NFL 2023 season opener: Can Lions pick up where they left off and beat the Chiefs?

The Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs host the Detroit Lions on Sunday Night Football on Thursday. The DraftKings Sportsbook line was has plummeted in favor of Detroit. The Chiefs were 7-point favorites earlier in the offseason, but that line is down to 4 as we’re not far off from kickoff.

Why? Well, the Chiefs are without their second and third-best players. Tight end Travis Kelce was ruled out with an injury. This will be the first game Kelce has missed due to injury since 2014.

And Kansas City has their own holdout, but didn’t resolve the contract dispute prior to Week 1. Defensive tackle Chris Jones reportedly wants a 3-year deal for $84 million. So, he’ll miss tonight’s game.

Detroit couldn’t benefit anymore, as Jones is a force and affects the Chiefs defense as much as anyone in the NFL. While the Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes rely on Kelce just about as much as anybody else in the league.