The Lions vs Chiefs game opened the 2023 National Football League season. It had a surprising result as the Detroit Lions defeated the reigning Super Bowl champs Kansas City Chiefs 21-20.
Football betting picks experts had the Chiefs winning the game. Kansas City had multiple opportunities to win. However, blunders by its wide receivers eventually cost them the game. There were three drops by Kadarius Toney, one of which was a pick-six. Skyy Moore took a sip. Jerick McKinnon had another. The loss of yardage on the jet sweep attempt by Toney on second down resulted in a field goal rather than a touchdown. Later, on third-and-1 from his own 20, Rashee Rice fumbled the ball, turning a first down into a punt. They failed Patrick Mahomes all game long.
The Lions were able to score after their opponents made a mistake. The Lions were down 14-7 at halftime. Toney’s drop, however, led to Brian Branch scoring a touchdown. Also, two promising drives by the Chiefs ended in field goals due to turnovers. It gave Detroit the chance to come back with a nine-play, 75-yard drive that ended with David Montgomery crashing into the end zone.
Lions vs Chiefs
The Chiefs had one more chance to score when the Lions turned the ball over on downs near midfield, but a third drop by Toney, a holding penalty on Donovan Smith, and a false start by Jawaan Taylor scuttled their drive. The Chiefs turned the ball over on downs, allowing the Lions to run out the time and give them a winning 1-0 record to open the season.
The Chiefs kept it close until the last minute or two, but their inability to score on their final few drives proves that there are real problems on offense. With about six minutes remaining and a third-and-1, Reid called for a straight snap to tight end Blake Bell, who passed off to rookie Rashee Rice. Detroit quickly stopped the play.
On their second possession, the Lions turned the ball over on downs, but it didn’t matter since Reid’s unit failed miserably in K.C.’s next attempt. After a holding call on left tackle Donovan Smith nullified a massive gain, Reid went for it on fourth-and-20 from his own 35 with two minutes and three timeouts remaining but was unsuccessful.
All of this pointed to the conclusion that Mahomes and Reid were not hiding any tricks as they had been in previous seasons. And all the Lions had to do was keep hitting the turf until they had sealed the deal. People who know the power of value betting would have wagered on Detroit.
However, ensure you do not fall into the NFL hot hands fallacy and continue betting on the Lions. We suggest doing due diligence before betting on football games.
