Lions vs. Chiefs Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Jared Goff's Lions Keep Up With The Chiefs in Week 1?
The NFL season gets underway tonight with the Lions vs. Chiefs. Can Jared Goff's Lions keep up with the Chiefs in Week 1? Jason Radowitz breaks down the first game of the 2023 NFL season.
Jason Radowitz - September 6, 2023, 10:11 AM EDT
5 minLions vs. Chiefs Prediction, Pick, Odds: Can Jared Goff's Lions Keep Up With The Chiefs in Week 1?
The NFL season is underway!
The Detroit Lions will visit the defending champs on Thursday Night Football to kickstart Week 1 of the NFL season.
The Kansas City Chiefs won their second Super Bowl in five seasons last year. They also went to their third Super Bowl in the previous five seasons.
Meanwhile, the Lions haven't been in the playoffs since 2016. However, they're projected to make it this year. Detroit finished last year's season one game shy of a playoff spot. It took until the final week of the season to be eliminated.
If the Lions continue their momentum from last year's second half, they'll be a tough out for all teams in the NFL, including the Chiefs.
Here are our picks, predictions, and odds for Thursday's game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions.
Lions vs. Chiefs Start Time, Where to Watch, and Odds
- Date: September 7, 2023
- Game Time: 8:20 pm ET
- Where to Watch: NBC
Lions vs. Chiefs Odds
- Spread: Lions +6.5 (-110), Chiefs -6.5 (-110)
- Total Odds: O/U 53.5 (-110)
- Moneyline Odds: Lions (+225), Chiefs (-280)
Lions vs. Chiefs Injury Report
Lions
Questionable: CB Emmanuel Moseley (Knee)
Out: CB C.J. Gardner-Johnson (Knee), LB Julian Okwara (Knee), WR Jameson Williams (Suspension)
Chiefs
Questionable: WR Richie James (Knee), L'Jarius Sneed (Knee), DT Tershawn Wharton (Knee), TE Travis Kelce (Knee)
Out: DT Chris Jones (Holdout), DE Charles Omenihu (Suspension)
Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs Prediction
The Kansas City Chiefs were dominant offensively last season.
Critics thought losing Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins would hurt Mahomes' ability to make plays.
But he still threw for 5,250 yards in 17 games in the regular season. His main target became Travis Kelce, and it'll likely stay that way this season. However, Kelce hyper-extended his knee in practice earlier this week. He's questionable for this game.
Mahomes no longer has JuJu Smith-Schuster or Mecole Hardman catching passes. Therefore, his wide receiver core would be Kadarious Toney, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Skyy Moore, and Rashee Rice if Kelce is unavailable.
Furthermore, Toney will likely be limited as he works back from an injury.
Mahomes always finds a way regardless of who is on the field with him. But the lack of depth and star power is apparent.
Meanwhile, the defense won't have Chris Jones. He's holding out because the Chiefs haven't given him a new deal. The pass rush will likely be weaker, but the secondary should be fine.
On the other hand, the Lions should be great offensively. Jared Goff threw for 4,438 yards last season. He also added 29 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He arguably had his best season since coming into the league in 2016.
Goff has way more depth to work with than Mahomes does on offense. The Lions added David Montgomery from the Bears and drafted Jahmyr Gibbs with their first selection in the NFL Draft. They also brought in Sam LaPorta at tight end from the draft and still have a solid group of receivers led by Amon-Ra St. Brown.
However, I'm still worried about the defense for the Lions. The secondary was horrendous last year. There are some new faces on the defensive roster. But until I see the secondary improve, it's hard to rely on this Lions defense against a potent Chiefs offense.
The line hasn't adjusted much since the Kelce news came out. It's unknown how serious that knee injury is. But either way, I still love the Chiefs' offense against the Lions' secondary.
I also believe the Lions, especially with Jahmyr Gibbs in the mix, should also have plenty of success offensively.
I'll take the Over 54.5 in this game.
Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs Pick
- Over 54.5 -110 is currently the best odds. Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
NFL Odds
