Week 1 Opponent Preview: The Kansas City Chiefs
Welcome back! It's FOOTBALL SEASON! We open up at Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champion. Thursday, 8:20PM, where the Chiefs will raise their Super Bowl banner.
Why we won't win: Defending Super Bowl champions. Number 1 offense in the league. They are what the Lions want to be. Been there, done that, they absolutely know how to win. They have the best and most creative QB in the league with Patrick Mahomes. One of the better TE's in the league with Travis Kelce. And this team isn't all offense. They have a stout defense to back it all up. Plus, they have this coach named Andy Reed, one of the best coaches in all of football, who's had all off season to concoct something for us.
Why we will win: On the KC side, their best defensive player, maybe the best defensive player in the league, defensive tackle Chris Jones, is holding out for a contract extension. It appears he's out for the game as of this writing, and that his a huge blow to the Chiefs. We had a top 5 offense last year. Ben Johnson returned to call the offensive shots despite having head coaching opportunities. You know we have something special brewing here if an assistant turned that opportunity down. Goff is back and is as unflappable as ever. Amon-Ra St Brown is a legit #1 receiver who is highly underrated. Jamo is suspended, but we achieved that top 5 offense without him the majority of last year. With Montgomery and Gibbs, our RB position is upgraded with more pass catching ability. Remember when Montgomery would slash us for yards when playing the Bears? Now we have that going for us. Rookie TE LaPorta has already won the starting job and is looking good. Defensively, this is NOT the same defense that started 2022. The returning players all have grown as that 8-2 close out of last year was mainly defensive improvement. Our secondary has been completely revamped through free agency. Rookies Jack Campbell (LB, starting) and Brian Branch (S, not starting yet) will help boost this defense. And don't sleep on Branch, he looked good in the preseaon. Don't be surprised if he's a starter by the end of the year. We ended last year strong and look to keep that roll going this year.
Outlook: I had this game a loss when it was first announced, and I don't see that changing. A win is a possibility because this isn't the same old Lions, and this team should be an upgrade over last year. But as long as Mahomes is their QB, the Chiefs can score a whole lot of points in very little time. Who knows, maybe we catch them with a Super Bowl hangover while their best defensive player is holding out.