The 2023 NFL season is underway, as the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs will host the Detroit Lions in primetime on Thursday night.
The wait is over, as the 2023 NFL season commences in earnest on Thursday night with the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Detroit Lions in Week 1.
Kansas City is coming off its second championship in four years with Patrick Mahomes as their star quarterback. While no franchise has repeated as Super Bowl champions since the 2003-04 New England Patriots, Andy Reid's squad stands as good of a chance as anyone of being able to run it back. Of course, they are no longer the hunters; they are the hunted and will face fierce competition.
Detroit had a breakthrough season under second-year head coach Dan Campbell in 2002. The Lions were a fricking wagon, man. After a slow start to the campaign, they turned it around considerably in the second half. The Lions nearly made the postseason as the third wild card team. Entering 2023, the Lions could be a final four team in football, maybe do the impossible and go to Las Vegas, baby!
So what time and channel will Lions at Chiefs be played out on Thursday night to kick off the season?
Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs: What time, channel is this game on?
Kickoff from Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri will be at 8:20 p.m. ET/7:20 p.m. CT. NBC will have the national telecast of Thursday Night Football. The Spanish telecast can be found over on Universo. As it is tradition, the reigning Super Bowl champions kick off the following NFL season by hosting an up-and-coming team like the Lions on Thursday Night Football. It has been great thus far.
While Kansas City should be favored, the Chiefs are not exactly at full strength heading into the season. All-world tight end Travis Kelce is dealing with a bum knee and star defensive lineman Chris Jones is still in the midst of his long-drawn-out holdout. That means it will be up to Mahomes and the boys to just win anyway, man. We cannot wait to see the plays Reid draws up for his star quarterback.
Overall, we are over the moon that NFL football is back in our lives. The mornings are a little cooler. The freshly cut grass smells a little different. It is football season, baby, and we could not be more excited about it. May your favorite team have the best season it possible can and may your rivals suffer in the most painful way possible. Who doesn't love a little bit of pettiness before Week 1, y'all?
Be sure to tune into NBC at 8:20 p.m. ET/7:20 p.m. CT on Thursday to not miss a second of this game.