Thursday Night Football, Week 1: Lions vs. Chiefs betting odds, pick

The 2023 NFL season kicks off tonight in a intriguing Week 1 match-up between the Detroit Lions and the Kansas City Chiefs! After a rough start to last season, the Lions went on a tear, seemingly becoming one of the more dangerous teams in the NFL as they went on to finish the year at 9-8, just barely missing a postseason spot. The Lions fine-tuned their roster this offseason, especially with the assistance of four high picks within the first two rounds of the draft. The most exciting weapon to watch is RB Jahmyr Gibbs, who was drafted 12th overall.

We all know about the Kansas City Chiefs, who are tough to beat any day of the week with QB Patrick Mahomes, but especially in Week 1. What if the Chiefs are without TE Travis Kelce and DT Chris Jones, their top playmakers on either side of the ball? On one hand, I want to say, “No worries,” because that’s the level to which Mahomes can elevate an offense. But it is a big deal, and one that could allow a Lions team to seize some momentum and pull off a Week 1 upset. I’ll still take the Chiefs to prevail, but this was an exciting game for the league to pick to open 2023. Chiefs 31, Lions 20.

According to DraftKings Sportsbook, the Chiefs are 4.5 point favorites against the Lions.

The rest of the DBN staff picks for the game are below. You can use this as your open thread for the game.