Five things to know about the Detroit Lions, who will face Chiefs on Thursday
The 2024 Summer Olympics will be held in Paris, and NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico visited the city in July, one year before the Opening Ceremonies.
“(I) was on a walk and was walking from the Eiffel Tower across one of the many bridges in Paris and I was wearing a Detroit Tigers hat,’ Tirico said last week in a conference call. “I don’t cover baseball so I can root for a team. They’re my hometown team.
“A guy stopped me and he said, ‘Hey, that Lions game in Green Bay was something; I can’t wait for the opener.’ Some guy stopped me in Paris to talk about the Lions. It just gives you a little inkling into the anticipation (for the NFL Kickoff Game).”
Detroit had a 9-8 record last season, the first time they finished with a winning record since 2017, thanks to a win over the Packers in the season finale.
The Lions will be at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on Thursday for the first NFL game of the 2023 season.
Each week, I take an early look at the Chiefs’ next opponent, and here are five things to know about the Lions. This will be Detroit’s first visit to KC since 2003 (KC won 45-17). Their 2015 meeting, which the Chiefs won 45-10, was in London but was technically regarded as a Chiefs “home” game.
The Chiefs lead the all-time series 9-5.
Kickoff on Thursday is at 7:20 p.m., and the game will air on KSHB (Ch. 41).
1. Gambling suspensions
You may recall that four Lions players were suspended by the NFL in April for violating the league’s gambling policy.
Detroit later released three of those players: wide receivers Stanley Berryhill and Quintez Cephus and safety C.J. Moore.
Another wide receiver, Jameson Williams, remains with the team but will not play Thursday because of the NFL suspension.
Detroit’s top receiver from last year will be at Arrowhead Stadium: Amon-Ra St. Brown. The former Southern Cal player led the Lions in receptions (106), receiving yards (1,161) and touchdown catches (six).
2. High-powered offense
The Lions won eight of their final 10 games, scoring 25 or points in six of those contests. Detroit finished fifth in the NFL in scoring in 2022, averaging 26.6 points per game. They were fourth in total yards and had the fewest turnovers (15).
3. New defensive players
The Lions’ defensive statistics in 2022 were abysmal. They allowed the most yards in the NFL and gave up the most first downs. They were ranked 30th in passing defense and were 29th against the rush.
Detroit added three defensive backs via free agency this year: safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson (from Eagles) and cornerbacks Cameron Sutton (previously with Steelers) and Emmanuel Moseley (from 49ers).
Moseley is still on the mend from an ACL injury from last season and it’s not certain if he’ll play against the Chiefs. But he was activated from the physically unable to perform list last week.
4. Thousand-yard rusher is gone
Jamaal Williams rushed for 1,066 yards for Detroit last season, but the Lions let him sign as a free agent with the New Orleans Saints. That came after Detroit added a back from a division rival: former Bears running back David Montgomery, who starred at Iowa State.
Detroit also drafted former Alabama star Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick in this year’s draft in Kansas City.
“We might use Gibbs in some ways that people don’t quite think we might,”offensive coordinator Ben Johnson told reporters over the weekend.
5. Rejuvenated Goff
The NFL is a quarterback-driven league, so here’s a reminder of the Lions’ signal-caller: Jared Goff.
After an uneven first season with the Lions in 2021, Goff threw for 4,438 yards a year ago, his most since 2019 with the Rams. Goff had 29 touchdown passes last season, the second-most in his career (32 in 2018 with LA).
Since the trade from the Rams, Goff has been good at protecting the ball. He threw just seven interceptions in 2022 and had eight the year before that.
“He’s really a perfect fit for what we do and what we ask,” coach Dan Campbell told the Detroit Free Press at the end of last season
This story was originally published September 4, 2023 at 9:22 AM.
