The NFL announced on Thursday morning, ahead of the full schedule release, that the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will open the 2023 regular season at home against the Detroit Lions on Thursday, September 7. It’s a big step up for the Lions, who started their 2022 season in anonymity with a 1-6 start before turning it all around with a 9-8 final record, and a last-second miss of the postseason.
For the first time in 20 years, we will welcome the @Lions back to our stadium 🏟️ pic.twitter.com/gE7UITdHJF
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) May 11, 2023
The last time that Patrick Mahomes and current Lions starting quarterback Jared Goff faced off, Goff was with the Los Angeles Rams, and it was one of the most explosive and exciting games in NFL history. On November 19, 2018, the Rams beat the Chiefs, 54-51, in a game that featured 14 touchdowns (three by defensive players), 56 first downs, 1,001 total yards, and it was the only game in pro football history in which both teams scored at least 50 points. There were five touchdowns and four lead changes in the fourth quarter alone. In the end, Goff decided it for his team with a 40yard touchdown pass to tight end Gerald Everett with 1:49 left in the game.
“It was a crazy game, crazy game,” Goff said after the event — passed for 413 yards and four touchdowns, running for another score. “It seemed like whoever had the ball at the end was going to win the game. There was times where we felt like we were going to put the knife in and finish them, and there were times where it was the other way around, where we had to claw back into it.”
Mahomes completed 33 of 46 passes for 478 yards and six touchdowns, but his three interceptions really made the difference in the Rams’ favor.
“It’s always fun to play against real good teams,” Mahomes concluded. “You get to go out there and have fun… [but] it’s the same as when we played New England. You can’t make mistakes against great teams. You need to limit your mistakes, but be aggressive.”
We’ll see if the 2023 season opener presents the same kind of historic excitement.
