Update: The team has officially confirmed, the Lions are their opponent for Week 1.
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 Kansas City Chiefs Week 1 opponent for their banner night and the 2023 NFL season kickoff has been leaked.
According to The Score’s Jordan Schultz, the Chiefs will host the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday, Sept. 7. As the reigning Super Bowl champions, they get the first game of the season to celebrate and they’ll do so against an up-and-coming NFC opponent.
The Lions narrowly missed the playoffs last season, but they had one of the more explosive offenses in the NFC Conference. They’ve since had a great offseason building out their team for success in 2023.
BREAKING: #Chiefs will play the #Lions to open the 2023 NFL season on Thursday Night, September 7, sources tell @theScore.
Patrick Mahomes and company will raise their second banner in four years against Dan Campbell’s revamped Detroit squad.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) May 11, 2023
The Chiefs last traveled to play the Lions at Ford Field in 2019. Patrick Mahomes led the team to a 34-30 victory over then-Detroit QB Matthew Stafford. Before that, these two teams last played at Wembley Stadium in London in 2015, which was a 45-10 win for Alex Smith’s team. The Lions haven’t visited Kansas City since 2003, when Trent Green, Tony Gonzalez and Priest Holmes ran rampant with a 45-17 win.
If history stands, expect this one to be a high-scoring affair to kick off the 2023 NFL season.
