NFL Season Opener Viewership Drops 12% to Lowest Since 2022

The NFL's 2026 season opener between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks averaged 25.1 million viewers, marking a 12% decline from the previous year's game and the lowest audience for a regular-season kickoff since 2022. The Wednesday night matchup on NBC and Peacock still delivered a strong primetime audience, but the drop has prompted discussion about the impact of scheduling changes and new viewership measurement methods. The game, a rematch of last season's Super Bowl LX, fell from the 28.3 million viewers who watched the Dallas Cowboys-Philadelphia Eagles opener in 2025. Despite the year-over-year decrease, the league achieved its fourth consecutive season with a kickoff game exceeding 25 million viewers, a streak not seen since 2013 through 2016. The broadcast also delivered NBC's largest kickoff audience among adults 18-49 since 2021, averaging 10 million viewers in that key demographic. The shift to a Wednesday night start was a primary factor cited by analysts.