Follow the game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions on RDS2 and RDS.ca.
Contents Lions c. Chiefs
The Kansas City Chiefs host the Detroit Lions for Game 1 of the new NFL season.
The Lions lead 21-20 in the fourth quarter.
Lions rookie safety Brian Branch tied the game early in the third quarter by returning an interception from Patrick Mahomes for a touchdown. Kadarius Toney was unable to catch Mahomes’ pass and the ball deflected into the hands of Branch, who had the free field to fly 49 yards into the end zone.
Branch became the first Lions player to score a touchdown on an interception return in his first NFL game since future Hall of Famer Lem Barney achieved the feat in 1967.
Harrison Butker restored the lead to the Chiefs before the end of the third quarter with a 35-yard field goal. Butker added three more points with a 39-yard punt early in the fourth quarter.
The Lions regained the lead midway through the fourth quarter when David Montgomery found the end zone on an eight-yard run.
Advantage to the Chiefs in the 1st half
Amon-Ra St. Brown scored the only touchdown of the first quarter on a touchdown pass thrown by Jared Goff. Several games earlier, the Lions were able to continue their streak after a rigged play on a 4th down while deep in their territory.
The Chiefs responded early in the second quarter as Mahomes wrapped up a 13-play streak with a one-yard touchdown pass to Rashee Rice.
The Chiefs then took the lead with 34 seconds left in the second quarter on a four-yard pass from Mahomes to Blake Bell.
Pre-game notes
The Chiefs spent the offseason wondering if Chris Jones would finally join the team, as the star defensive tackle didn’t play a preseason game or attend training camp.
On Tuesday, the team saw tight end Travis Kelce limping out of practice due to knee hyperextension. He will be absent from the game against the Lions, according to several media reports.
Add to that the fact that Chiefs fans are still talking about their February win over the Philadelphia Eagles, their attempt to set a record for the biggest pre-game ‘tailgate’, plus a banner ceremony. As they enter Arrowhead Stadium, there’s more than enough reason to keep the Chiefs distracted as they begin their quest for a fourth Super Bowl final in five years.
“Look, right now the players are focused on the Lions,” said Chiefs head coach Andy Reid, who has won eight straight openers. Everything else will be an exciting environment, but right now we have to make sure we’re not looking at that, just Thursday’s opponent. »
After losing six of their first seven games of the season, the Lions responded well last season winning eight of the last 10. Few teams scored as much as the team led by quarterback Jared Goff during that streak.
The Lions could be even better on offense this season, having added David Montgomery through the free agent market. They also selected running back Jahmyr Gibbs in the first round of the last draft, before selecting tight end Sam LaPorta in the third round.
“We haven’t had a good start in the last two years,” Goff said. We became more aware of that, I think, by making sure we didn’t put ourselves in difficult conditions from the start. At the same time, we want to win all our matches. »
This is the case of the Chiefs, who have done well in this regard.
The team has won the All-American West Division title the past seven seasons and has hosted the Western Conference Finals game for the past five seasons, a record. In addition, quarterback Patrick Mahomes, most valuable player of the last Super Bowl, has never lost an opener in five starts as a starting quarterback.
“Pre-season games are one thing,” Mahomes said. However, it will take his game up a notch in the regular season and it will not always be perfect. »
Follow our coverage of the start of the NFL season. Starting Sunday at 1 p.m., follow all the action with NFL RedZone.
2023-09-08 03:25:00
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