Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs tips: Superbowl celebration to pave the way for Patrick Mahomes onslaught
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes
The 2023-24 NFL season kicks off with the Superbowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium.
Date, KO time and TV coverage
Thursday 7 September, kick-off 8:20pm (CDT), live on NBC Sports (USA)
Friday 8 September, kick-off 1:20am (GMT), live on Sky Sports Action (UK)
NFL betting tips
Key stats
The Chiefs have won the overall series against the Lions 9-5, with the most recent game being a 34-30 Chiefs victory at Ford Field in 2019.
The Lions allowed seven net yards per passing attempt last season (31st) while the Chiefs allowed just 5.6 (4th).
The Chiefs were 7-1 at home last season while the Lions finished with a 4-4 record on the road.
The Chiefs offence averaged 29.1ppg (1st) last season, while the defence allowed 21.7ppg (16th).
Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs preview
The Kansas City Chiefs dominated the AFC West last season with a 14-3 record and they’re the favourites to win it all again this season.
They’ll kick-start the 2023-24 NFL season at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday night, welcoming an improving Detroit Lions side tipped for big things.
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The Lions finished the season with a 9-8 record, some distance behind the 13-4 Minnesota Vikings, but they’re considered a dark horse this time around.
Patrick Mahomes had one of the greatest individual seasons in NFL history, winning the MVP award, Super Bowl, and Super Bowl MVP.
In a relatively short space of time, he’s proven himself to be one of the best quarterbacks the NFL has seen and the Chiefs will be dangerous as long as he’s on the field.
Calling the shots for the Lions is Jared Goff, who has a solid season with 29 touchdowns and just seven interceptions.
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While he may not belong in the same bracket as Mahomes, he’s proven himself a reliable signal caller.
Despite missing the playoffs last season, the Lions finished with a winning record for the first time since 2017 and went 8-2 in their final 10 matches.
The Kansas City Chiefs made it to their third Super Bowl in four years, beating the Philadelphia Eagles to claim Super Bowl LVII.
We expect a party atmosphere at Arrowhead and it’s tough to say if this qualifies as a letdown spot or a celebration for a rampant Chiefs side that will trample their visitors.
There’s no question this is an improving Lions side but there are still question marks over their secondary and have they done enough to earn our trust against an elite team?
Not yet. The spread opened at -6.5 and it feels like a big ask for them to keep it within a single touchdown at the hostile home of the best team in the league.
