NFL Kickoff record 28.9 million viewers watch Kansas City hold off Baltimore

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — Kansas City’s thrilling 27-20 victory over Baltimore was the most-watched NFL Kickoff game since it started in 2002. Thursday’s game had a total audience average of 28.9 million, surpassing the 27.6 million that watched the New England Patriots defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2015 opener on NBC. Streaming did not start getting added to audience figures until 2016. It was a 5% increase from the 27.5 million that watched Detroit beat Kansas City in last year’s opener. NBC averaged 24.3 million according to Nielsen, with the audience peaking at 33 million during the second quarter from 9:30 to 9:45 p.m. EDT.