Thursday Night Football - Lions @ Chiefs
What I’m Excited to See
Lions - I want to know if the Lions are back and what a great way to make a statement to the rest of the league with a win. The talking points that would come from a Lions victory on the road against the defending Super Bowl champs would be a fantastic opening to the season. I really want to know what kind of team the Lions are going to be this year and what kind of showing they will have in this game.
Chiefs - My main interest in the Chiefs is the fact that I have them in my survivor pool this week. I am interested in how they will look on offense with Kelce out this week. I think Mahomes is too good for that to matter.
Football - I’m glad to see football back.
My Prediction
I have the Chiefs in my survivor pool this week. I think they win the game by 13. The final score prediction is 30-17 Chiefs.
The Good
Lions’ opening drive defense kept KC on their side of the field. After a few opening plays where it looked like the Chiefs would start doing their usual march down the field, the Lions held KC to their side of the field. I’d feel so good about that as a Lions’ fan after going 3 & out to start the game.
“Go for it” drive” Lions look like they belong on the field. They score a TD even when they miss out on a big play on the RB trip. The Lions of old don’t finish this drive with a TD. This was a great answer
Lions tackling in the first quarter. I haven’t seen one missed tackle in the first quarter. That’s good football.
The first quarter was good football all around.
Chiefs “answer drive” after Detroit TD. A great-looking drive and a great-looking game from both teams so far. NFL fans are being treated to a fun game, and Lions and Chiefs fans are being treated to some early-season stress.
The Lions’ defense not allowing the Chiefs to score after the turnover was huge. I know it was a long field but that was a “game on the line” moment, and the Lions’ defense answered the call. Not sure the Lions of the last forever of years answer that bell.
How did MVS catch that? The Chiefs manage to score a TD before the end of the half and it’s hard to think this is still a game. The Chiefs are at home, with the momentum, and they start the second half with the ball. How does Detroit steal this game?
Lions’ defense opens the second half with a stop inside the Chiefs’ territory. The back and forth is stabilized and now it is up to the offense to get some points in this drive.
A Pick 6 changes everything. The Lions’ defense is here to play and they have made this a tie game. Not just the score to tie the game but the follow-up stop by the defense to get the ball back into the hands of the offense. In one play, the Lions’ defense has changed the narrative of this game and changed the momentum.
Detroit drives for a TD after giving up the second field goal. What a great game and a great showing by the Lions in Kansas City. I know I have KC in Survivor Pool but I would really enjoy the chaos of a Chiefs loss in week one, at home. The drive itself had its own adversity and tight plays when execution was needed, and completed.
GREAT, GREAT defensive stop by the Lions on the Chiefs trickeration play on 3rd down. That play put the Chiefs on the back foot and the Lions could very well win this game. For the first time, the Lions offense has the opportunity to help out the defense.
The Bad
Two fumbles in one drive for the Lions. This feels like the kind of turnover that will give KC a chance to pull away. That was at least a 3 point fumble against the Lions. I’m gutted for Lions fans. Nothing takes the wind out of the sales like your up-and-coming team doing something that tends to end all the good vibes built up to this point in the game. To twist the lost ball, the half was almost over
The Lions’ play-calling at the end of the first half was kind of bad. When they had a chance to progress, they missed the play. Can’t do that in a game like this and hope to win.
This could be listed under the good for KC, but the onus is on Detroit to gain yards on offense. The defense got them the ball without surrendering more points. The offense goes 3 & out in their first drive of the second half. Success in that drive would have been making it to Chiefs territory. Not getting the job done on the TNF stage. The 7-point lead feels a little bigger after that 3 & out.
I know it’s one play but the drop by Toney in the red zone was tough. On the replay, the crossing receiver was really close, but a TD on this drive would have made the 4th quarter mountain a lot steeper for Detroit.
The Lions not gaining the 1st down with 1:17 left in the 3rd quarter. They just gained 18 years on 2nd & 22. This was the moment to take the momentum back and they didn’t execute. They will regret that moment.
KC gets to the red zone again with 12+ minutes remaining, 2nd & 1 and they don’t get the first down. They get the field goal but what could have been a 10-point, two-score lead, is now a 6-point one-drive game. The Lions’ defense is the scary part of Detroit this game, but don’t let the other team hang around if you can put them away.
Going for it on 4th down, in KC territory, and not converting hurts, a lot.
The Chiefs take over the ball and drop a wide-open ball, then get called for a penalty that negates a big gain. It took almost an entire game but the bad football has shown up.
The Takeaway
What a game, what a win for the Lions. I don’t care if I had the Chiefs in Survivor Pool, there are other entries. The defense kept the Lions in the game the whole way. The offense did what they had to when they had to. The Chiefs made mistakes and fell short at the worst possible times. The Chiefs lose enough consecutive coin flips and the score shows the result. What a game for the Lions to build on and what a story to tell in the AFC playoff landscape. Are the Chiefs beatable when they don’t have Kelce on the field? Was the “meh” version of Mahomes we saw tonight repeatable for other defenses?
I’m super pleased for Lions fans. I hope they enjoy the win and ride the high all weekend long knowing their team is already in the win column.
CHR;)
