Before Mahomes entered the starting lineup in '18, the Chiefs were decidedly not appointment TVGETTY IMAGES
Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has "made for must-see TV" in a year when sports and almost every other type of programming has had viewership "gutted by the pandemic and the presidential election chaos," according to Bill Shea of THE ATHLETIC. People tune in when Mahomes and the Chiefs, as was evident with Sunday's "late afternoon thriller" against the Buccaneers that averaged 23.1 million viewers on CBS. Without the "pandemic-fueled audience cannibalization and other distractions, which have the NFL’s overall TV audience down a bit," the Chiefs and Mahomes "likely would have even gaudier audience metrics." The Chiefs also do "big numbers in their home market even when games are at unusual times." Prior to Mahomes entering the starting lineup in '18, the Chiefs "were decidedly not appointment TV." While Mahomes is "helping generate big viewership in a chaotic year," he is "not totally unique in that aspect." ESPN Communications Manager for NFL Products Derek Volner: “Anytime you see a QB play well and gain popularity, the viewership for that team will surely rise. On a smaller scale, think how much more interesting Kyler Murray is right now than he was Week 1. That will continue next year” (THEATHLETIC.com, 12/2).
