Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs Prediction, Pick Against the Spread, and Latest Odds

Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs Prediction, Pick Against the Spread, and Latest Odds

The Detroit Lions and the Kansas City Chiefs will clash from Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday Night as we kick off the 2023 NFL Season. 

Lions vs. Chiefs Date, Time, and Where to Watch

• Date: September 7, 2023
• Time: 8:20 pm ET
• Where to Watch: NBC

Lions vs. Chiefs Odds

• Spread: Lions +6.5 (-105), Chiefs -6.5 (-110)
• Total Odds: O/U 54.5 (-110)
• Moneyline Odds: Lions (+250), Chiefs (-275)

Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs Prediction

The Lions will enter 2023 feeling extremely optimistic about the 2022 season. Detroit became America's Team in 2022, powered by one of the best offenses in football. It has been a long time since the Detroit Lions won a NFC North Championship. The last time that the Lions won the NFC North was in 1993. For reference, the price of gas the last time that the Lions won the North was 1.11, and the Dallas Cowboys won a Super Bowl, so you know that it has been a long time. The sportsbooks do not care about the Lions' recent struggles, as Detroit is seen as the favorite in the North entering the year (-120 DraftKings Sportsbook). 

Jared Goff is coming off of arguably the best year of his career. The California kid was traded to the Lions in 2021 for Matthew Stafford. This may be a true win-win trade as the Rams won the Super Bowl the season they acquired Stafford, and the Lions feel like they have their quarterback of the future in Goff. Goff, a former first-overall pick, is poised to deliver the best year of his career at age 28. Goff threw for 4,438 yards, 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 2022. 

Goff will get the opportunity to work with some dynamic weapons. Amron St. Brown is considered to be one of the best young wide receivers in all of college football. St. Brown, a former fourth-round pick out of USC, will begin the year with 2.073 yards to his credit, paired with 11 touchdowns. Former Alabama superstar Jameson Williams missed time with an injury in his rookie year and is poised for a strong sophomore campaign. Williams had just two catches for 18 yards as a rookie and will miss the first six games of the season due to a suspension. Detroit added rookie Sam Laporta in the second round of this year's draft. The franchise is high on the rookie tight end from Iowa and feels as if he will make an immediate impact on this offense, 

Jayhmir Gibbs was selected in the first round by the Lions in this year's draft. At the time, the pick puzzled many as the Lions appeared to have multiple running backs capable of producing in David Montgomery and Deandre Swift. Gibbs is a dynamic back who can produce in both the running and passing game. 

The Defense is the biggest question mark surrounding this Lions team. Detroit was aggressive in the free agent market, landing multiple proven starters on the defensive side of the ball. The Lions ranked 30th in points allowed per game (25.1). Head Coach Dan Campbell is optimistic that this team will improve after a poor showing in 2022. New Lions starters on Defense will include cornerback Cameron Sutton, linebacker Jack Campbell, and safety CJ Gardner Johnson. 

Kansas City will begin the season with a target on their back after winning the Super Bowl in 2022. Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid stormed back in the second half vs. the Philadelphia Eagles to claim their second Super Bowl Ring in four years. It is hard to dispute that this is the team to beat once again this season. Patrick Mahomes continues to get better and make some kind of play that forces fans' jaws to drop every week. Mahomes was the league's MVP a season ago and is seen as one of the front-runners to win the award again this season. 

Travis Kelce is undoubtedly the best tight end in the game. The deadly Mahomes-Kelce connection has won the Chiefs many games over the years. Kelce, strung together, has gone over the 1,000-yard receiving mark in seven consecutive seasons. Additionally, Kelce has fifty-nine receiving touchdowns in that span. 

Many questioned if the Chiefs offense would produce at a high level after the team surprisingly traded All-Pro Wide Receiver Tyreek Hill to the Miami Dolphins a season ago. Kansas City proved they can continue to produce despite losing one of the league's best. The Chiefs appear to be more thin than ever at the WR position this year. The top three listed wideouts for the Chiefs are Kadarius Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and Sky Moore. For reference, the three combined for 1,108 yards and four touchdowns compared to Hill, who personally put up 1,710 yards and seven touchdowns. 

The Chiefs are led by one of the most respected coaches in the history of the NFL, Andy Reid. Reid, who began his head coaching career with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1999, has won 247 games in that span. Reid has reached the playoffs in nine of his ten years in Kansas City while winning the AFC West seven consecutive years and winning two Super Bowls in that span.

The defense of the Chiefs was improved in 2022. Over the years, the only area you could really criticize is the Chiefs' Defense. Kansas City had an encouraging showing in 2022 and feels as if their Defense has the ability to rank toward the top fifteen of the league this season. Despite the improvement, this remains the area that the Chiefs need the most work in, and if they are losing games, you can likely point to their Defense. 

Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs Pick

I am not in the business of fading Patrick Mahomes on his home field to kick off the season. 

Mahomes and the Chiefs are being undervalued here in Week 1. I love what the Lions did a season ago, and they will once again be a top-ten offense in football, but we are not asking Kansas City to cover a huge number.

Andy Reid is 9-1 in week one games since becoming the Chiefs Head Coach in 2013. Reid has won seven of those games by seven points or more in Week 1. Reid has the reputation of being one of the best coaches in NFL history off a bye week, and week one of the season is quite similar in terms of a preparation window. Reid will have his team ready to go. 

Mahomes has not lost, going 5-0 in Week 1 games since taking over as the starter for the Chiefs. Mahomes has won four of those five games by a touchdown or more.

Overall, there remains a significant talent gap between these two teams, and the Chiefs will do enough to cover this number. 

Pick: Kansas City Chiefs -4.5 -110 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick

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