NBC Makes Big Announcement About Chiefs-Ravens NFL Opener

The 2024 NFL season started with a bang as the Kansas City Chiefs squeaked out a 27-20 win over the Baltimore Ravens.

The game ended on the final play when Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson hit tight end Isaiah Likely in the back of the endzone. Likely caught it but landed with his toe just touching the out-of-bounds line, ending the game on an incompletion and giving the Chiefs the win.

On Friday, NBC , which broadcasted the game on Thursday night, announced that the rematch of last season's AFC Championship averaged 28.9 million viewers across NBC and Peacock, making it the most-watched NFL Kickoff game ever.

In comparison, last year's opening game between the Chiefs and the Detroit Lions averaged 27.5 million viewers, 5% less than this year's. NBC also revealed that the Chiefs vs. Ravens peaked at 33 million viewers in the second quarter.

Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes continued his stellar play from last season in the opener, completing 20 of his 28 passing attempts for 291 yards, one touchdown and one interception. First-round pick Xavier Worthy showed exactly why Kansas City drafted him early, finding the endzone once on the ground and once through the air.

Peacock, which NBC owns, will be streaming the first-ever NFL game in Brazil between Jalen Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles and Jordan Love and the Green Bay Packers on Friday night. NBC will also be broadcasting the upcoming "Sunday Night Football" game between the Detroit Lions and the Los Angeles Rams. The network is in for a big weekend.

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