NFL ratings, Week 2: Chiefs-Bengals delivers big for CBS

The Kansas City Chiefs and the Cincinnati Bengals delivered a down-to-the-wire game Sunday, and viewers were plugged in, according to CBS.

The network’s “National Game,” which included Chiefs-Bengals for most of the country, averaged 27.9 million viewers, an increase of 8 percent over the comparable period last year. The national game was the most-watched telecast on a single network since the Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory. The majority of the country saw Chiefs-Bengals, while much of the Mountain Time Zone and the Pittsburgh area saw Broncos-Steelers.

What this means for CBS, according to network officials, is the best start to the season since 1998, with an average of 19.9 million viewers. (Worth noting: Measurement metrics have changed in recent years, accounting for more out-of-home viewers, so comparisons between recent years and more distant ones will tend to favor the current measurements.)

Meanwhile, over on Prime Video, Thursday Night Football’s Amazon debut averaged 14.96 million viewers, which ranks as the third-most-watched NFL game on Prime. The game, a Bills blowout of the Dolphins, trailed last year’s Vikings-Eagles game (15.06 million) in the same week and a Week 13 Seahawks-Cowboys game that averaged 15.26 million.

Further ratings for Fox, NBC and Monday Night Football will be coming over the course of the week.