It has been more than 48 hours since the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Dallas Cowboys 34-31 in the NFL’s first-ever regular-season game at Rio’s Maracanã Stadium. While some debates continue about Tyler Loop hitting a game-winning field goal, off the field, indisputable history was made.

The game generated significant interest among NFL fans, not just in the USA but around the world. The record-breaking viewership numbers prove that.

““NFL ON CBS” delivers historic viewership for Ravens-Cowboys in Rio…,” CBS Sports PR noted on X.

According to CBS Sports, an average of 24.09 million viewers watched the Sunday Game between the Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens. Not only that, but the audience peaked at more than 30 million viewers. Those numbers made the game the most-watched NFL international game in history. In the process, it also became the most-watched Week 3 game on CBS since 2014. Yet, that wasn’t all.

Overall, Sunday’s CBS doubleheader averaged 21.45 million, its most-watched September doubleheader since 2014.

There was another international NFL game in Week 1 between the San Francisco 49ers and Los Angeles Rams in Melbourne. According to reports, an average of 21.7 million viewers watched that game globally. However, the number was lower than the Brazil game. While nothing is confirmed, the primary reason for that could be the broadcasting platform.

The Week 1 game was streamed on Netflix, while the Brazil game was shown on network television. However, these two games have also defied a key trend. Last year, NFL international games reportedly averaged 6.2 million viewers.

This year, these two games have drawn audiences more than three times that figure. That is certainly a positive sign, and the numbers from Brazil are even more interesting considering the criticism the game faced beforehand.

Before this year, the most recent record was not made too long ago. The 2025 season opener may have then featured the losing side from Super Bowl LIX, but the Los Angeles Chargers facing Patrick Mahomes’ Kansas City Chiefs was enough to draw 18.5 million viewers on YouTube for Week 1 action.

Though on TV screens. a record number of viewers tuned in, some field troubles also made their way to the news.

Turf troubles were also reported for the fixture

Leading up to the Sunday Night Game between the Baltimore Ravens and Dallas Cowboys at Rio de Janeiro’s historic Maracanã Stadium, the condition of the natural grass field raised major concerns across the league.

Former NFLPA President JC Tretter and union representatives voiced serious concerns days before kickoff, stating that the field lacked proper traction and stability. They warned that a loose, uneven surface could create injury risks and affect player performance. Local Brazilian soccer players, including Flamengo goalkeeper Agustín Rossi and midfielder Giorgian De Arrascaeta, also publicly criticized the field’s condition ahead of the international game, pointing to visible bumps and patchy areas.

Then, to prevent a repeat of the 2024 São Paulo slipping debacle, both the NFL and the NFLPA deployed turf experts to Rio several days before the game. Workers had to carry out extensive last-minute repairs, including reinforced stitching across the field, edge trimming, and manual hand-shearing with scissors and mowers right up until minutes before kickoff.

Yet, as senior NFL insider Josina Anderson reported, one well-placed league source emphasized on the morning of the game that the NFL players should remember that the final decision on whether to participate ultimately rested with them. 

“If they feel like it’s not something they should play on, they shouldn’t play, point-blank, period, end of story. The buck literally stops with them. If they are about their business, if they feel like something is not safe, they should not play,” the source said.

Despite all those concerns, the intensive stitching and turf treatment held up surprisingly well throughout the game.