NFL: Kansas City Chiefs vs Detroit Lions opening day betting details

The NFL regular season begins on September 7. Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs will host Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions for the season opener. Most of the Chiefs’ starters on offense and defense are the same as last season, but the Lions have a lot of new players on the roster who will be expected to contribute. This game is a great opportunity for the Lions to start the season strong and gain some confidence heading into the rest of the season. This game should be just another day at the office for the Chiefs as they try to win their second Super Bowl in a row. 

The Chiefs are the betting favourites

For what it is worth, the Chiefs are undefeated in season opening games since Patrick Mahomes became their starting quarterback. Goff is 0-2 in season opening games with the Lions. He was 4-0 in season openers with the Los Angeles Rams. The Chiefs are -6.5 favourites on the spread at BetMGM. Considering both teams were two of the top offenses in the league last year — both teams averaged over 26 points per game in 2022 — this game could definitely be close.

The Chiefs should win this game because they have a better roster and head coach. But the Lions might be able to score enough points to stay within 3-10 points because both teams can run the ball, so getting a big lead might be difficult. Combine that with the offensive firepower of the Lions and the absence of DT Chris Jones, and now the Chiefs have a couple of reasons to be concerned. None of this will matter if Patrick Mahomes plays his best unless Goff has one of the best games of his career.

Can't wait to see Mahomes work his magic in Week 1 🪄

📺: #Kickoff2023 – Thursday Sept. 7 on NBC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/mtB3UNMNNq

— NFL (@NFL) September 2, 2023

Can the Lions pull off the upset?

The Lions will play this game without at least one of their best players on offense. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is recovering from an ankle injury. According to reports, he injured his ankle at practice in August. Whether or not he will play in the season opener is unknown at the moment, so you should keep an eye on his status throughout the week. Second-year WR Jameson Williams will miss the first six games because of his suspension, so he will not be available in Kansas City. This is not great news as the Lions head into this matchup as underdogs on NFL betting sites.

The Detroit Lions franchise has not been reliable. The Chiefs have been much more consistent and trustworthy for a while, and the Lions do not have a lot of star players. Jared Goff is arguably their best player. It is unlikely that RB David Montgomery or WR Marvin Jones will have breakout seasons at this stage of their careers, so rookie RB Jahmry Gibbs, St. Brown, and Goff will probably need to carry this team. Their defense tied for the third worst last year with 25.1 points per game allowed. David Montgomery and rookie RB Jahmyr Gibbs are the one and two backs for the Lions. Young running backs can have a huge impact. If the Lions can run the ball effectively, they should have a decent chance of pulling off the upset or cover the spread at least.

Over/Under 54 points

The over/under for this game is at 54 points on BetMGM. If the Chiefs score 30 points, the Lions will need to score at least 25 points for this game to go over 54 points. This game should go over 54 points based on everything we know about the two teams. These were two of the top offenses in the league last year and neither of them have been known to play great defense over the last few years. The Chiefs will most likely hold up their end of the bargain, so it is up to the Lions to get to 23-30 points. The Lions have new RBs and will not have Jameson Williams. These circumstances are not great, but neither is the Chiefs defense. One more reason to take the over is because the Chiefs can realistically score 40 or more points even if the Lions can not get to 25 points.