Tag: detroit lions vs. kansas city chiefs

By the Numbers: Breaking down the key stats and figures in the Lions Week 1 win

By the Numbers: Breaking down the key stats and figures in the Lions Week 1 win

The most important set of numbers from the Week 1 matchup between the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs are 21 and 20. That’s the final score, with the Lions coming out on top on the road on Thursday night.

How the two teams arrived at those respective scores can be told by breaking down some other key numbers and figures from the game.

0 – Interceptions thrown by Jared Goff, now up to 359 straight passes without an INT, the 3rd-best streak in NFL history

0 – Successful third-down conversions in the second half by the Chiefs offense. They went 0-for-7 after being 5-for-7 in the first half

0 – Number of kick returns in the game by both teams

1 – Combined number of sacks for both teams. Chiefs DL Mike Danna got Goff for the only one.

1 – Lost fumble for Lions WR Marvin Jones, the first he’s lost in his 12-year NFL career

2.6 – Average yards per carry by the Chiefs on handoffs

3 – Dropped passes by Chiefs WR Kadarius Toney. Some outlets have him for just two but the NBC broadcast credited him for three.

4 – Passes defended by the Chiefs, all broken up at the line of scrimmage

4 – Enforced penalties against the Lions, costing them 63 yards

4.5 – Ending wager line favoring the Chiefs in the game

5 – Passes defended by the Lions coverage, all down the field

5.8 – Average yard per pass attempt for Patrick Mahomes

6.9 – Average yards per pass attempt for Jared Goff

16 – Ending number of the streak of Chiefs wins against NFC teams

20.5 – Aidan Hutchinson’s pressure rate on pass rushes, despite not getting a sack

25 – Total yards by the Chiefs in the fourth quarter, on 12 plays

41 – Fourth-quarter rushing yards for Lions RB David Montgomery, on 11 carries

94.1 – Jared Goff’s QB Rating, the seventh time in 10 games he’s topped 90.0

 

 

 

Lions snap count notes vs. the Chiefs in Week 1

Breaking down the Detroit Lions snap count notes vs. the Chiefs in Week 1

Winning in Kansas City over the Chiefs in the Week 1 prime-time kickoff has Lions fans everywhere happily bleary-eyed. Thursday night’s 21-20 victory featured many Lions who did their part to contribute to the exciting win.

The snap count totals from the game spotlight a few who were steady all night, with others who shone in more limited roles. Detroit ran 70 total offensive plays to Kansas City’s 65 in the game.

Iron men

Six Lions played every snap on offense: QB Jared Goff and the starting offensive line, which included Halapoulivaati Vaitai at right guard. Wideout Amon-Ra St. Brown barely left the field, playing 66 snaps. On defense, the starting secondary never left the field. Corners Jerry Jacobs and Cam Sutton played all 65, as did safeties C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Kerby Joseph. Linebacker Alex Anzalone missed just four snaps, with EDGE Aidan Hutchinson playing 59 snaps of his own.

RBs

The running back split heavily favored veteran David Montgomery over rookie Jahmyr Gibbs. Montgomery was on the field for 55 of the 70, with Gibbs seeing 19 snaps in his NFL debut. No. 3 RB Craig Reynolds only played on special teams, and fullback Jason Cabinda was in for just 11 offensive snaps.

Rookies

Tight end Sam LaPorta led the rookie contributions with 58, playing over 80 percent of the offensive snaps. Gibbs had his 19, with offensive lineman Colby Sorsdal playing three special teams reps to get his NFL feet wet. Wideout Antoine Green was active for the game but didn’t see the field, not even on special teams.

On defense, DB Brian Branch secured a pick-six among his 44 snaps, while first-round LB Jack Campbell played 25 of the 65 reps.

Quick notes

–The only active players who did not see the field, including on special teams, were Antoine Green and backup QB Teddy Bridgewater. For some reason, reserve OL Graham Glasgow does not appear on the NFL’s official snap count sheet, but it is noted that he played in the game book. It was Glasgow’s 100th NFL game.

–The Lions used extra tackle Matt Nelson once all night. Detroit averaged over seven snaps per game with six offensive linemen on the field in 2022.

–WR Kalif Raymond played 19 snaps but did not get onto the field until after starter Marvin Jones had already played 28 of his 39 reps.

–Safety Tracy Walker did not appear on defense, nor did CB Ifeatu Melifownu. Will Harris played three reps on defense but led the team with 24 special teams reps, which tied with CB Khalil Dorsey and LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin — neither of whom played on defense either.

Dan Campbell gives huge credit to the Lions fans in Kansas City

Lions head coach Dan Campbell praised the Detroit fans in Kansas City for being loud and helping the team win

For a road game in a stadium notorious for being raucous with partisans for the home team, the Detroit Lions sure had a good amount of fan representation in Kansas City on Thursday night. Even during the pre-game, the NBC broadcast notes how much Honolulu blue was inside the GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

Lions fans traveled well for the opener. Their presence was easy to see and hear on the broadcast. The Lions felt it on the sidelines too, something Detroit head coach Dan Campbell noted in his post-game press conference following the team’s 21-20 upset win in Week 1.

“When I walked out in the pregame, I’m looking and I saw a sea of blue,” Campbell said. “I’m like, ‘wow’. And then about the third quarter, you could start hearing them. You could hear them and it just started to grow.”

Campbell continued to pay homage to the Detroit faithful who made the trip.

“Once we got into the fourth quarter, our fans — they made themselves known and we could feel it. It’s outstanding to have fans that travel like that. We see you and it’s much appreciated,” Campbell hoarsely rasped.

Lions fans celebrates 21-20 win over Chiefs on Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023, in Kansas City, Missouri.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – SEPTEMBER 07: Aidan Hutchinson #97 of the Detroit Lions celebrates their win over the Kansas City Chiefs with fans at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium on September 07, 2023 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)

The Lions get to play at home in the next game, a Week 2 date at Ford Field against the Seattle Seahawks. Campbell expects the fan support to be even crazier at home.

“I can’t wait to get back to Ford Field,” Campbell said. “Because you know how loud (Kansas City) is, I know our place is going to be louder than that.”

 

Top photos from the Lions win over the Chiefs in Week 1

Check out these great photos from the Lions road win over the Chiefs in Week 1

The NFL picked a good matchup to kick off the 2023 season with the Detroit Lions visiting the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night. Dan Campbell’s Lions roared to a 21-20 road win over the defending Super Bowl champs.

Several Lions made key plays in the game, from Brian Branch’s pick-six to Josh Paschal’s huge TFL to David Montgomery’s high-effort touchdown run, among many, many more.

Here are some of the top pictures from the professional photographers inside the stadium.

Quick takeaways from the Lions Week 1 win over the Chiefs

Quick takeaways from the Lions Week 1 win over the Chiefs, including notes on a great defensive effort

The Detroit Lions are 1-0 after pulling the upset in Kansas City, upending the host Chiefs, 21-20, in the first game of the entire NFL season.

Detroit pulled this one off with a great defensive performance, holding Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs to 316 total yards and just 17 first downs. It was just enough to help the Lions prevail despite an uneven offensive performance.

The Lions ran for 118 yards, with David Montgomery charging his way for a touchdown and also the game-clinching third down conversion. Jared Goff avoided making mistakes and found ways to move the ball while under pressure and while dealing with a strong performance from the Chiefs defense.

Here are aa few quick takeaways from watching the game on Thursday night.

 

Lions beat Chiefs and prove they’re ready for prime time

The Lions beat the Chiefs in Kansas City in Week 1 and proved they’re ready for prime time

Same Old Lions is something Detroit fans know well. For far too long, it was an unfortunate reality of being a Lions fan. Snatching defeat from the jaws of victory, often in excruciating fashion, was one hallmark of SOL. Many years, they weren’t even good enough to get to that point.

These are not the SOL. That unsavory myth was blown away by beating the defending champs in their house on a night when they unveiled their latest Super Bowl banner.

Dan Campbell’s Lions played spoiler on national television in the featured game for the first week of NFL football. They did it on the road against a team with a legendary quarterback and facing long odds and considerable national skepticism.

Oh yeah, they did the same thing in their very last game. You know, going into Green Bay in Week 18 and ending Aaron Rodgers’ final season with the Packers.

Stringing those consequential victories together over the span of an offseason where the hype has reached fever pitch — that’s the antithesis of SOL.

It wasn’t pretty. It wasn’t comfortable. It certainly wasn’t looking good when Patrick Mahomes got the ball back with two minutes to go, needing only a field goal to win. Lions fans have seen that movie too many times.

Not this time. Not these Lions. The 21-20 win over the Chiefs should be the convincing the lionized fans need to finally buy in. These Lions are ready for prime time.

 

The Lions ran a fake punt from their own 17 and fans loved it

Lions coach Dan Campbell called a fake punt from their own 17 and Twitter loved it

It didn’t take long for Lions head coach Dan Campbell to live up to his reputation of being aggressively unpredictable. On the second Detroit drive of the Week 1 debut in Kansas City, Campbell made it known that he’s playing to win.

Facing 4th-and-2 from their own 17, the Lions dialed up a fake punt. A direct snap to reserve LB Jalen Reeves-Maybin caught the Chiefs off guard. It caught the fans in Arrowhead Stadium off guard. And the successful gamble caught social media off guard too.

The Lions capitalized on the gutsy call and wound up scoring the year’s first touchdown when Jared Goff found Amon-Ra St. Brown for a short TD strike.

Here are some of the best reactions to the Lions fake punt in Week 1.

(Or should I say, the first fake punt?)

Lions inactive players vs. Chiefs: Some defensive line surprises

Lions inactive players vs. Chiefs: Some defensive line surprises with Romeo Okwara and rookie Brodric Martin sitting out

The Detroit Lions, as mandated by the league, declared their inactive players for the Week 1 matchup with the Chiefs in Kansas City.

After already stating that he would not play earlier in the week, defensive tackle Isaiah Buggs was indeed made inactive. Cornerback Emmanuel Moseley was previously ruled out as he recovers from knee surgery, as well.

The other three players declared inactive:

EDGE Romeo Okwara

DT Brodric Martin

CB Steven Gilmore

Martin and Gilmore are rookies who will have to wait to make their NFL debuts. A third-round pick, keeping Martin inactive with Buggs also hitting out indicates the Lions coaching staff just doesn’t feel like he’s ready to go just yet.

For the Chiefs, All-Pro TE Travis Kelce is inactive with his knee injury suffered in practice.

Lions vs. Chiefs: How to watch, listen and stream the Week 1 matchup

Lions vs. Chiefs: How to watch, listen and stream the Week 1 matchup on Thursday night

The football world will be watching the Detroit Lions when they kick off the 2023 NFL regular season in Kansas City against the defending Super Bowl champion Chiefs.

Detroit Lions (0-0) at Kansas City Chiefs (0-0)

Thursday, September 7th, 8:20 p.m. ET

Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri

Line: Chiefs -4.0 (as of 11 a.m. on 9/7)

Here’s how you can watch, listen or stream the eagerly anticipated Thursday Night Football matchup.

Watch

This game is a national broadcast on NBC as the first Thursday Night Football game of the season. Mike Tirico, Cris Collinworth and Melissa Stark will have the game call.

Check your local listings for an NBC affiliate near you.

Listen

The game will be broadcast over the Detroit Lions radio affiliate network. Dan Miller handles the play-by-play, with Lomas Brown as the color analyst and T.J. Lang reporting from the sidelines.

The flagship station is 97.1 The Ticket in Detroit. The full list of affiliates can be found here.

Stream

The NFL+ app (subscription required) is the league’s own network to view the game via a streaming device.

FUBO TV (subscription required) is another option.

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Lions will wear all-white uniforms vs. the Chiefs

Good things have happened when the Lions rock the all-white alternate uniforms

When the Detroit Lions take the field at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City on Thursday night, root for white. The Lions will be wearing their alternate white uniforms: white jerseys, white pants, and white socks.

For a team whose official colors are Honolulu blue and silver, the Lions have been pretty successful rocking the white-on-white uniforms. They debuted in 2021, and the Lions captured one of their three victories that year in the all-whites.

Last season, Detroit broke out the dress whites twice. Wins over the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers kept the victory vibes going with the clean kits.