The National Football League’s opening day for the 2023-24 season has arrived and will begin with tonight’s first episode of Thursday Night Football on Amazon Prime.
This evening’s pairing of teams includes the defending Super Bowl LVII Champions – the Kansas City Chiefs. Coming to Arrowhead Stadium to face them are the Detroit Lions, the current favorites to win the NFC North Division.
On the morning of the game, odds for betting on the Kansas City Chiefs suggest they’ll win by 4.5 points at home.
Detroit Lions @ Kansas City Chiefs
- Point Spread: Lions +4.5, Chiefs -4.5
- Moneyline: Lions +190, Chiefs -230
- Over/Under 53.0
Despite the Lions’ solid 9-8 finish last season, fans and bettors are realistic when comparing them to the best teams in the league. Still, their unique blend of talent across the entire roster is something to contend with.
Adding to the offensive mix for Detroit this season is a new, tw0-headed-monster at running back. First up on the depth chart is veteran David Montgomery who has been a member of the Chicago Bears thus far.
Detroit also drafted rookie Jahmyr Gibbs out of Alabama. At 5’9″ and 200 pounds, Gibbs is the perfect combination of speed and size that can sneak behind offensive tackles and explode into the secondary.
QB Jared Goff enters the season firmly entrenched as the starter, with no presence on the bench threatening him for playing time. The Lions are Goff’s team, at least for 2023-24.
Due to the changing rosters of the remainder of the NFC North, NFL futures project the Lions to win the division.
Kansas City will feature a similar look to last year. The offense will continue to revolve around the presence of Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce.
Isiah Pacheco seems to have secured the starting running back position, so look for him to get the lion’s share of the carries. Jerick McKinnon and Clyde Edwards-Helaire round out the backfield and should see plenty of work as well.
Second-year receiver Skyy Moore steps into a starter role tonight. Moore had 22 catches for 250 yards in his rookie season and is a nice fantasy sleeper candidate for the later rounds.
To compliment tonight’s game lines, there are numerous NFL prop bets posted that are taking action on player and team stats and occurrences.
For example, here are two propositions for total passing yardage for both starting quarterbacks.
Total Passing Yards – Jared Goff
- Over 258.5 Yards -115
- Under 258.5 Yards -115
Total Passing Yards – Patrick Mahomes
- Over 286.5 Yards -115
- Under 286.5 Yards -115
There are similar NFL props for most starting players with over/under projections, reception totals, total yards, touchdowns, and more. Tonight’s game begins at 8:20 PM, so get your NFL bets placed before then.
Sources
- Bovada.LV (Bovada Sportsbook Review)
- Chiefs.com
