Lions worthy of opening on primetime against Chiefs

Detroit Lions QB Jared Goff Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

The Lions are worthy of opening on prime time against the Super Bowl champion Chiefs

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated 5/11/23

The Kansas City Chiefs are the defending Super Bowl champions. As such, they are being billed as the prime-time must-see team for the traditional Thursday Night football affair to start the season.

Arrowhead will be rocking for that one and across the sideline will be a team -- and specifically an offense -- worthy of the moment.

No, it won't be Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals or Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. In fact, none of Patrick Mahomes' AFC rivals will be in Arrowhead that Thursday.

It will instead be the Detroit Lions in town for the home opener. The Lions were proud owners of a 9-8 record last season after an incredible turnaround that saw head coach Dan Campbell lead the team to the edge of the playoffs after a terrible 1-6 start.

No, Detroit did not make the playoffs, but the Lions knocked Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers out of playoff contention in the last game of the season. For a long-suffering franchise, that -- plus a winning record -- was basically a playoff win.

It stands to reason that Campbell should be able to help his team take another step forward in 2023 and in that light, the Lions are the favorite to win the NFC North. Rodgers is now a member of the New York Jets and the Packers are a major unknown with relatively unseasoned QB Jordan Love taking over at the helm.

So what better test for Mahomes and the Chiefs to start the season?

We’re kicking things off! @Ticketmaster pic.twitter.com/TJTXvjwAUT
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) May 11, 2023

The Chiefs don't need hype at this stage of their dynasty, but can they fend off a team that's riding a whole bunch of it heading into 2023?

Perhaps more importantly, can the Chiefs' offense stop a Detroit unit that posted 26.6 points per game last season (good for fifth-best in the league).

No. 1 on that offensive list was, of course, Kansas City, with 29.2 points per game, so perhaps defense doesn't matter in this matchup.

Perhaps the schedule-makers were only concerned with providing fans with a barn burner to start the season. If that was the case, in Detroit, they've given the Chiefs a worthy opponent.

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