Chiefs vs Lions Predictions, Betting Picks & Best Bets

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Thursday Night Football at Arrowhead plays host to the opening NFL game of the season between the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions. Find our predictions, betting picks and best bets below.

Patrick Mahomes and the reigning Super Bowl champion Chiefs kick off the 2023 regular season on Thursday night in front of a sold-out crowd at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri.

The Detroit Lions, led by quarterback Jared Goff, will take on the Chiefs for the first time in almost three years. When they last met in 2019, Matthew Stafford was the Lions play caller whilst Mahomes led his side to a 34-30 victory.

Kansas City Chiefs vs Detroit Lions Predictions

Detroit finished last season with a winning record of 9-8 but couldn’t quite squeeze into a wild card playoff spot, so they’ll be hungry and motivated to ensure they don’t fall short once again.

Coming up against the reigning national champions won’t be easy however and especially on opening night, Kansas City will be keen to make a statement to the rest of the league that they’re coming for the title again.

The line is currently set at 6.5 and we think it’s best to take the Chiefs’ side on that one, with home field advantage due to play its part also.

Kansas City Chiefs vs Detroit Lions prediction: Chiefs -6.5 @ -110 with BetOnline

Kansas City Chiefs vs Detroit Lions Betting Picks

One of the smartest plays in the market on this game is taking Kansas City’s team total over at 30.5 points.

The Lions defense was one of the worst in the league last year, allowing the most yards per play in the NFL and the fourth most points.

Mahomes is bound to tear through that and considering the team’s strong record in Week 1 showdowns through the years, 30.5 looks an easy mark.

Since the two-time MVP took over as starting QB in 2018, Kansas City have won every Week 1 matchup and scored at least 33 points when doing so (averaging 37.8).

Kansas City Chiefs vs Detroit Lions betting pick: Chiefs over 30.5 points @ -110 with BetOnline

Kansas City Chiefs vs Detroit Lions Best Bet

The Travis Kelce-Patrick Mahomes partnership is one of the deadliest in the NFL and there would be no better way to open the season than that duo connecting for a touchdown.

Mahomes finished 2022 as the league’s best red zone passer with 73 completions and 34 TDs inside the 20-yard line, whilst Kelce was the NFL’s best red-zone pass-catcher, scoring ten TDs on 19 receptions.

They are the only QB-TE duo to lead the league in both statistics in any season and Kelce looks a valuable play to record the first TD of the game at Arrowhead.

Kansas City Chiefs vs Detroit Lions Best Bet: Travis Kelce first TD scorer @ +500 with BetOnline

The most dangerous duo in the league �� �� @PatrickMahomes@tkelce

��: #Kickoff2023 – Thursday Sept. 7 on NBC
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