Chiefs open as 6.5-point favorites over the Lions in Week 1

On Thursday, the Kansas City Chiefs will play the Detroit Lions at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium to open the 2023 NFL season.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Kansas City has opened as a 6.5-point favorite in the game.

The Chiefs completed the 2022 season with their second victory in three Super Bowl appearances over the last four years. Finishing atop the AFC West for the seventh straight season, the Chiefs’ 14-3 record gave them the AFC’s first postseason seed. After victories over the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cincinnati Bengals, Kansas City earned a 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII.

In their second season under head coach Dan Campbell, the Lions improved from 3-13 in 2021 to 9-8 in 2022 — including an impressive 8-2 finish. The team comes into 2023 with Campbell, new offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and returning defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn — not to mention former Los Angeles Rams quarterback Jared Goff and 13 top-100 selections from the last three NFL Drafts.

“I mean, they’re fully loaded at all the different spots — [and] it showed that last year,” noted Chiefs head coach Andy Reid on Sunday. “So you’ve got to be ready for the running game and passing game; they do a variety of different things. Ben does a nice job with the offense.”

“We need takeaways,” Campbell told reporters before Friday’s practice. “We’ve got to convert on third down on offense and we need takeaways on defense. I think that’s what we have to come away [with in] this game — and I think we’ll say that all year long.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:20 p.m. Arrowhead Time.