NFL gambling sites favor the Chiefs by a touchdown and change over the Lions in the 2023 NFL season kickoff game on September 07, 2023, 8:20 PM EDT from GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. The best online sportsbooks list the defending Super Bowl champions as 6.5-point home faves.
Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs Odds By BetOnline
| Team | SP/RL | TOTAL | ML | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | +6½ ( -110 ) | 54 ( -110 ) | +230 |  |
| Chiefs | -6½ ( -110 ) | 54 ( -110 ) | -280 | |
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Betting Detroit Lions
NFL gambling sites consider the Lions to be one of the early faves to win the NFC title after they won five of their past six games to wrap up the 2022 regular season as well as eight of ten. They went 9-1 against the point spread.
Detroit was the team that nobody wanted to face off at the end of the previous season. They prevented the Green Bay Packers from reaching the playoffs with a 20-16 upset victory as 4.5-point road underdogs at Lambeau Field in the Week 18 closer.
That Packers loss pushed the Seattle Seahawks into the postseason after they won earlier that day to keep the Lions out of the playoffs. That left them very hungry to begin this year’s season. Detroit was solid on defense to finish last season.
They held opponents to 18 points or fewer in five of the team’s past six wins. The test here is going to be trying to keep Mahomes and the KC offense at bay after they topped the league in total yards per game (404.6 ypg) and scoring (29.2 points per contest) last season on their way to winning the Super Bowl.
This could be a shootout. Detroit QB Jared Goff is going to be crucial. Goff has to find a way to dissect Kansas City’s secondary. Rookie running back Jahmyr Gibbs will be another key to the win. With Goff and Gibbs, the Lions must try to maintain control of the clock and keep the other offense out of the field as much as they can.
Goff did a good job in last season’s regular season closer at Green Bay. He picked up first downs with frequency to the frustration of opposing QB Aaron Rodgers, who as good as he is can’t do much of anything without the football. Detroit has to try and do the same to Mahomes.
Betting Kansas City Chiefs
The Chiefs are coming off a 38-35 win over the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57. They rallied back from a 24-14 deficit at halftime to win the game and cover the point spread as a one-point underdog.
Kansas City QB Pat Mahomes earned the Super Bowl MVP award even though he played with a high-ankle sprain that has since healed up during the offseason.
Will Kansas City be able to win a lower-scoring game against Detroit? It’s likely, in particular since the Chiefs will be playing at home in front of their fans. The easiest road to victory and covering the point spread at NFL gambling sites, though, will be to turn this game into a foot race and force the Lions to try to keep up.
Kansas City Chiefs Betting Stats
Kansas City is riding high on an 8-game winning streak that includes last year’s postseason. They have also won 13 of 14 football games. They went 7-7 ATS in those games, however. It is worth taking into account that the Chiefs are 1-5 ATS in their past six games when they have been favored by seven points or fewer.
Those five non-spread-covers were all decided by 3 points or fewer. It is critical for Kansas City to to get off to fast start keep its opponent at arm’s length.
A healthy Pat Mahomes should render Kansas City’s offensive attack nigh unstoppable once again this year and give the team a legit chance of winning consecutive Super Bowls. The other side of the ball is a different story, especially since All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones has been holding out for a new deal that could potentially net him over $30 million per season.
Jones is a real game-changer on the defense, and it is not likely that Kansas City would have won the Super Bowl without him last season. The 6-foot-6, 310-pounder is as crucial to the defense as Mahomes is to the offensive.
His 15.5 sacks topped all defensive tackles last year and tied for fourth overall in the league. Many think it is not a question of if but when he resigns, but the clock is counting down to Week 1 at this juncture.
Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs Picks
Kansas City will Win, Cover the Spread, and the Total will go Under.
