Jets-Chiefs Scores Huge TV Audience: The Week in Sports Ratings (Sept. 25-Oct. 1)

R. Thomas Umstead
·1 min read
Isiah Pacheco #10 of the Kansas City Chiefs carries the ball during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on October 1, 2023 .
Isiah Pacheco #10 of the Kansas City Chiefs carries the ball during the third quarter of an NFL football game against the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium on October 1, 2023 .
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NBC’s October 1 New York Jets-Kansas City Chiefs Sunday Night Football  game led the National Football League’s continuing dominance of the sports ratings charts last week.

The game, in which the Jets lost to the Chiefs 23-20 with pop star Taylor Swift in attendance, drew 24.83 million viewers, the largest audience for Sunday Night Football this season, according to Nielsen ratings published by SportsMedia Watch. NBC's Sunday Night Football telecasts are averaging more than 23 million viewers through the first four weeks, up 8% over last year's numbers, according to Sports Business Journal. 

Overall, NFL telecasts represented seven of the top 10 most-watched live sports telecasts for the week.

On the college football front, Fox’s Colorado Buffaloes-USC Trojans game drew 7.24 million viewers, the eighth-largest audience for a college football game this season, according to Nielsen.

Outside of football, NBC’s October 1 NASCAR Cup Series race from Talladega drew 2.50 million to top all non-football events.