Lions Win Stunner Over Chiefs

I’m not entirely sure what to make of the Lions’ season-opening win over the Chiefs. While they escaped with the W, they did get beat on both sides of the ball.

Their offense scored just 14 points and looked sloppy at times. The defense may have held the Chiefs to just 20 points and returned an interception for a touchdown, but that pick-6 was the result of a perfectly thrown Patrick Mahomes pass that Kadarius Toney tipped up into the air.

The Chiefs seemed to generate a lot of open receivers throughout the night, in fact. But the Lions didn’t end up paying for it because there were so many drops (mostly by Toney). Not to mention, Detroit had a tough time getting to Mahomes (0 sacks) and allowed him to extend plays regularly.

That said, the Lions still beat the defending champions on their own turf despite not firing on all cylinders. I know, I know, the Chiefs were without Travis Kelce and Chris Jones. But seriously, when was the last time the Lions were able to beat a really good team without playing their absolute best? That should tell you something about these Lions being just a bit different than in years past.

From an execution standpoint, Detroit will need to be better moving forward. This is especially true of that offense, which is the engine that makes this team go. Against the Chiefs, they were sloppy. There was a fumble that took points off the board, multiple miscues that led to 2nd-and-forever drive-killing situations, and a few questionable 3rd-down playcalls.

Where the Lions did have success was with their trusty play-action passing game. This offseason, I wrote about how effective it was in 2022. On Thursday night, it accounted for almost 45% of Detroit’s passing yards (That number was 34% last year for reference). It also helped account for two huge plays on the Lions’ only touchdown drives of the night:

The other element of the Lions’ offense that served them well was the run game. While they only averaged 3.5 yards per carry on the night, the physicality of the O-line was able to wear down the Chiefs late in the game.

In the 4th quarter, Detroit ran the ball 13 times for 57 yards (4.4 yards per rush), and this game-winning touchdown. Focus on right tackle Penei Sewell sealing off the inside by blocking two Chiefs defenders:

The Lions have an edge to them on both sides of the ball. Against the Chiefs, they were able to win ugly, which is a great quality to have. Perhaps they really are a different team this season.