The Kansas City Chiefs become the latest members of an exclusive club: defending Super Bowl champions who host the first game of the following season. Andy Reid‘s club will host the Detroit Lions on Thursday, Sept. 7, with kickoff around 8:20 p.m. ET.
This clash features two of the top six passers from last year: the Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes (the leader at 5,250 yards) and the Lions’ Jared Goff (4,438, sixth). Fans may enjoy a treat of points to start the upcoming NFL season right.
With this 2023 ignition being a heavy target for wagers, let’s examine some of the top Chiefs vs Lions bet picks.
Chiefs vs Lions Odds
NFL odds used for KC vs Detroit were found at DraftKings Sportsbook and are current as of Thursday, May 11, at 9 a.m. ET.
- Moneyline: Chiefs (-275) • Lions (+230)
- Spread: Chiefs -7 (+100) • Lions +7 (-120)
No total is available for this game as of our first publication. Given the offenses and defenses involved, the books are probably going to push the line as high as possible.
Chiefs vs Lions Predictions
Chiefs 37, Lions 23
The Chiefs lost elite offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and don’t yet have a true top pass-catcher behind TE Travis Kelce. That being said, reigning NFL MVP Mahomes can maximize Reid’s system regardless of personnel.
Though drafting Jahmyr Gibbs and signing David Montgomery added a bit more potential to their run game, Detroit’s offense — especially downfield — would’ve been much more dangerous had second-year WR Jameson Williams not been suspended for the first six games of the season.
To supplement Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Lions will lean on their bolstered backfield and their top-shelf offensive line to try to keep Mahomes off the field. Don’t expect them to succeed, though, given Goff’s inconsistency.
As the continued favorites in Super Bowl odds, KC will celebrate its Lombardi Trophy in style by spreading the ball around to their diverse targets and letting Isiah Pacheco control the second half on the ground.
Chiefs vs Lions Best Bets
Chiefs -7 (+100)
DraftKings Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit
This line is a gift. Don’t waste time betting it.
Dan Campbell‘s club was one of the best teams against the spread last year (+3.9 was the second-best average ATS in the league), but they’ll quickly become overmatched here.
The fact that we’re grabbing plus money on a single-touchdown spread (with the push safety net included) for my NFL bet of the day made this the first bet I placed on an NFL game this year. (I moved quickly, too.) I expect this line to close somewhere around -10 by September.
As for the Over/Under total, I’m guessing it’ll be somewhere in the mid-to-high 50s so the books can mitigate any early value.
As of May, I strongly lean toward anything Over 58.5 if the juice is better than -140. Detroit will likely hold up its end with garbage-time production.
