The new NFL season kicks off with a bang with a Thursday Night Football showdown hosted by the reigning Super Bowl champions. The Kansas City Chiefs begin their defense of the Lombardi Trophy with a date against one of the fastest-rising teams in the NFC, the Detroit Lions. Will the Lions be able to pull off a stunning upset of the Chiefs and drum up even more hype for the rest of Week 1’s slate?

Nitrobetting is ready to equip its bettors with the latest news, NFL odds, and special features for the entire duration of the 2023 NFL season. This time, let’s take a closer look at the upcoming Week 1 showdown between the Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs.

Lions vs. Chiefs Game Information

In our #VictorySunday best pic.twitter.com/L2DehOM8Md

— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) August 27, 2023

• When: Thursday, September 7, 2023, 8:20 PM ET
• Where: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO
• TV: NBC
• Radio: 97.1 The Ticket (Lions) // 106.5 FM The WOLF (Chiefs)
• Live Stream: NFL Game Pass
• NFL Odds: Lions (+7) // Chiefs (-7)

READ MORE: 49ers vs. Steelers 2023 NFL Week 1 Odds, Preview & Pick

Why Bet on the Detroit Lions?

A late 8-2 push last season gave the Detroit Lions a winning record for the first time since 2017. In turn, along with the departure of Aaron Rodgers from the division, Dan Campbell’s gang from the Motor City is expected to break out as the new leaders of the NFC North in 2023.

The Lions had a top-five offense last season, averaging 380 offensive yards (fourth in the NFL) and 26.6 points (fifth) per contest. Former Rams quarterback Jared Goff was the catalyst under center for their success, as Goff threw for over 4,400 passing yards and 29 touchdowns to just seven interceptions. The offense will have a new influx of running backs to complement the strong aerial attack, with David Montgomery arriving from Chicago and rookie Jahmyr Gibbs splitting time in the backfield.

Unfortunately, Detroit allowed the most yards against their opponents as the only team in the league to surrender over 390 yards on average. The team’s secondary was also overhauled in the offseason with the signings of Emmanuel Moseley, Chauncey Gardner-Johnson, and Cameron Sutton. This defense will have its hands full trying to contain a potent Kansas City offense, but the Lions will be prepared to fight fire with fire in a likely shootout as they look to pull a rare upset over the Chiefs on their home field.

Why Bet on the Kansas City Chiefs?

What else could be said about the Kansas City Chiefs’ dynasty-in-the-making? The reigning Super Bowl champs are (+765) odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl LVII and will be title contenders for years to come as long as Patrick Mahomes continues to play like the best football player in the game today.

Mahomes took home the 2022 NFL regular season MVP award after throwing for 5,250 yards and 41 passing TDs; over 500 yards and six touchdowns more than the runner-up in those respective categories. KC’s 413.6 offensive yards and 29.2 points scored per game were also tops in the NFL last regular season.

Although the Chiefs sport a middle-of-the-road defense and didn’t make any huge splashes in free agency, they also didn’t lose much from their roster outside of wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and Pro Bowl tackle Orlando Brown. As he’d proven last season, Mahomes can do more with less in the wide-receiving platoon, especially with fellow future Hall of Famer Travis Kelce (1,388 receiving yards, 12 TDs) still consistently hauling in mid-field strikes at tight end.

Lions vs. Chiefs Betting Trends

• The Lions have won four of their last five regular-season road games (SU/ATS).
• Detroit went 2-3 against teams from the AFC last season (3-2 ATS).
• The totals went under in three of Detroit’s last four regular-season games in general.
• The Chiefs have won seven consecutive home games to date, including the postseason (4-3 ATS).
• Kansas City have also won 11 straight games against NFC teams dating back to October of 2021 (9-2 ATS).
• The totals went under in seven of KC’s last eight games played in Arrowhead.

Lions vs. Chiefs Expert Betting Predictions

It’ll be hard to bet against the Chiefs losing their home opener, especially against a porous Detroit defense. However, the Lions do pack enough firepower to make things interesting and they should be in a high-scoring game that’ll be decided by a single scoring possession that’s enough to cover their relatively large spread as underdogs.

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