After a harsh and brutal Summer that left everyone in the dark, the NFL is finally back and the Lions are a part of its special night. Opening night always includes the reigning Super Bowl champions, this year it is the Chiefs, but they want a competitive opponent.
This year that comes in the form of the Detroit Lions.
Buy Lions TicketsAll eyes will be on the Renaissance Lions as they look to keep the momentum they ended last year with. To their advantage, this Chiefs team is missing some key components from its Super Bowl run including a major piece in the middle of its defense. That is where we find our first key to a Lions win on Thursday night.
Establishing the run early
Chiefs playmaker and defensive centerpiece Chris Jones is expected to be absent from the middle of their defensive line while he negotiates a new contract. With the Nick Bosa extension being official it appears the Chiefs have a new number to target which points to him not getting a deal done before the game.
That absence leaves the middle of the defensive line primed to be run over by the Lions running back rotation. Seeing a minimum of 30 runs between the two of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery would be a nice start.
Avoiding turnovers
A simple task but an important one, fumbles or interceptions have to be avoided at all costs. Jared Goff did a nice job last year avoiding costly turnovers, now he needs to repeat that in 2023.
As for the running backs, both Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery do a nice job of protecting the ball and that can’t be any different against the Chiefs.
Special Teams needs to make a play
When you play the Chiefs, some sort of divine intervention can always be a nice boost towards a win. While that can’t be arranged, a special teams play is always nice as well. Whether it be a return for a touchdown or a blocked kick, the Lions need to make a major special teams play if they look to gain momentum toward a win.
Spying on Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes wows everyone with his generational arm talent and decision-making. What truly hurts defenses is the ability he has to pick up yards by scrambling and his natural knowhow of where the first down marker is. Stopping Mahomes from scrambling and picking up first downs on third down to extend drives should be a major part of their game plan on Thursday night.
