5 Key Lions to Watch against Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs could potentially be without both Chris Jones and Travis Kelce – two of their star players – in their season-opening matchup with the Lions Thursday.
Does this spell victory for Dan Campbell's squad?
Well, before we can even come close to jumping to that conclusion, Detroit will need to have several of its core players step up and deliver noteworthy performances.
Without further ado, here are five Lions players that will be integral in the team's attempt to knock off the Chiefs.
QB Jared Goff
Goff will need to be on his "A" game in order for the Lions to pull off the upset Thursday.
Key to this will be the veteran signal-caller playing a clean, turnover-free game. I think that he can do just that, after throwing interceptions on a career-low 1.2 percent of his passes (seven picks on 587 pass attempts) a season ago.
Goff surely won't outduel Patrick Mahomes, but I think he'll keep the Lions in the game for at least the first three quarters of action.
EDGE Aidan Hutchinson
All eyes will be on Hutchinson to see what he'll do as an encore this season, after a very strong rookie campaign.
He recorded 9.5 sacks a season ago, and could be in store for a big night Thursday going up against two offensive tackles – Donovan Smith and Jawaan Taylor – who graded poorly in 2022.
"Hutch" will be integral to the Lions' pass-rushing efforts in this season-opening tilt. And, he and Detroit's fellow EDGE rushers, including Charles Harris, James Houston and John Cominsky, will need to generate consistent pressure against Mahomes. In my opinion, it'll be one of the keys to the Lions securing the upset victory at Arrowhead.
RB Jahmyr Gibbs
Expect the versatile, first-year back to be deployed in multiple ways in Kansas City.
I believe that Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson has some big plans for Gibbs Thursday. I'm projecting the second-year play-caller to do two things with the Alabama product: to provide him with a healthy dose of carries and line him up at receiver for multiple plays.
The word on the street is that the organization doesn't view Gibbs as a traditional running back, and I expect that to be on full display against the reigning Super Bowl champs. Johnson knows just how explosive Gibbs can be in the open field, and I think he will fully exploit that skillset of the rookie in the opener.
WR Amon-Ra St. Brown
Even with the presence of Gibbs, St. Brown will still be the focal point of Detroit's offense in 2023.
Goff and the third-year receiver had a magical connection a year ago. The Pro Bowl quarterback-receiver duo connected 106 times for 1,161 yards and six touchdowns.
Goff and St. Brown have established a terrific rapport with one another, and should be in store for another big year of passing and catching the football this upcoming season.
I believe that Johnson is keenly aware of the fact that he'll need to get his best weapons involved early and often in order to beat the Chiefs. And, that's why I expect St. Brown to be heavily featured in the Lions' offensive gameplan Thursday.
You can put money on the fact that Goff will be looking the USC product's way a ton, and will target the No. 1 wideout as much as he gets the chance to.
If St. Brown can slip away from Kansas City defenders for a big play or two, it'd go a long way toward the Lions coming out on top in the season opener.
C Frank Ragnow
The Pro Bowler has dealt with a lingering toe injury since the 2021 campaign.
Out of precaution, he was held out of practice Tuesday (due to that same toe ailment). Yet, as of now, he's still expected to start and be a full participant in Thursday's season-opening contest.
And boy, does Detroit need the 6-foot-5, 311-pounder to suit up.
It is paramount that Ragnow and his offensive linemen counterparts keep Goff upright on Thursday. If they don't, the veteran signal-caller could become susceptible to coughing up the football, and giving an extra possession to the Chiefs – with their high-powered offense – severely hurts the Lions' chances of prevailing victorious.
