NFL Week 1 expert picks: Lions at Chiefs score predictions

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After participating in the final regular season game of the 2022 season—knocking Green Bay out of playoff contention—the Detroit Lions get the honor of playing in the first game of the 2023 season against the Kansas City Chiefs on NBC Thursday night.

The Lions have been the darlings of the NFL over the past year beginning with being featured on HBO’s “Hard Knocks, then closing the season on an 8-2 tear, and finally following that up with an aggressive offseason of roster construction, where the team got noticeably better. The Lions are favored to win the NFC North, are being ranked in the top 10 of several national writers’ power rankings, and have many wondering if this organization is now the new “America’s Team.”

But things won’t be easy for the Lions early on in the season, starting the year by taking on arguably the best team in football. Most people are favoring the Chiefs in this game—and as defending Super Bowl champions, it’s warranted—but the betting line continues to fall. After opening the week with the Chiefs favored by 6.5 points, that number has sunk down to 4.5 points, according to the folks over at DraftKings Sportsbook.

We’ve broken down this game in a litany of ways—5 keys to victory, On Paper preview, 5 Questions with the enemy, podcasting with Chiefs analyst Ron Kopp, Lions injury report, Chiefs injury report, and many more—and now it’s time to predict outcome of the game.

Here’s a look at our predictions via Tallysight, as well as our score predictions below:

Pride of Detroit score predictions:

Hamza Baccouche: 28-24 Lions
Morgan Cannon: 31-27 Chiefs
Brandon Knapp: 31-27 Lions
Jerry Mallory: 30-24 Chiefs
Ryan Mathews: 31-28 Lions
Chris Perfett: 24-24 Tie
Jeremy Reisman: 30-28 Chiefs (On Paper preview)
Alex Reno: 27-24 Lions
Kellie Rowe: 31-27 Lions
Erik Schlitt: 31-28 Chiefs (Honolulu Blueprint: 5 Keys to victory)
Meko Scott: 30-24 Lions
John Whiticar: 30-21 Chiefs
Kyle Yost: 30-24 Chiefs

Now it’s your turn to pick. Vote in the poll below and share your score predictions in the comments.

Also, for more betting odds coverage, with a specific focus on the Lions, make sure to check out our own Meko Scott and Ryan Mathews’ video breakdown on Pride of Detroit’s YouTube feed: