The Detroit Lions will seek their first Week 1 victory in six years when they visit the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday, September 7, in the 2023 NFL Kickoff Game. Detroit (9-8) hasn’t won its season-opener since defeating Arizona at home in 2017. The Lions suffered a 34-30 loss in their last meeting with the Chiefs, who scored the winning touchdown with 20 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter of their Week 4 matchup at Detroit in 2019. Kansas City (14-3) has won seven straight home games, including the playoffs, and 13 of its last 14 regular-season contests on its own field.
Kickoff is set for 8:20 p.m. ET. Kansas City is a 6.5-point favorite in the latest Lions vs. Chiefs odds, while the over/under for total points scored is 54.5. Before you make any Chiefs vs. Lions picks or NFL predictions of your own, you need to see what proven SportsLine NFL expert R.J. White has to say, given his mastery of picks involving Detroit.
White, a Fantasy and gambling editor for CBS Sports, consistently crushes against-the-spread picks and went 535-450-30 on his ATS picks from 2017-22, which returned more than $3,500 to $100 players. He also closed the 2022 NFL season on an incredible 107-80-6 run on his last 193 against-the-spread and total NFL picks, returning more than $1,800 for $100 bettors.
Moreover, White has a read on the pulse of the Lions. He is 53-35-2 (+1462) on his last 90 picks in games involving Detroit. Anyone who has followed him is way up.
Now, White has locked in on Lions vs. Chiefs from every angle and just locked in his NFL Kickoff Game 2023 picks and predictions. You can visit SportsLine now to see his picks. Here are several NFL odds and betting lines for Lions vs. Chiefs:
- Lions vs. Chiefs spread: Kansas City -6.5
- Lions vs. Chiefs over/under: 54.5 points
- Lions vs. Chiefs money line: Kansas City -292, Detroit +235
- KC: Patrick Mahomes led the league in passing yards (5,250) last season
- DET: Jared Goff tied for fifth in the NFL in passing touchdowns (29) last year
- Lions vs. Chiefs picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Chiefs can cover
Kansas City has a plus matchup going up against the Detroit pass defense. Last season, the Lions ranked second-to-last in the league in opponents’ yards per attempt (7.9) and 25th in passer rating against (94.2). That bodes well for a Kansas City offense that led the NFL in passing offense (297.8 yards per game).
One of the reasons for the Chiefs’ passing success is the protection from the offensive line. Led by center Creed Humphrey and guard Joe Thuney, Kansas City allowed just 26 sacks last season, third fewest in the league. Thuney led all NFL linemen with a pass block win rate of 98.9%, while Humphrey ranked second (98.1%). See which team to back here.
Why the Lions can cover
Detroit was one of the top offensive teams in the NFL last season, ranking fourth in total offense (380 yards per game) and fifth in scoring (26.6 points). The Lions racked up at least 20 points in 14 of their 17 games, including the last nine, 30 or more in eight contests and 40-plus on three occasions. After a less-than-spectacular first season with the club following his acquisition from the Los Angeles Rams, quarterback Jared Goff was sixth in the league in 2022 with 4,438 passing yards and tied for fifth with 29 touchdown tosses.
Goff will hope to have his top target available for the opener, as receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown is questionable with an ankle injury. The 23-year-old wideout led the team last year with career-highs of 106 receptions, 1,161 receiving yards and six TD catches. Kalif Raymond also had his best NFL season in 2022, amassing 616 yards on 47 receptions and Detroit brought back veteran Marvin Jones Jr., who hauled in nine scoring passes in three of the five campaigns he spent with the club in his first tenure and posted his only 1,000-yard season (1,101) in the NFL with the Lions in 2017. See which team to pick here.
How to make Lions vs. Chiefs picks
White has analyzed this matchup and while we can tell you he’s leaning Over the point total, he has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s sharing what it is, and which side to back, only at SportsLine.
Who wins Chiefs vs. Lions, and which critical X-factor makes one side of the spread a must-back? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Chiefs vs. Lions spread hits hard, all from the expert who is 53-35 on picks involving Detroit, and find out.
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Author: CBS Sports Staff
September 3, 2023 | 11:15 am
