After a long three months of the NFL offseason, the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs face off in the first Thursday Night Football game of the 2023-2024 NFL season. 

The Chiefs are led by quarterback Patrick Mahomes after finishing the 2022 season 14-3 and beating the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35 in last year’s Super Bowl. Mahomes finished last season passing for 5,250 yards, throwing 41 touchdowns and 12 interceptions while securing his second MVP award. 

Other key players for Kansas City are tight end Travis Kelce and defensive tackle Chris Jones. Kelce totaled 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns, Jones had 15.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, neither of the two will be playing against the Lions. 

Kelce is feared to miss Thursday’s game due to a knee hyperextension that he suffered in practice on Tuesday. Jones is in the midst of a holdout until he receives an extension to his expiring four-year, $80 million deal. Jones is the best player on the Chiefs’ mediocre defense, making his absence a serious issue.

Going into his third season with the team, quarterback Jared Goff leads the way for the Lions. Goff ended the 2022 season with an efficient 4,438 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Detroit finished with a 9-8 record and were on the cusp of a playoff run. 

Running back David Montgomery and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown headline the Lions’ skill positions. Montgomery was acquired in the off-season after rushing for 801 yards and five touchdowns for the Chicago Bears. St. Brown broke out in 2022 with 1,161 yards and six touchdowns.

Complimenting Montgomery in the backfield is rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs who was drafted with the 12th overall pick out of the University of Alabama. Gibbs put up 1,370 yards from scrimmage and scored 10 touchdowns for the Crimson Tide in 2022. 

Similar to the Chiefs, the biggest weakness for the Lions is their defense. In 2022, Detroit gave up the third-most yards through the air – 4,179 – and the fourth-most rushing yards with 2,491. 

Despite the Lions’ underwhelming defense I believe that Mahomes will struggle without Kelce. Mahomes will keep it close, but I believe that Goff and the Lions’ offense will be able to keep Detroit afloat in a 31-24 victory over Kansas City. 

Thursday’s game kicks off at 7:20 p.m. at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. The game will be aired on NBC and streamed on NFL+.