Wednesday open thread: Do you want the Lions to play in Germany this year?

The Detroit Lions spent much of the offseason in contention to be the Kansas City Chiefs’ opponent for their Germany game in the 2023 NFL season. Eventually, a report or two came out that the Chicago Bears were going to be the Chiefs’ international opponent, and the Lions were locked into a domestic schedule for the upcoming season. That was until a Peter King report suggested those early rumors were not true. In fact, according to King, the Chiefs have requested that the Bears not be their international opponent this year.

There’s no telling whether the league will honor Kansas City’s request, but the schedule is very much in the air, even as we approach release day. With all options still on the table, you know what that means: the Lions are back in play for a Germany game.

Question of the day: Do you want the Lions to play the Kansas City Chiefs in Germany this year?

My answer: I don’t see why not. You can make all sorts of arguments about travel and time changes having an impact on the Lions, but ultimately Kansas City will have to deal with the same circumstances should they play each other in Germany.

The strong legion of Jacksonville Jaguars faithful in London after they played there seemingly every year is a testament to the first-come, first-serve nature of the NFL’s international fan base. The German audience has reason to gravitate to the Lions as well, with Amon-Ra St. Brown and his family having a proud Germain heritage.

Ultimately, I don’t feel strongly either way, but I do see an upside in expanding the Lions fanbase. The Lions aren’t a huge market in the United States, so international support would only do good in a time when the league is pushing for expanding the game’s audience.

Plus, considering it’s a Kansas City home game, any chance you can eliminate the advantage of the Arrowhead Stadium crowd, you’re doing your team a favor.

What do you think? Do you want the Lions to go to Germany this year, or would you rather they play at Arrowhead? Vote below and let us know your thoughts.