Season-opening Super Bowl rematch was a ratings bust for NBC

Turns out, a Super Bowl rematch on a Wednesday night isn't an ideal scheduling window to start the season.

The defending champion Seattle Seahawks' 13-10 victory over the New England Patriots on Sept. 10 averaged 25.1 million viewers for NBC, the network announced Sept. 14. It was the lowest-rated NFL opener since 2022, when the Buffalo Bills blasted the Los Angeles Rams, and was down 11% from last season's Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles opener (31.9 million).

Although the game came down to the wire, neither offense created a venerated product for the fans at home. Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold left almost immediately after he suffered a hip injury on his team's first possession of the game. New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye became the second quarterback in 25 years to throw three fourth-quarter interceptions while his team was leading.

Nonetheless, the opener has drawn at least 25 million viewers for four consecutive years and matches NBC's record of meeting that threshold (2013-2016). Viewership peaked at 27.4 million viewers from 9-9:15 p.m. ET, the network said, as the Patriots led 7-0 in the lowest-scoring first half in the 21 years NBC has aired the "NFL Kickoff Game."

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Original source: https://www.usatoday.com/sports/