5 things to watch: Lions at Chiefs

The Detroit Lions and the defending Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs kick off the 2023 NFL schedule with an interconference matchup in Kansas City on Thursday Night Football on NBC.

For the Chiefs, it's the first leg in what they hope is a repeat trip to the Super Bowl and back-to-back championships. For the Lions, it's a chance to show the hype surrounding this team the past few months is real, and they are ready to be players in the NFC playoff picture.

Here are five things to watch out for in tonight's matchup:

1. SECONDARY GAINS

Cam Sutton, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Brian Branch all make their Lions debut tonight against reining MVP quarterback Patrick Mahomes and the league's top passing offense from last season.

Sutton, Gardner-Johnson and Branch join Kerby Joseph and Jerry Jacobs in what's looked to be a secondary that's taken a big leap forward in their ability to cover, get hands on footballs and create turnovers. Ask any player on Detroit's offense and they'll say how much more difficult it was to move the ball in the air vs. this Detroit secondary in camp than it's been in past years.

The secondary will certainly be tested in this one. In five career Week 1 openers since being named the starter in Kansas City, Mahomes has completed 121 passes on 169 attempts (71.6 percent) for 1,542 yards, 18 touchdowns, no interceptions, and a 133.9 passer rating. It's the most touchdown passes without an interception in Week 1 games in NFL history.