The thrilling season opener between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens was the most-watched NFL opener in history, according to NBC.
The data shows that viewership peaked at 33 million viewers in the second quarter of the game, which the Chiefs dramatically won 27-20.
Fans were desperate to see the return of football and also catch a glimpse of Taylor Swift as she returned to Arrowhead Stadium to watch her boyfriend Travis Kelce in action.
A rematch of last season’s AFC Championship game, the game averaged 28.9 million viewers on NBC and its Peacock streaming service.
It was five percent higher than last season’s opener (when the Detroit Lions upset the Chiefs).
The Chiefs’ thrilling win over the Ravens was the most-watched NFL opener in history
Swift watched as Kelce and the Chiefs beat the Ravens in a thrilling finale Thursday.
The huge television audience would not have been disappointed either, as the action on the field was reduced to a dramatic video review.
The Ravens thought they had tied the game 27-27 with zero seconds left on the clock, but tight end Isaiah Likely’s foot was ruled out of bounds after he caught Lamar Jackson’s pass.
It was also the perfect NFL debut for Chiefs rookie Xavier Worthy, who showed off his blistering speed to score two touchdowns.
Kelce had a quiet night on the field by his usual standards, meaning the cuts from the NBC broadcast to Swift in her luxury suite were also fairly limited.
The pop star stunned in a denim outfit and thigh-high boots as she sat next to Kelce’s father, Ed. Swift then sat with her mother, Donna.
The New York Post published Images showed the couple boarding a flight to New York on Friday.
Kelce was visible wearing a baseball cap, T-shirt and shorts, but his girlfriend used an umbrella to prevent photographers from capturing his face.
The couple had previously been spotted together in New York. In October 2023, they made surprise appearances on Saturday Night Live before dining at the Waverley Inn.
Kelce congratulates Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco after he scored a touchdown
The couple’s trip to the East Coast, where Swift owns several properties, comes after a night of intense celebration following the Chiefs’ victory.
After winning by a touchdown over Baltimore in a rematch of last year’s AFC title game, the Chiefs reportedly partied at a glitzy rooftop bar just a 20-minute drive from Arrowhead Stadium.
According to Page Six, Kelce told his teammates that he was hosting a party at Prime Social and that the entire team was invited.
Swift, who was seen leaving the stadium alongside Kelce in a golf cart, seemed to enjoy herself; a Page Six source told her, “Taylor got a little drunk.”
Kelce reportedly rented out the entire cocktail bar for the event and was joined by several Kansas City Chiefs players and their wives and girlfriends.
That included Swift and, according to DailyMail.com sources, Brittany Mahomes.
Sources say there is no bad blood between the two, despite rumours of a possible rift and the two being seated in separate suites for Thursday night’s game.