After beating Baltimore by one touchdown in a rematch of last year’s AFC finals, the Chiefs reportedly threw a party at a gleaming rooftop bar just a 20-minute drive from Arrowhead Stadium.
According to Page Six, Kelce told his teammates that he was having a party at Prime Social and that the entire team was invited.
Swift, who left the stadium in a golf cart alongside Kelce, seemed to enjoy it. A Page Six insider even said, “Taylor was a little drunk.”
Kelce reportedly rented out the entire cocktail bar for the event, which was also attended by several Kansas City Chiefs players and their wives and girlfriends.
That included Swift and, according to sources at DailyMail.com, Brittany Mahomes.
Sources say there is no animosity between the two, despite rumors of a possible rift and the fact that the two are in separate suites for Thursday night’s match.