Chiefs Need Their Other Superstars Back, but Lions Proving to Be More Than Just Hype | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Despite Jones’ absence, the Chiefs defense played a respectable game. Detroit’s offense totaled 368 yards but only put 14 points on the board.

Kelce’s absence proved to be even more glaring. When Kansas City needs a big play in big moments, Mahomes hasn’t found a reliable target. Back-to-back drops, including one by Kadarius Toney that led to a pick-six to Brian Branch, will haunt the Chiefs in their long layoff before Week 2.

Mahomes did his part, often buying time in the pocket or picking up yards on the ground. But he never found a pass-catcher he could trust.

It could have been a different game with Kelce in the lineup. A game-changing play or two from Jones might have yielded a different result, too. With a tough road game against the Jacksonville Jaguars on deck, Kansas City needs to get back into the lineup.

The Chiefs have yet to lose a season opener with Mahomes under center, but it’s not time to panic. Young players like cornerback Trent McDuffie, linebacker Nick Bolton, pass-rusher George Karlaftis and rookie receiver Rashee Rice have made their presence felt.

There is time for this team to come together, and most likely, Kelce and Jones will be back in the coming weeks. Traditionally, Kansas City is in the thick of the Super Bowl hunt this winter.

The Lions might as well. While the pair of missing superstars in Kansas City should be noted, the Chiefs at home on banner night provided one heck of a measure.

Dan Campbell’s unit shows it’s scale.

Detroit didn’t just pick up where it left off in 2022—a team that relied heavily on its offense to win eight of its last 10 games. It has a complete performance with strong contributions from new additions such as Branch, CJ Gardner-Johnson, David Montgomery, Jahmyr Gibbs and Jack Campbell.

The Lions started it with a loud call from Campbell to run a fake punt deep in Detroit territory:

The Lions went on to score a touchdown on the drive and showed they were ready to hang with the Chiefs under the brightest spotlights.

We saw some of what we saw last year from Detroit. Amon-Ra St. Brown (6 catches, 71 yards, 1 TD) and Josh Reynolds (4 catches, 80 yards) had big games. Jared Goff (253 yards, 1 TD) had some clutch precision throws.

We also saw Montgomery and Gibbs bully the Chiefs on the ground, controlling the tempo and setting up the play-action. That new-look defense, led by Aidan Hutchinson, Gardner-Johnson, Branch and Campbell, did a solid job and took full advantage of Kansas City’s offensive miscues.

Kelce or no Kelce, holding an offense led by Mahomes to 20 points and a 33 percent conversion rate on third and fourth down is impressive.

This isn’t the same Detroit team that scratched the shootouts a year ago, and from here, the Lions will only grow into a more complete football team.

Rookie Gibbs (7 carries, 2 receptions) will see an expanded role in the game plan. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will get more creative as he figures out what his lineup can do. Players like Campbell, Gardner-Johnson and Cameron Sutton will grow more comfortable in Aaron Glenn’s defense.

The Lions’ three-year turnaround is almost complete. In his inaugural campaign as head coach, Campbell helped build a passionate gritty team that just didn’t know how to win. In the second half of last season, the wins started coming.

This year, Detroit has the overall talent on the roster and the confidence to meet and possibly even exceed their rising expectations.