Blab Sports
NFL Network Week 1 Preseason Viewership Falls Slightly, Rams-Chiefs Game Tops Ratings
A week of preseason action on NFL Network saw a modest dip in viewership, but the Rams‑Chiefs showdown stole the spotlight, marking the most‑watched Week 1 game on the channel since 2015.
NFL Network’s first‑week preseason telecasts drew an average of 1.93 million viewers, a decline from the 2.1 million average in 2025. The network’s most‑watched game of the week was the Rams‑Chiefs matchup, which averaged 2.38 million viewers and became the highest‑viewed Week 1 preseason game on the channel since 2015.
The Rams‑Chiefs game, played Saturday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium, surpassed the 2.18 million viewers that the Saints‑Chargers game attracted in the same time slot last year. According to Nielsen reports, the Rams‑Chiefs viewership was up 9 percent from the previous season’s figure.
The second‑highest rated game was the Packers‑Steelers contest, the opening game of the Thursday double‑header, which drew 2.28 million viewers. That number represents a 21 percent increase over the Colts‑Ravens game that aired in the same window in 2025, which averaged 1.89 million viewers. The Packers‑Steelers game also outperformed the MLB Field of Dreams game between the Phillies and Twins that aired on Netflix at the same time, which averaged 1.66 million viewers.
In primetime on Saturday, the Cowboys‑Seahawks game was the only other preseason telecast to exceed the two‑million‑viewer threshold. The game averaged 2.23 million viewers, up 29 percent from the Jets‑Packers game that drew 1.73 million viewers in 2025. The Cowboys‑Seahawks game was the only preseason game that beat the 3.08 million viewers that Baseball Night in America on Fox attracted that evening.
NFL Network’s overall Week 1 average of 1.93 million viewers is slightly lower than the 2.1 million average recorded in 2025, the year that included two Sunday games and a late Thursday kickoff. When those Sunday games are excluded, Front Office Sports reports that Week 1 2026 viewership was up 3 percent from the 1.88 million average of the same period in 2025.
The decline in raw numbers must be viewed in the context of a methodological shift by Nielsen. Beginning with the 2025 season, Nielsen adopted a “Big Data + Panel” methodology that incorporates streaming, smart‑TV, and out‑of‑home viewing data. The new methodology has generally boosted live sports viewership, sometimes by as much as 15 percent. Because the 2025 and 2026 seasons were measured with different systems, the comparison is not apples‑to‑apples.
Outside of NFL Network, the Pro Football Hall of Fame game on NBC drew 7.0 million viewers, up 1 percent from the 6.9 million that the Steelers‑Cowboys game attracted in 2025.
Looking ahead, Week 2 of the preseason will feature two nationally televised games that are not on NFL Network. The Las Vegas Raiders‑Houston Texans game will air on ESPN on Thursday, and the Seattle Seahawks‑Tennessee Titans game will air on Fox in Sunday primetime.
In summary, NFL Network’s Week 1 preseason ratings show a modest decline in average viewership compared with 2025, but the Rams‑Chiefs game remains the network’s most‑watched Week 1 game since 2015. The network’s top three games all exceeded two million viewers, and the overall average is only slightly lower when accounting for the change in Nielsen’s measurement methodology. The upcoming Week 2 games will provide additional data points for the league’s preseason viewership trend.
NFL Network’s first‑week preseason telecasts drew an average of 1.93 million viewers, a decline from the 2.1 million average in 2025. The network’s most‑watched game of the week was the Rams‑Chiefs matchup, which averaged 2.38 million viewers and became the highest‑viewed Week 1 preseason game on the channel since 2015.
The Rams‑Chiefs game, played Saturday afternoon at Arrowhead Stadium, surpassed the 2.18 million viewers that the Saints‑Chargers game attracted in the same time slot last year. According to Nielsen reports, the Rams‑Chiefs viewership was up 9 percent from the previous season’s figure.
The second‑highest rated game was the Packers‑Steelers contest, the opening game of the Thursday double‑header, which drew 2.28 million viewers. That number represents a 21 percent increase over the Colts‑Ravens game that aired in the same window in 2025, which averaged 1.89 million viewers. The Packers‑Steelers game also outperformed the MLB Field of Dreams game between the Phillies and Twins that aired on Netflix at the same time, which averaged 1.66 million viewers.
In primetime on Saturday, the Cowboys‑Seahawks game was the only other preseason telecast to exceed the two‑million‑viewer threshold. The game averaged 2.23 million viewers, up 29 percent from the Jets‑Packers game that drew 1.73 million viewers in 2025. The Cowboys‑Seahawks game was the only preseason game that beat the 3.08 million viewers that Baseball Night in America on Fox attracted that evening.
NFL Network’s overall Week 1 average of 1.93 million viewers is slightly lower than the 2.1 million average recorded in 2025, the year that included two Sunday games and a late Thursday kickoff. When those Sunday games are excluded, Front Office Sports reports that Week 1 2026 viewership was up 3 percent from the 1.88 million average of the same period in 2025.
The decline in raw numbers must be viewed in the context of a methodological shift by Nielsen. Beginning with the 2025 season, Nielsen adopted a “Big Data + Panel” methodology that incorporates streaming, smart‑TV, and out‑of‑home viewing data. The new methodology has generally boosted live sports viewership, sometimes by as much as 15 percent. Because the 2025 and 2026 seasons were measured with different systems, the comparison is not apples‑to‑apples.
Outside of NFL Network, the Pro Football Hall of Fame game on NBC drew 7.0 million viewers, up 1 percent from the 6.9 million that the Steelers‑Cowboys game attracted in 2025.
Looking ahead, Week 2 of the preseason will feature two nationally televised games that are not on NFL Network. The Las Vegas Raiders‑Houston Texans game will air on ESPN on Thursday, and the Seattle Seahawks‑Tennessee Titans game will air on Fox in Sunday primetime.
In summary, NFL Network’s Week 1 preseason ratings show a modest decline in average viewership compared with 2025, but the Rams‑Chiefs game remains the network’s most‑watched Week 1 game since 2015. The network’s top three games all exceeded two million viewers, and the overall average is only slightly lower when accounting for the change in Nielsen’s measurement methodology. The upcoming Week 2 games will provide additional data points for the league’s preseason viewership trend.
