Lions vs Chiefs Prediction - NFL Picks 9/7/23

The Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs face off on Thursday to kick off the NFL season at the Arrowhead Stadium. 

Can the Chiefs Repeat?

The Chiefs are coming off another Super Bowl Championship, and anything less than winning another Super Bowl is going to be a big disappointment. One of the big losses for the Chiefs off last year's roster is JuJu Smith-Schuster. There has been a lot of talk about his knee problems, and maybe losing him wasn’t such a big loss. The good news for the Chiefs is that Patrick Mahomes does a good job of making any wide receiver look good. All eyes are going to be on Skyy Moore, who the team hopes will take a big step forward this season. Last season, he caught 22 passes for 250 yards. Kadarius Toney who missed much of camp with a knee injury is going to be good to go here. On defense, Chris Jones is still holding out looking for a new contract, and he’s not expected to go in this game. Travis Kelce suffered a hyperextended knee in practice on Tuesday, and his status is up in the air for this game. 

Chiefs Betting Preview

• The Chiefs have won 18 of their last 19 games against NFC opponents.
• The Chiefs have failed to cover the spread in six of their last seven September games as favorites.
• The Chiefs have scored the first touchdown in each of their last eight games at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
• The Chiefs have lost the first quarter in each of their last four games as moderate favorites (-3.5 to -7.0 points).
• The Chiefs have won the first half in each of their last six home games.

Can the Lions Finally Get Back to the Playoffs? 

Last season, the Lions were a lot better, finishing with nine wins, but that still wasn’t enough to make the playoffs. There are a lot of expectations surrounding this Lions team, but they are going to be really tested in this game. On offense, Jared Goff looked like the real deal, throwing for 4,438 yards, 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. One issue for the offense at least early in the season is the absence of Jameson Williams. Williams is suspended for the first six games of the season for violating the NFL’s policy on gambling. On defense is where the Lions really struggled last season, but this team looks much better on that side of the ball. Cameron Sutton, Emmanuel Moseley and C.J. Gardner-Johnson were all brought in to improve the squad. They also drafted Jack Campbell with their first overall pick.