Takeaways from Lions' 21-20 Victory against Chiefs
The Detroit Lions were the talk of the NFL world prior to their season-opening contest against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Commissioner Roger Goodell told NBC prior to the game that the Lions had earned the right to play in the opener, based on what the league observed from Dan Campbell's squad to close out the 2022 season.
With Lions fans attending Arrowhead Stadium in droves, chanting 'Lets go Lions,' the hottest team in the NFL was able to hold on to a narrow 21-20 victory, in front of a capacity crowd.
Here are six takeaways from the Lions' upset victory.
Lions' aggressiveness pays off immediately
One thing is for certain, Dan Campbell will not shy away from making aggressive calls, even deep in the Lions' own side of the field.
Kansas City's defense started the game aggressively, forcing the Lions into a three-and-out on their first offensive possession.
It appeared as though Detroit was headed towards another stalled drive. However, a direct snap to Jalen Reeves-Maybin on fourth-and-2 proved quite beneficial.
The successful fake jolted Detroit's offense, as Jared Goff led the team on a 14-play, 91-yard scoring drive that was capped off by a touchdown grab by Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Early communication issues impacted secondary
While Detroit's secondary was revamped, some communication issues impacted Detroit's ability to stop the Chiefs from tying the score on their next offensive possession.
Patrick Mahomes was able to break contain with key rushes and picked apart the defense when playing in man coverage.
Detroit could not get off the field on multiple third-downs on the Chiefs scoring drive, as Mahomes used his athleticism to extend drives.
After Detroit took the early lead, the Chiefs went on a 13-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off by a short touchdown toss to wideout Rashee Rice.
Brian Branch demonstrates elite reflexes
Many in the scouting world will be left scratching their head wondering how a player that excelled at Alabama fell as far as Brian Branch did in this year's draft.
With Detroit struggling to regain momentum after multiple first-half errors, the talented rookie was able to intercept a Mahomes pass. The pass was deflected in the air by wideout Kadarius Toney, and Branch proceeded to return it for his first career pick-six.
The play tied the game at 14, and gave Detroit's defense a shot in the arm, especially after Mahomes was able to give the Chiefs the 14-7 halftime lead.
Unfortunately, the rookie walked straight to the locker room late in the third quarter, after what appeared initially to be a non-contact leg injury. Luckily, it was reported that the nickel cornerback was dealing with a cramping issue.
Marvin Jones struggles, turnover costs Lions momentum
Veteran Marvin Jones, who Deroit re-signed this offseason following his stint with the Jaguars, had never fumbled before in his entire career.
With Detroit looking to regain momentum, Goff led the offense into the red zone.
Unfortunately, Jones lost the football after cornerback Trent McDuffie forced the football out. The football was then recovered by safety Bryan Cook.
Subsequently, Mahomes and the Chiefs pounced on the opportunity, marching down the field in 1:28 on a six-play, 82-yard drive.
Also during the failed Lions drive, tight end Brock Wright lost awareness of his position on the field, causing an errant snap to Goff.
Jones also had a drop on Detroit's first offensive possession of the second half.
Meanwhile, Josh Reynolds put together a solid performance in the opener.
Chiefs' offensive line was taking advantage of referees swallowing their whistle
All throughout the game, Aidan Hutchinson was demonstrating his elite athleticism and improved pass-rush skills.
Mahomes was a challenge all evening to bring down, but the officials did the Lions absolutely no favors, choosing to swallow their whistle instead of calling clear infractions.
Unfortunately, the officials did not call what appeared to be many false starts and holdings on Hutchinson, the former No. 2 overall pick.
Patrick Mahomes leads Chiefs without Travis Kelce
It is not all that often that Kelce misses important football games for the Chiefs.
Prior to the game, it was reported he was pleading to suit up, but the decision was made to not allow the future Pro Football Hall of Fame tight end to play.
Despite the absence of one of the great tight ends in NFL history, Mahomes was able to demonstrate elusiveness, scrambling ability and a keen knack for finding open space to rush towards.
With one of the best signal-callers leading the offense, the Chiefs were able to distribute the football to a variety of targets.
