Lions News

[El Axe]

Man....I just looked at the season predictions at PFT.....every writer except for Florio has us winning the north and being no lower than a 3 seed.

Florio has the pack winning the division and the lions missing the playoffs...fuck him

The Ringer just published their staff predictions today

7 of the 8 writers predicted the Lions to win the North. One writer predicted the Packers, but predicted the Lions as a wild card.

edit: none of them predict the Lions to win the NFC. They don't predict playoff results otherwise.

[Iron Lion]

Yes

No no no. The best thing would've been if Erin comes back for one more GB season, but shows even more age than he did last year. And meanwhile, Jordan Love demands a trade, goes to some AFC team, and turns out to be a Patrick Mahomes. Then GB is drafting a QB and gets a Sam Bradford.

With the way it is, GB escaped Erin's contract and got some draft bullets. Won't matter too much if Love sucks I guess, but I didn't like seeing the Jets cave to GB.

[ghandi]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO0KDspuvlw&pp=ygUcYW1vbiByYSBzdCBicm93biBqYXJlZCBnb2ZmIA%3D%3D

The St Brown brothers interview Jared Goff

[-Deborah-]

Moseley is out.

Lions' Week 1 Wednesday injury report

CB Emmanuel Moseley -- Knee (OUT)
C Frank Ragnow -- Toe (No injury designation)
DL Isaiah Buggs -- Illness (No injury designation)
S Ifeatu Melifonwu -- Hamstring (No injury designation)

[dpatnod]

Lions cut RB Jermar Jefferson with an injury settlement

[Blue Lagoon58]

I don’t know how some of you grizzled old Lions guys and girls are coping. I’m a bit younger and generally on the optimigo side of things but I can’t handle the positivity.

I’m quietly confident but listening to the Pride of Detroit they were all talking about how the team is going to win a home playoff game and I’m just braced for something to go wrong.

Those guys sounded like some straight up school girls crushing on someone. It was almost uncomfortable listening to them.

That Simmons piece is so lazy. Nick Wright(another turd) was on a show and said, "objectively, the Lions have a terrible defense"...lol, uhhhh ok. They haven't played a snap, but ok. Kick the damn ball.

[Tom]

I wanted Rodgers to stay in GB.

[froot loops]

Most of the nationa media's analysis is pretty superficial. It goes about as far as pointing out the total ranking of the defense (last) in 2022 and the fact they got manhandled by Carolina. Both things are objectively true, but it is misleading because it hides the fact that the defense was middle of the pack to good in the second half of the season. They were Rod Marinelli bad in the 1st half of the season.

Everyone is healthy, together and they have made a bunch of improvements. But until it happens, the.defense does deserve a question mark. But as superficial as the analysis is of the national guys, you have to take the local media's coverage with a grain of salt. They are too close to the situation and are.gulping InstaGood by the gallon. It's embarrassing really.

[whatever_gong82]

Sorry about posting this Athletic article on here so late, but I was busy with life. I'm also going to post the Wednesday articles from the Freep in a bit.


The duo that made the Lions — those Lions — one of the NFL’s most fascinating teams

Colton Pouncy

Sep 6, 2023

On a cold January evening eight months ago, his team on the verge of a breakthrough after a slow-and-steady rebuild had run its course, Dan Campbell finally said the quiet part out loud.

“I know this: We need to be competing for a division championship next year,” Campbell told local media in Detroit. “I mean, that’s the goal. That’s what Brad and I set out to do.”

Those comments from the Detroit Lions’ unapologetically candid head coach came nearly two years after he and general manager Brad Holmes were hired to jumpstart a franchise that lacked direction, vision and a comprehensive plan for sustained success. Now entering Year 3 together, Campbell, Holmes and the Lions are gearing up for the organization’s most anticipated season in some time, with a Week 1 game Thursday night at the Kansas City Chiefs, the defending Super Bowl champions.

The Lions are the favorites to win their division, something they haven’t done since the NFC North was known as the NFC Central. A team that hasn’t won a playoff game since the 1991 season — when Boyz II Men’s “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” topped the charts — could soon put an end to that drought.

The two men overseeing this new era of Lions football had never met one another before they were hired, introduced via text message just weeks before getting to work.

It begs the question: How exactly did the Lions make this work?



In February 2018, the Lions were fresh off consecutive 9-7 seasons. But they wanted more, ultimately firing head coach Jim Caldwell in search of someone who could give them a championship pedigree and winning identity.

This led them to Matt Patricia, a longtime New England Patriots assistant under Bill Belichick. He was chosen by Bob Quinn, a former Pats executive two years into his tenure as Lions GM. It was a move intended to provide structure and elevate a Lions team that was close but couldn’t quite get over the hump.



Instead, it was an unmitigated disaster.

Patricia alienated his players. He installed a grass hill at the practice facility and made players run it as a form of conditioning. He voiced his displeasure over players swapping jerseys with members of other teams. He banned loud music. Players who celebrated in games received an earful. Eventually, he lost the team.

The Lions fired Patricia and Quinn in 2020 following a 41-25 loss to the Houston Texans on Thanksgiving Day. Patricia was just 13-29-1 in parts of three seasons, a cautionary tale of what can happen when ego and power supersede collaboration and trust.

From this latest failure, the Lions learned they needed a new approach.



“Having gone through the Patricia-Quinn years, I really wanted people who were coming from two different institutions, two different teams, and brought kind of a fresh approach and not just one way of looking at the world,” Lions president Rod Wood said last week. “I think it’s real easy to go to a New England or a Pittsburgh or a Green Bay, teams that have historically been very good, and think, ‘You can replicate that in Detroit.’

“Well, we became Patriots Midwest. And that’s not who we wanted to be. We wanted to be the Detroit Lions. We were looking for people that were going to be our kind of people. And I think I kind of learned that the hard way.”

It would be the first GM/coaching search for Sheila Hamp, who took over as principal owner in June 2020. She leaned on Wood, chief operating officer Mike Disner and former Detroit linebacker Chris Spielman, who was brought on board as a special assistant shortly after Patricia and Quinn were fired.


Typically, a GM is hired first, then leads a search for the head coach. The GM ends up making a final call on a candidate, involved in the process from start to finish. But the Lions went a different direction.

“You’re not going to end up with two guys that work together if you don’t know what you’re looking for,” Wood said. “We really knew what we were looking for in terms of culture and leadership, and we certainly wanted to move away from the culture that we were coming out of.”



It was a comprehensive effort that cast a wide net, unlike the franchise’s previous search. Hamp was involved, kicking off interviews with her assessment of where the franchise was and where she wanted to take it. She wanted a culture of collaboration, a point stressed to every candidate. Then Wood, Disner and Spielman would jump in, creating a conversational environment to get to know each candidate.

Each member of the search committee had a grading sheet comprised of 12 categories and independently ranked candidates on a scale of one to five. When an interview concluded, they would debrief for an hour, then load their scores into a database Disner created. Potential GMs who voiced a need for sole power or a handpicked partner were often dismissed. The Lions were looking for leaders who could adapt and work together for a common goal, open to differing opinions in an effort to steer an egoless ship.

Through their process, they believe they found just that in Holmes and Campbell.

“People can BS you to a point, but then you could tell — this person is really not our kind of person or they’re not going to buy into this kind of structure,” Wood said. “Those two guys not only bought into it, they were embracing it.”


continued..

[whatever_gong82]

Holmes is a former HBCU football player and journalism major who parlayed a PR internship with the Rams into a job with the club’s scouting department. Promotions ensued. Area scout. National scout. Director of college scouting. This was important, considering the Lions wanted to build through the draft. Holmes’ eye for talent, paired with his communications skills, ultimately put him on Detroit’s radar.

“Of all the guys that we interviewed, Brad really stood out in terms of the draft process,” Wood said. “And we knew that was going to be our path to getting the team rebuilt.”

Some of the Lions’ GM interviews lasted two or three hours. Holmes’? A mere 90 minutes. The poise, clarity, vision and confidence to make things work no matter the circumstance — it was exactly what the Lions were looking for. Five minutes into Holmes’ interview, Wood reached for his pen and wrote four words in the top corner of his notes.

“This is the guy.”



At the same time, the Lions were far along with coaching candidates, including New Orleans Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell.

The Lions were familiar with Campbell, who made a lasting impression as a player for 10 seasons — three with Detroit. Campbell saw the struggles of the organization firsthand, playing for Detroit’s infamous 0-16 team in 2008. Upon retirement, Campbell rose through the ranks as a coach, including a stint as the Miami Dolphins’ interim head coach for 12 games in 2015. He’d interviewed for several jobs. But there were several conversations taking place behind the scenes to determine whether he’d be a fit as Detroit’s head coach.

One of those was between Spielman and former Saints head coach Sean Payton. Spielman called plenty of Saints games over the years while working as a television analyst and was able to see Campbell in practice. He quickly noticed the presence Campbell had in front of players. He had their respect.

Of course, that was just Spielman’s opinion. So he called Payton, Campbell’s boss.

“Sean, it’s Chris Spielman. Tell me about Dan Campbell.”

Thirty-two minutes later, Spielman was able to get in his next word: “Thanks.”

He heard everything he needed to hear.


As Detroit’s collective searches reached their finish lines, Wood introduced Campbell and Holmes to one another via text. The Lions had their guys, hailing from different NFL backgrounds and chosen simultaneously through a thorough, detailed process of elimination.

“We knew that not only were they going to be great for the program in culture, but they were going to bring people with the same mindset that have an egoless point of attack for building a team,” Spielman said. “That’s been proven.”


The Lions named Holmes their new GM on Jan. 14, 2021. Less than a week later, Campbell was named their new head coach.

Detroit’s vision for the future was very much collaborative, starting at the top. There was an understanding that the effort would take time, and time would be afforded. They would pick and choose spots to spend when it made sense but build through the draft, with Holmes’ eye for talent leading the way.

The Lions withheld quarterback Matthew Stafford’s trade request from GM candidates until a hire was made. When informed, Holmes was unfazed. He’d either have a QB at his disposal or the draft capital to build a roster around a new one. After having discussions with Stafford, Holmes ultimately traded him to the Rams. In return, the Lions received quarterback Jared Goff, a player Holmes helped the Rams draft No. 1 overall in 2016, plus a bevy of picks that would jumpstart Detroit’s rebuild.


Those who’ve worked with Holmes say he has a great “bullsh– detector,” an ability to cut through the noise and learn how a player is truly wired. He values the opinions of those around him, listening and gathering as much info as possible before making a final call — in tandem with Campbell and others.

“I knew right away that he could evaluate and that gave me great confidence. That’s all I needed to know,” said Lance Newmark, the Lions’ senior director of player personnel who’s entering his 26th season with the organization. “That’s such an underrated part of it. And you think, ‘Oh, that’s an automatic,’ but it’s not.”


The Lions were on the clock with the seventh selection in the 2021 draft, the first pick of Holmes’ tenure. Sitting there on the board was Oregon left tackle Penei Sewell. Holmes and the Lions phoned in the pick so quickly the league told him to take more time in the future. He did it again the following year.

It’s that genuine passion that appeals to so many in the organization. Players included.

“There are clips that I see online of that pick when it happened,” Sewell said. “To see him react like that to pick me, I was like, ‘Oh, it’s on.’ If he asked me to go swim 200 miles, I’d swim 200 miles. I’d go as far as he wants me to go.”

continued...

[whatever_gong82]

Newmark raves about Campbell’s involvement in the scouting process. The coach never blows off a meeting, values the input of those underneath him in the organization and has a unique ability to make everyone feel at ease in a high-stress environment.

He’s the same way with a coaching staff comprised of former players you’ve probably heard of. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn. Quarterbacks coach Mark Brunell. Wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El. Cornerbacks coach Dre Bly. Campbell claims that playing experience is not a prerequisite to landing a job on his staff. He simply wanted assistants with a vast knowledge of the game who were comfortable in their skin.



Take linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard. Known for his free-flowing dreadlocks during his NFL playing days, Sheppard eyed a transition to coaching upon retirement. But there aren’t many coaches who look like him, and Sheppard was worried his appearance might negatively impact how those with hiring power viewed him.

So in 2019, he called Campbell — someone he grew close with during their time together with the Dolphins — for some advice. Should he cut his hair to further his coaching career? “Are you crazy?” Campbell said. “If anybody’s hiring you, they’re hiring you because of you. You got those calls because of who you are, not because of somebody you’re trying to become.”

Campbell’s philosophy boils down to this: If players can’t be themselves, the Lions will never get the most out of them. That’s true for his coaches, too.

“I can be myself here,” Sheppard said. “That’s a secure feeling. To be able to be yourself, in a safe space, doing something you love to do — it’s why I’m blessed, man.”





Culture only means so much if wins never follow, and the early days in Detroit were tough for Campbell and Holmes. The Lions were winless in their first 11 games of 2021 and ultimately finished 3-13-1.

There was hope for more in Year 2. Detroit continued to build through the draft, led by homegrown defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, whom they took at No. 2. The on-field product was better, but early on, the results were more of the same. The Lions limped to a 1-6 start.



Was Campbell the right man for the job? Was Holmes doing enough to provide the team with talent? As speculation grew, Hamp spoke to local media in late October to put rumors to rest. “What I really have is confidence in the process we went through in the first place when we hired Brad and Dan,” Hamp said. “It was extremely thorough, and we really believe we’ve come up with the right people.”

Behind the scenes, confidence in what the Lions were building never wavered. The internal belief was that this was a young team still finding its way, learning how to win. It was only a matter of time.

“I’ve been in team meetings when you could tell the team has kind of checked out on the coaching staff, and that wasn’t the case here,” Wood said. “The team was 100 percent together, 100 percent behind the head coach.”

“The film was talking to me: It’s coming. I know it’s hard to believe, but it’s coming,” Spielman said. “You could see it.”

The Lions would go on to win seven of their next nine games, taking down three playoff teams along the way. Detroit found itself in the hunt — an unthinkable position just months prior.




The late-season run set up a meaningful regular-season finale against the Packers at Lambeau Field, a game that was flexed to “Sunday Night Football.” It was Detroit’s first and only prime-time game of the season, a chance to show the NFL what it had been building and potentially punch a ticket to the postseason. But it was a little too late. The Lions’ fate was decided minutes before kickoff, as the Seahawks’ Week 18 win over the Rams eliminated Detroit from playoff contention.

Nothing to play for? Not quite.



In dramatic fashion, the Lions beat the Packers 20-16 in what proved to be Aaron Rodgers’ final game in Green Bay, perhaps marking the beginning of a new era in the NFC North. Detroit went 5-1 in the division and finished 9-8 for its first winning season since 2017. All while fielding the NFL’s second-youngest roster.

Playoffs or not, the Lions were going to end on a high note.

“I think anybody that expected anything different doesn’t know the Detroit Lions,” left tackle Taylor Decker said in the locker room. “I think it’s that simple.”


continued..

[whatever_gong82]

There’s a palpable buzz around Allen Park these days. Holmes and Campbell have a running bit, wearing shirts with photos of one another at their news conferences. National media came to town in droves this summer hoping for a peek behind the curtain of one of the NFL’s most fascinating teams.

The Lions are the favorites to win the NFC North after laying the foundation. They addressed defensive holes in the offseason, adding safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson and cornerbacks Cam Sutton and Emmanuel Moseley via free agency and Iowa linebacker Jack Campbell with one of their two first-round draft picks.

Fresh off a top-5 scoring season, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson withdrew from head coaching consideration elsewhere to stay in Detroit. Goff is coming off a Pro Bowl campaign. Amon-Ra St. Brown, a 2021 fourth-round pick, is a budding star who had 1,161 receiving yards in 16 games last year. Jahmyr Gibbs, the other 2023 first-round pick, will pair with free-agent acquisition David Montgomery at running back, working behind one of the league’s best offensive lines.

In the process of this rebuild, the Lions have reinvigorated a fan base that never left — patiently waiting for a winner.

“I’d never been to Detroit, never really pictured myself playing for the Lions growing up, but it’s just cool now to see where it’s at and the national attention that we’re getting,” linebacker Alex Anzalone said. “If I were a kid now, my perception would be way different than what’s been in decades past.”



This team didn’t arrive overnight. It took patience aplenty. But Holmes and Campbell can look back now, together, with the full belief that they’re better off for approaching things the way they did.

“I do think that we — let’s call it ‘took our medicine,’ in the past couple of years,” Holmes said last week. “Me and Dan talk about it all the time. We’ve coached the Senior Bowl. We’ve had to do ‘Hard Knocks.’ We’ve done all that. We’ve gone through a lot of darkness to get to this point, but that’s where the grit comes, in terms of just not really wavering or putting your head down or getting discouraged.”

“You have this vision of where you want to go, where you see it going and what it’s going to take to get there,” Campbell said. “You don’t always know the timeline, but you know you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you. And so, I think we’re both very pleased.

“We’re not acquiring talent, we’re acquiring football players. I feel like we’ve got the most amount of those that we’ve had in three years, which gives me a lot of hope.”

Of course, that’s all any of this is right now — hope. Lions fans have been sold enough of it to last a lifetime. Through two years, this regime’s greatest on-field accomplishment is finishing a game above .500 and barely missing the playoffs. It’s fair to be skeptical, to want to see it before you believe it. After all, these are the Detroit Lions we’re talking about.

But if this works, if the Lions take the next step, if the Lions win their first division title in 30 years, if they win their first playoff game since the 1991 season and maybe more along the way, you’ll know the process, plan and relationship that led to it all.


Colton Pouncy is a staff writer for The Athletic covering the Detroit Lions. He previously covered Michigan State football and basketball for the company, and covered sports for The Tennessean in Nashville prior to joining The Athletic. Follow Colton on Twitter @colton_pouncy

[whatever_gong82]

Sorry for posting this article so late, but I was doing some personal stuff. I'll post the other few articles on here well before tonight's game vs. K.C.


Dan Campbell accidentally revealed the obvious for Detroit Lions: He's the man.

Shawn Windsor

Detroit Free Press

Dan Campbell is the man. Not Ben Johnson. Not Aaron Glenn. Not Jared Goff or Aidan Hutchinson or Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Brad Holmes is also the man, or the co-man, if you will (though it's not as catchy), because Campbell isn’t in the position he’s in if not for Holmes, and vice-versa. The Detroit Lions head coach and the Detroit Lions general manager are that connected, that simpatico.

But really, Campbell is the man. It’s his show Sunday to Sunday or, as in the case of this week, Sunday to Thursday, wait 10 days, and then back to Sunday.

Campbell would never say he’s the man — let's face it, he doesn’t need to — but he finally kinda said it last week, even if it was inadvertently. And that's a good thing, proper and true. It came out during his explanation of describing Johnson’s role and, for that matter, Glenn’s role, too.



“I mean our coordinators know every week I go in there and say, ‘Here’s how we’re going to win this game,’ because I see it with three phrases. Their job is they’ve got one track, one-track mind: ‘How do we move the football? How do we stop the football defensively?’ But there’s a way to win a game, and so sometimes that means you have to play the game a little different offensively and use your defense or special teams, or, vice-versa, use the other two units.”




Got that?

No?

Let me break it down from Campbell-ese. The head coach is the one who says: “Here’s how we’re going to win this game.”

It’s his idea. His plan. His responsibility. If the Lions lose, it’s his fault. If the Lions win, he gets the credit.


Now, this isn’t to say his coordinators and coaches in general don’t make a difference. Of course, they do. They have their plans — Johnson's is "How do we move the football?" while Glenn's is, "How do we stop the football defensively?" — but the game plan is a collaboration. Managing a game is as well.

The seed for that comes from Campbell. It’s his brainchild, and he’s the one who tasks Johnson and Glenn — and from them, everyone else — on how to adjust the offense and the defense and even the special teams (run by Dave Fipp) to beat the upcoming opponent.


This is his vision.

And as good as Johnson has been designing and calling plays, and as much as Glenn improved at rearranging the defensive parts the last half of last season, their visions are his visions. He sees what they see.

As he said Friday of Johnson:




“Look, I always thought a lot of Ben. … I’ve had a lot of faith in him. I’ve known him for a long time. … He and I have the same-type vision offensively, and that helps me with him. We see the game very much the same way.”

See what he did there? That sort of balance isn’t easy. He is praising Johnson and the job he is doing. He is also explaining that he knows a little about offense, too, and that he understands football. He just isn’t doing it in a look-at-me kind of way.


Campbell has expressed similar thoughts about Glenn, but in a way that would never undermine his confidant and friend.


Part of a head coaching job is empowerment. Another part is temperament.

Last season, when the Lions began 1-6, it was Campbell taking responsibility for the poor start. And when the Lions got blasted in Charlotte on Christmas Eve? A loss that essentially cost them the playoffs?




Campbell said it was him and him alone.

“We weren’t ready emotionally, physically, mentally for that game,” he said. “You say things but ultimately when you play that way, that falls on me.”

He didn’t point to a coach, or a player, or even a single play, really. He talked about lessons learned as a team learns how to win, and as a coach learns how to help a team win.

He made it clear it was his show without saying it was his show. He’s secure that way, comfortable with himself, confident enough to help deflect credit when he’s due some and absorb blame even if it’s not all his.

Think about it this way: His tact and persona are at least part of the reason Johnson is so highly thought of in NFL circles. Yes, Johnson is a promising young offensive coordinator, but the offense began to change when Campbell took over play-calling duties.



Besides, there is a difference in creating a playbook on your own and creating a playbook as part of a larger system, someone else’s system, as Johnson has done with — and for — Campbell, though Campbell, of course, wouldn’t say that.

He will, however, give out self-revealing nuggets that are a byproduct of an explanation about something else. Such as when he said he was the one who tells the coordinators: Here’s how we’re going to win.




“The test with being a coordinator is certainly every week’s going to be different,” Campbell said. “We’re going to have some injuries. We’re going to have some people down and that falls into, ‘Alright, with what we’ve got now going into this game versus this opponent, what’s going to give us the best chance to move the ball?’ And like I tell (Johnson) all the time, it’s not always going to be about the yardage or, ‘I need you to put up 30 this week ...’ —there’s so many things that go into play.”

That sounds like the man, too. It was refreshing to hear.

As a reminder of what rests on his shoulders, for one. And as a reminder of what he is trying to build and, more critically, how he is building it.

Campbell may play well for the cameras, but that’s just him being who he is. It’s easy to get sidetracked by the effortless charisma and passion in his tone. Look at Charles Barkley, who admitted he didn’t like football in high school because he didn’t like getting hit; he said he’d like a do-over so he could play for Dan Campbell now.

It seems everyone would like to play for him these days. And, yeah, part of that is his ability to come across as authentic. But part of that is his mind and his understanding of a complex and multi-layered game.

It’s about time he finally fessed up that the strategy starts with him — that he's the man — even if he did it unintentionally. That's part of his mojo too.



Contact Shawn Windsor: 313-222-6487 or swindsor@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter@shawnwindsor.

[whatever_gong82]

Chiefs All-Pro Chris Jones says he's ready to play vs. Detroit Lions 'if a deal gets done'

Jared Ramsey

Detroit Free Press

Kansas City Chiefs star defensive lineman Chris Jones is taking his contract holdout to the 11th hour and doesn't appear ready to budge as his status for Thursday’s season-opener against the Detroit Lions remains undetermined.

Jones spoke to Kansas City media members Wednesday afternoon while conducting a charity event with the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Kansas City where he handed out meals to local families.

Jones spoke to the media about the status of his contract and his availability on Thursday against Detroit. Kansas City’s defensive star did not provide any insight to how negotiations with the Chiefs were going, but did say he was ready to suit up if things were figured out before kickoff.



“I could be playing, I could be out there on the sideline tomorrow,” Jones said. “I really don’t know. … If a deal gets done, I can be out there tomorrow.”

Jones’ absence would be a game-changer for both the Lions and Chiefs. Jones, a reigning first-team All-Pro at defensive tackle, led the Kansas City defense with 15½ sacks and 17 tackles for loss in 2022. Jones is one of two All-Pro players that could be absent Thursday for Kansas City, along with Travis Kelce, who is limited in practice after hyperextending his knee on Tuesday.


“As much as I try to appease people, you can’t make everyone happy,” Jones said. “I am just asking for a raise.”

[whatever_gong82]

I'm hoping for a close game, and if we win, I'd be ecstatic.

Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs: Dave Birkett's scouting report, prediction

Dave Birkett

Detroit Free Press


Detroit Lions (0-0) at Kansas City (0-0)


The coaches: Lions — Dan Campbell (17-28-1 overall, 12-21-1 with Lions); Chiefs — Andy Reid (247-138-1 overall, 117-45 with Chiefs).

Last game: Season opener for both teams.

Last meeting: Sept. 29, 2019: Chiefs won, 34-30.


Key matchups

Lions LB Alex Anzalone vs. Chiefs TE Travis Kelce: Patrick Mahomes is the NFL’s reigning MVP, and his favorite target is Kelce, the game’s best tight end. Kelce caught 110 passes last season and had topped 1,000 yards receiving every season Mahomes has been in the league, though he suffered a knee injury earlier this week and his availability for Thursday is in question. Anzalone is the Lions’ best every-down coverage linebacker, so he’s bound to match up with Kelce at some point Thursday even though the Lions are playing more zone coverage in the middle of the field. Anzalone said Kelce is especially dangerous on broken or extended plays, where he and Mahomes seem to be reading each other’s minds. “It’s crazy, you just see him, he’s rolling out (one) way and Kelce’s going (the other) way across the field and he’s looking for him,” Anzalone said. “So it’s like, if you’re near him or around him and he starts to scramble, someone has to get on 87. It’s insane.”


Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown vs. Chiefs CB Trent McDuffie: The Lions may want to run the ball to keep Mahomes and Kansas City’s offense off the field, but they have some advantages in the passing game. All-Pro defensive tackle Chris Jones is holding out in a contract dispute, and if top Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed can’t go or is limited by his knee injury, Kansas City will be without two of its best defensive players. St. Brown has 196 catches in his first two seasons and is Jared Goff’s go-to target on third downs. He plays primarily out of the slot, which means he’ll match up against McDuffie plenty Thursday. McDuffie shined during Kansas City’s run to the Super Bowl and a big performance Thursday would cement his status as a breakout candidate this fall.


Scouting report

Lions run offense vs. Chiefs run defense

The Lions had 100 or more yards rushing in their first six games last season and 12 of 17 games overall. They want to run the football. As Campbell has said, a good rushing attack creates explosive plays, and the Lions have an edge in the trenches with Jones out and their offensive line healthy.


At running back, the Lions are breaking in their new backfield tandem of David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs. Montgomery did not play in preseason games, but he’s a proven commodity who the power and vision to gain tough yards between the tackles. Gibbs is more explosive, a mismatch in the passing game and flew out as a receiver at times. They complement each other similarly to how Jamaal Williams and D’Andre Swift did last year.


The Chiefs gave up the eighth fewest rushing yards (107.2) in the NFL last season. Jones, the best defensive tackle in the NFL not named Aaron Donald, was a big part of that success and his absence is crushing. But Nick Bolton emerged last season as one of the league’s top linebackers and Kansas City has speed all over the field. Edge: Lions



Lions pass offense vs. Chiefs pass defense

Jared Goff closed last season with a streak of 324 straight pass attempts without an interception, and Campbell said it’s imperative he take the same approach to ball security this year. “He’s very much a piece of the puzzle here,” Campbell said. “He’s not the end-all, be-all. We don’t need you to be a Hall-of-Fame quarterback out there. We just need you to run the offense, be efficient, make the throws that are there, be accurate when you (throw), because that’s what he does well. Get us into the right play, that’s all you’ve got to do.”

St. Brown leads a veteran receiving corps that lacks a traditional deep threat. He’s a dynamic slot weapon with some of the surest hands in the NFL, and he’s flanked by Kalif Raymond, Josh Reynolds and Marvin Jones on the outside. None averaged more than 13.1 yards per catch last season. Gibbs and rookie tight end Sam LaPorta figure to be a big part of the passing game and creative offensive coordinator will use both to help stretch the field.

The Chiefs ranked fifth in the NFL in sack percentage last season, recording one on about 9% of their opponents’ dropbacks. Jones was the only player with more than six sacks — he had 15.5 — and the Chiefs also will be without edge rusher Charles Omenihu because of suspension. Kansas City does have two young pass rushers in first-round pick Felix Anudike-Uzomah and George Karlaftis, but their young secondary that starts three 2022 draft picks could be vulnerable to the deep shot. Edge: Lions

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