We have been waiting roughly half a year for the return of meaningful NFL football and hardcore fans aren't about to miss the season-opener for anything. Back in February, the Kansas City Chiefs narrowly topped the Philadelphia Eagles in a 38-35 win to become Super Bowl champions. Now we are back at square one, and all records are tied 0-0.
The past is in the past, and it doesn't matter where teams finished in the standings in 2022. Coaches and players will have a chance to right the ship early in 2023 and get a head start on a potential playoff push before winter comes.
A heavy slate of Week 1 games will take place this Sunday. But before we get to those, millions of fans around the globe will be tuning in to watch the very first contest of the 2023 season on Thursday Night Football. Here's what you need to know for tonight's game.
Who is playing Thursday Night Football tonight ?
The Thursday Night Football game tonight officially marks the start of the 2023 season and will feature the Super Bowl-defending Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Detroit Lions. This game will kick off at 8:20 p.m. Eastern Time at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Last year, the Chiefs held an impressive 14-3 record during the regular season before going perfect in the postseason and taking home a Lombardi Trophy. Meanwhile, the Lions had a very rocky start to the 2022 season -- going 1-6 by the start of Week 9. From that point on, however, Detroit finished 8-2 which included wins in 5 of their final 6 games.
Unfortunately, the Lions' 9-8 record wasn't enough to crack the playoffs in the NFC. Head coach Dan Campbell will be looking to get a head start by upsetting the Chiefs tonight. The Lions held the 5th-ranked scoring offense in the league in 2022 and will look to build on that with even more weapons added this year.
As you can imagine, it's Patrick Mahomes, Andy Reid, and the Kansas City Chiefs who are favored in this Thursday Night Football matchup for Week 1. The Chiefs are 5.5-point home favorites prior to kickoff, courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook. Kansas City has a moneyline of -250 and the over/under is set at 53.5 points.
This could very well prove to be a shootout, as these two teams combined to score a whopping 55.8 points per game in 2022. The Lions vs. Chiefs game will be on NBC this week for Thursday Night Football. Be sure to tune in!