All eyes were on more than Taylor Swift and what kind of emotions the Grammy winner would show at M&T Bank Stadium on Sunday. Fans were tuned in to see if Lamar Jackson would earn his long-awaited AFC title, or if Patrick Mahomes and Company would clinch another conference championship.
A record-shattering audience for the NFL came in the aftermath.
How Many People Watched Chiefs at Ravens? New Record Is Shattered
According to CBS, the AFC Championship Game drew in an average of 55.473 million viewers — officially making it the most-watched AFC title game ever.
That’s also a 17% increase over the previous mark from the Philadelphia Eagles and San Francisco 49ers NFC title game of last year.
Again, the matchup between the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs and top-seeded Baltimore Ravens came equipped with plenty of star power.
Yes, fans of the country/pop singer and soulmate of Chiefs All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce drew audiences in — particularly Swift’s massive fan base. There were other reasons why fans became fixated on the game.
For one, the game finally paired two of the league’s most dynamic quarterbacks together for the conference title in Jackson and Mahomes. Turns out the AFC title game became the first matchup involving two former Most Valuable Player winners who have yet to reach their 30th birthday.
There was more: Baltimore was hosting its first conference championship game since the 1971 season — before the Ravens even existed. The Baltimore Colts took on the Oakland Raiders in that ’71 game.
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But here’s what kept fans glued throughout the game — how close it was. Baltimore’s defense kept things close throughout the game against a usually explosive Chiefs offense. K.C., however, turned to its own defense to secure its fourth conference title in five seasons.
The AFC Championship Game has been blessed with a plethora of talent featured on the field. Now, the Chiefs and Ravens shattered league history. This now raises the question: What were the numbers for the NFC Championship in Santa Clara, Calif.? And which game was once the most watched?
Numbers for Lions at 49ers Also Revealed
The late afternoon contest between the Detroit Lions and San Francisco 49ers had no shortage of its own star power at Levi’s Stadium.
Lions legend and NFL Hall of Famer Barry Sanders was in attendance. Iconic 49er Super Bowl winners Jerry Rice and Joe Montana were on the field. Even the Lions had their own Grammy winner and music sensation on their side in rapper Eminem.
And that game set its own new personal mark.
Per the Nielsen ratings, Lions versus 49ers lured in a total of 56,324,000 viewers, making it the most-watched NFL Championship Game on any network.
That contest in Santa Clara had its own intriguing storylines. On the Lions’ side, Sunday marked their first conference title game appearance since 1991 as they became the top underdog story of the weekend. But the 49ers were led by their own underdog in quarterback Brock Purdy, best known as the final player chosen in the 2022 NFL Draft.
This game, though, became a high-scoring affair. San Francisco found itself down 24-7 and had many viewers questioning if it was time to mow the lawn, change the channel, or go golfing. Instead, Purdy helped spearhead an epic comeback by relying on Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey, and Company to pull off the 34-31 victory.
With both games surpassing the 50 million threshold, it’s the first time since 2014 that both conference title games drew that high of a number of viewers. Now, Super Bowl 58 will have to find a way to top the marks from both games on Feb. 11.
As the 2023 NFL season comes to a close, the 2024 NFL Draft is on the horizon. Pro Football Network has you covered with everything from team draft needs to the Top 100 prospects available. Plus, fire up PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator to put yourself in the general manager’s seat and make all the calls!
