7 September 2023
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Thursday night’s match-up between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Detroit Lions will be the first of 272 NFL regular season games this year. Prior to kickoff, a Super Bowl LVII Champions banner will be unveiled inside Arrowhead Stadium. Then, the Chiefs will try to build on these impressive numbers.
Andy Reid begins his 11th season as the head coach of the Chiefs. He’s led them to the postseason in nine of his first ten seasons.
(KSN Graphic)
His record in season openers in Kansas City is 9-1. That includes a current streak of eight straight victories.
Reid’s 117 wins in Kansas City are the most in franchise history.
Patrick Mahomes is the reigning NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP. He’s only the seventh player in NFL history to accomplish both in the same season.
(KSN Graphic)
In five career season openers, Mahomes has passed for 18 touchdowns without a single interception.
Travis Kelce has the second-longest streak in the NFL with at least one reception in 143 consecutive games. That could come to an end if the injured star tight end is unable to play tonight.
This is the Chiefs’ 64th season and their 52nd playing at Arrowhead.
The Chiefs are one of ten teams with at least three Lombardi trophies. They’re trying to make it four this season. If they can make it back to the Super Bowl, it would be their fourth appearance in five years.
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The franchise has played in five Super Bowls, nine AFL/AFC Championship games and has won the AFC West 13 times, including a current streak of seven in a row.
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As far as experience goes, backup quarterback Blaine Gabbert is entering his 12th season, one more than Kelce.
And one of the longest-tenured franchise employees is Mitch Holthus. The “Voice of the Chiefs” is beginning his 30th season in the Chiefs radio booth.
Left to right: Mitch Holthus standing next to KSN’s Jason Lamb (KSN Graphic)
One more thing: the Chiefs own a 5-1 record at home all-time against the Lions.
The game begins at 6 p.m. on NBC. Fans can also tune into the game via select streaming services such as Peacock.