As Americans had their eyes on the TV this past weekend watching football, it appears they also had their hands on the keyboard, "socializing" about the games. As with most major live events (think VMAs, Oscars, the Super Bowl), social media was all atwitter last weekend for the NFL's Week 1 matchups.
Neither Twitter nor Facebook set any records for engagement last week, but it's clear that football drives users to their social profiles. More than 30 million U.S. Facebook users were responsible for 60 million NFL-related interactions on the site last week, including posts, comments, and likes, according to a company spokesperson.
Much of the attention went to the Denver Broncos and Baltimore Ravens, who kicked off the season last Thursday, and their game was responsible for nearly one-third of all the NFL-related interactions for the week. (It helped that Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning tied the NFL record by throwing seven touchdowns in the game.)
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The story was similar on Twitter, where users sent more than five million tweets containing the words "football" or "NFL" last week, according to social analytics company Topsy. The Broncos/Ravens game was once again the crown jewel for social engagement — more than 1.4 million tweets were sent out about the game, according to Twitter, spiking at 15,000 tweets per minute when Manning threw his fifth touchdown.

While the numbers appeared high, they weren't unheard of for Facebook or Twitter. During the Oscars last February, Facebook users generated 65 million interactions on the site, and last month's VMAs outperformed the NFL's season opener with 26.5 million interactions.
Twitter activity surrounding Week 1 in the NFL was far from record-breaking. When Miley Cyrus performed onstage at the VMA's last month, the site exploded with more than 300,000 tweets per minute, compared to the 15,000 TPM that were sent during Manning's impressive game. Last year's Super Bowl between the San Francisco 49ers and Ravens generated more than 24 million tweets, making the 2013 season opener look mighty quiet in comparison.
Record-breaking or not, football is back in America and, for that, social sites can rejoice. Here's a look at some of the more memorable social interactions from the first full week of NFL games.
Of Peyton Manning's record-tying performance:
Please note: Peyton Manning is not too old to play this game.
— ESPN (@espn) September 6, 2013
DeAngelo Williams, Carolina Panthers running back:
Post by DeAngelo Williams.
Philip DeFranco, YouTube celebrity:
If you listen really closely you can hear Peyton Manning still throwing touchdowns somewhere in the world.
— Philip DeFranco (@PhillyD) September 6, 2013
Tom Brady, New England Patriots quarterback
Post by Tom Brady.
Wes Welker, Denver Broncos wide receiver:
Wake up! It's Gametime! #broncoscountry pic.twitter.com/iFp6eeBiR0
— Wes Welker (@WesWelker) September 5, 2013
Broncos executive, and Hall of Fame quarterback, John Elway:
7 minutes until it begins. John Elway is ready. Are you? https://t.co/P5nwbCFE5Y
— Denver Broncos (@DenverBroncos) September 6, 2013
Will you be furiously tweeting or posting about tonight's matchup between the New York Jets and the New England Patriots?
Images: Dustin Bradford/Getty Images, Topsy