Eagles-Vikings clash breaks Thursday Night Football viewer record

Vikings vs. Eagles | 2023 Week 2 Highlights

Amazon Prime Video’s second Thursday Night Football began with a record-breaking NFL game. The Philadelphia Eagles’ 34-28 win over the Minnesota Vikings drew an average of 15.1 million viewers.

This number of viewers surpassed last year’s first game between the Los Angeles Chargers and the Kansas City Chiefs, which had 13 million viewers. This victory also propels the Eagles to a 2-0 record in the 2023 season, while the Vikings fall to 0-2.

Surpasses 16.6 million average viewership

Amazon Prime is the exclusive home for the NFL’s Thursday Night Football games, which began airing the NFL streaming package last fall. The streaming website’s first-party data reports an average match audience of 16.6 million. This number is a rise from last year’s opener of 15.3 million viewers.

Amazon’s stream had 13.3 million viewers. In Philadelphia, 1.1 million more viewers watched on the local Fox affiliate. Lastly, the Fox station in Minneapolis-St. Paul added 656,000 viewers to the total audience.

Last year, 15-18 percent discrepancies in audience measurements emerged between the media company Nielsen and Amazon data. Nielsen initially included some of Amazon’s data in its rating report but later removed it due to objections from TV networks.

Hans Schroeder, NFL Media’s executive vice president, said earlier this week that one of the league’s key goals is to find the most precise way to measure viewership. With enhanced data capture capabilities, he believes that streaming platforms can complement Nielsen’s existing efforts.

“They can get the most accurate picture of who’s watching our games and our content,” Schroeder said. “That’s our focus and will continue to be our focus. We’ll continue to work with Nielsen and our partners, all our partners to do that.”

Hard-fought victory

The Eagles’ 34-28 victory was a hard-fought one. The first half of the Week 2 matchup saw both teams struggling to find their rhythm. However, the Eagles’ ground game emerged as a constant force throughout the game.

Running back D’Andre Swift showcased his talents with a career-best 175 rushing yards on 28 carries. On the Vikings’ side, quarterback Kirk Cousins displayed remarkable resilience despite facing relentless pressure from the Eagles’ defense. He saw multiple dropped passes by his receivers. Cousins also managed to throw an impressive 384 yards for four touchdowns.

The offensive spotlight, however, shone on Justin Jefferson. The wide receiver hauled in 11 of his 14 targets, accumulating 159 yards and securing nine crucial first downs. His ability to make impactful catches, including several for 15 yards or more, showcased his significance in the Vikings’ offensive strategy.

Defensively, Eagles’ edge rusher Josh Sweat wreaked havoc on the Vikings’ offensive line. In a dominant performance, Sweat recorded one sack, three hits, and two hurries during his 30 pass-rush snaps, according to PFF’s analysis.

Notably, the Eagles’ offensive resurgence in the second half, led by Swift and wide receiver DeVonta Smith, proved pivotal in securing the win. The Eagles’ ground attack churned out over 250 yards and included a pair of Jalen Hurts touchdowns.

A pivotal play that shifted the momentum in favor of the Eagles occurred in the third quarter when Sweat’s forced fumble of Cousins led to Fletcher Cox’s recovery, setting up a Hurts touchdown run.

The victory sets the stage for an exciting matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on September 25. Meanwhile, the Vikings will face the Chargers the day before.