KC Chiefs vs. Detroit Lions preview: A complete breakdown of Week 1

The 2023 NFL season is finally here! Kansas City Chiefs football is back as they begin their quest to defend their Super Bowl LVII. The hungry Detroit Lions aim to upset the defending champs and open their season with a victory. Kickoff is on Thursday night at 7:20 p.m. C.T. on NBC.

This is the first of eight regular-season games hosted by the Chiefs at Arrowhead this season. This is also the first time the Lions have visited Kansas City since December 14, 2003. This is the end of the longest active streak where one team hasn't visited another team's home stadium.

Let's preview tonight's game, featuring key numbers, an in-depth analysis, and much more.

What you need to know

• Star Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones has yet to report to the team and will miss tonight's game.

• Tight end Travis Kelce left practice early on Tuesday due to a knee injury (reportedly a bone bruise). He was listed as questionable on yesterday's injury report.

• The Lions are coming off a 9-8 season in 2022. Although they did not make playoffs, they did win eight of their final ten games to finish the year.

• Tonight is the first of two Thursday Night games the Chiefs will host this season (Week 6 against Denver). It's also one of six scheduled primetime appearances for the Chiefs.

Key numbers

• Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has faced the Lions once in his career (a 34-30 victory in 2019). Lions QB Jared Goff has faced the Chiefs once in his career (a 54-51 win in the classic Monday Night Football game between the Chiefs and Rams).

• Andy Reid boasts a commanding 5-1 record in his coaching career against Detroit, which includes a 2-0 record with the Chiefs. Meanwhile, Lions coach Dan Campbell, in his brief tenure as head coach, has yet to play the Chiefs.

• The Chiefs are 9-1 in opening week games against the Andy Reid, including 3-1 at home.

• Detroit was 4th in offensive yards per game in 2022 and 5th in points per game.

• The Lions were 32nd in yards allowed on defense last season and were tied for 28th in scoring defense.