Lions at Chiefs Betting Pick: Week 1

On Thursday, September 7th at 8:20 PM ET, the Detroit Lions and Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, MO. NBC is carrying television coverage the for game.

In a non-conference matchup, the Chiefs are 6.5 point favorites at home. Keep reading to get my take on who wins and covers on Thursday.

Betting Odds for Chiefs vs. Lions

Spread: Lions +6 | Chiefs -6.5
Total: 54.5
MoneyLine: Lions +231 | Chiefs -296

Why You Should Bet on the Chiefs

Heading into the season, the Chiefs are looking to defend last year’s Super Bowl Title after beating the Eagles by a score of 38-35. During the regular season, the Chiefs finished 1st in the AFC-West on an overall record of 14-3. Last year’s team went 9-1 at home and 8-2 on the road.

Looking back to last season, the average over/under line for the Chiefs was 49.8 points leading to an over/under record of 9-11 for the Chiefs. Against the spread, Kansas City was 8-12 with an average scoring margin of +7 points pere game.

Last season, Patrick Mahomes completed 67.1% of his passes for a total of 5250 yards. For the season, he finished 1st among QB’s in passing yards and 1st in touchdowns (41). Mahomes’ passer rating for the season was 105.2 (5th).

In the backfield, the Chiefs are welcoming back Isiah Pacheco who is the team’s top returning running back in terms of attempts and is coming off a season in which he finished with 830 rushing yards and averaged 4 yards per attempt. Pacheco is entering his 2nd season in the league.

When looking at the team’s wide receiver group, the Chiefs are returning last year’s two most productive players. Travis Kelce caught 110 balls for 1338 yards last season. Marquez Valdes-Scantling finished with 687 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

Why You Should Bet on the Lions

Despite finishing with an above .500 record at 9-8, the Detroit Lions did not make the playoffs last year. In the NFC-North, the Lions finished 2nd with a record of 5-1. Overall, Detroit wrapped up the season 8th in the NFC.

Against the spread, the Lions put together a record of 12-5 on an average scoring margin of +1.5 points per game. As the favorite, the Lions were 3-2 vs. the spread while going 9-3 (ATS) as the underdog. Detroit’s over/under record came in at 10-7.

Last season, Jared Goff completed 65.1% of his passes for a total of 4438 yards. For the season, he finished 6th among QB’s in passing yards and 4th in touchdowns (29). Goff’s passer rating for the season was 99.3 (14th).

In the backfield, the Lions will be looking for a big season from David Montgomery, who is coming over from the Bears. Last year, he averaged 4 yards per attempt and a total of 801 yards on the ground.

When looking at the team’s wide receiver group, the Lions are returning last year’s two most productive players. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 106 balls for 1161 yards last season. Kalif Raymond finished with 616 receiving yards and zero touchdowns.

Final Prediction & Where To Bet

When looking at the point-spread line movements, the Chiefs have come down slightly after opening as 7.0-point favorites. The Chiefs and now sit at -6.5.

The side I’m playing on the spread, is to take the Lions on the road. With the line, sitting at +6, I’d be looking to act now on getting some action on Detroit.

BetByState Expert Pick: Lions +6

Where to Bet This Game

For most of our picks posts, we recommend only a few sportsbooks if you’re looking to actually bet for real money! With the abrupt closure of such prominent brands like WynnBet and FoxBet, it’s important to place your trust in only the most reputable players in the industry.

This is why we recommend the below sportsbooks when it comes it comes to signing up for a new account and taking advantage of all the new player bonus offers, including tons of bonus bets back — just in time for football season!