The NFL likes to schedule a few marquee matchups to kick off each new season, and this season started off with a rematch of last winter’s AFC Championship Game between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs.
While neither team played true high-level football, the Chiefs prevailed 27-20 when an apparent last-second touchdown catch by Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely was waived off because the tip of his toe had stepped on the edge of the end zone.
While the two-time defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs were winners on Thursday, so was the league as a whole.
The contest between the two teams reportedly drew in 28.9 million viewers, which was a record for an NFL season kickoff game, per Bleacher Report.
The Chiefs are the preeminent empire of pro football, with a quarterback in Patrick Mahomes who seems to be on his way to becoming the greatest player in football history.
Last season, they somehow won it all despite a makeshift group of young and unproven wide receivers who frequently dropped passes, but that position group looks significantly improved this year.
Rashee Rice, who had a solid rookie year in 2023, exploded for 103 yards on seven catches on Thursday, and rookie speedster Xavier Worthy scored two touchdowns in a tantalizing pro debut.
Kansas City also brought in Marquise Brown and JuJu Smith Schuster, a key part of their 2022 squad, for depth.
Of course, they still have star tight end Travis Kelce, and one cannot forget the impact pop star Taylor Swift, his girlfriend, has on viewership.
Meanwhile, the Ravens now have star running back Derrick Henry and are hoping second-year wideout Zay Flowers will continue to ascend to a high level.
These two teams could very well end up meeting with a spot in Super Bowl LIX on the line this winter.
