Thursday Night Football Same Game Parlay: Jerick McKinnon Poised to Score in Week 1
Ben Rajavuori is here to bring you the first Thursday Night Football same game parlay of the 2023 NFL season. He's here to explain why Jerick McKinnon is poised to score in Week 1. Read on to see what his Chiefs vs. Lions same game parlay entails.
Ben Rajavuori - September 7, 2023, 3:27 PM EDT
7 minThursday Night Football Same Game Parlay: Jerick McKinnon Poised to Score in Week 1
NFL Week 1 is here. The reigning Super Bowl champions hit the field first this season and start off at Arrowhead Stadium with a matchup against the Detroit Lions. The Kansas City Chiefs could very well go back-to-back this season, as they are favored to do so. The Lions, meanwhile, will be looking to win the NFC North and make the playoffs, a feat they nearly pulled off last year with a hot run to end the season. With many people high on the Lions entering this season, can they impress in week one in one of the hardest environments to play in the NFL? I have a +560 same-game parlay for the game, with one leg answering that question.
TNF Lions vs. Chiefs Date, Time, and Where to Watch
- Date: September 7, 2023
- Time: 8:20 pm ET
- Where to Watch: NBC
Thursday Night Football Same Game Parlay
Leg 1: Chiefs ML
The Lions are currently pretty hefty favorites to win the NFC North at +145, while the Vikings are second in odds at +260 on FanDuel. While I think the Lions are trending upwards, and I believe in Dan Campbell, the Lions may be getting a little too much love. Not that I think they won't make the playoffs or even win the NFC North. I just think they still have questions to be answered, mostly on the defensive side of the ball. Outside of Aidan Hutchinson, the defensive line is not very good, and they have a few soft spots in the secondary with Jerry Jacobs and Kerby Joseph.
On top of that, you have Jared Goff, who looked better last season but has still shown struggles on the road in his career. His quarterback rating dropped from 109.3 at home to 87.4 on the road last season, and every one of his metrics dropped off on the road. Now, he playing in what will be the toughest road game of the season in week one with some new offensive pieces to work with. I'm not saying the Lions won't be good this year, this is just a very big test in week one.
The Chiefs have no questions to be answered about the quality of their team, just their health at this point. The biggest news of the week came when Travis Kelce hyperextended his knee in practice on Tuesday, and now it is looking like he will miss the game. This has moved the spread from -6.5 to -4.5, which has brought the line down on the moneyline as well. At -215, I think it is worth a play on the Chiefs, as they are clearly the better team on both sides of the ball. They also have the best coach in the NFL, Andy Reid, and will have a rowdy crowd in Arrowhead Stadium behind them. It is very difficult in my mind to imagine a scenario where the Lions pull off a week one upset here.
Leg 2: Jerick McKinnon Anytime TD Scorer
I covered this in my article on the best anytime touchdown props for Thursday Night Football, which you can read here, but I am also throwing it in the same-game parlay because I love the line. The odds are better for this leg over at DraftKings, but the parlay overall comes out with better odds on FanDuel, so if you are playing this one as its own play separately, head over to DraftKings.
McKinnon set a personal best in targets, receptions, and receiving yards last year with the Chiefs, and his role this season will likely be as the primary receiving back. McKinnon finished with 10 total touchdowns last season, 9 of which were receiving, which was second on the team behind Travis Kelce. With Kelce looking like he will miss this game or be limited in snaps, McKinnon emerges as Mahomes' top target in the red zone. The Lions are weak in the middle of the field on defense, which McKinnon can expose in the red zone. I love him to find the end zone at this price.
Leg 3: Jahmyr Gibbs Over 31.5 Receiving Yards
It feels like the whole world is on this, but I'll bite and take the popular player prop as well. This is not the best line, as it has been moving upwards as the week has progressed, but it's still playable. I would play this up to 34.5 yards.
Gibbs was the Lion's first pick in the 2023 draft and will replace D'Andre Swift, who is now an Eagle. Gibbs played for Alabama in his final season and was an explosive rusher and receiver. He was one of the most dynamic running backs in college football last season, as he can make plays anywhere on the field. He caught 44 passes last season for 444 yards, averaging 10.1 yards per reception. The Chiefs were the worst team defending running backs in the open field last season, ranking dead last in receptions to opposing running backs at 6.5 per game for a total of 46.8 receiving yards allowed to running backs per game. With Gibbs looking to make an impact in game one and the Lions likely playing from behind in a negative game script, I love Goff to look Gibbs' way often in game one.
3-Leg Thursday Night Football Same Game Parlay @ +560 Click here to see which sportsbook has the best odds for this pick
- Leg 1: Chiefs ML @ -215
- Leg 2: Jerick McKinnon Anytime TD Scorer @ +180
- Leg 3: Jahmyr Gibbs Over 31.5 Receiving Yards @ -110
NFL Odds
