The NFL season is finally upon us and we’re in for a fantastic opening game when the Detroit Lions travel to face the defending champions the Kansas City Chiefs in week 1.
The Chiefs claimed their second championship in four years with a win against the Philadelphia Eagles back in February, while the Lions had to lick their wounds after a poor season saw them miss out on the playoffs.
But after a pre-season of recharging and recalibrating, we’ll take a look at the game and provide you with our best free NFL betting picks to see if we can earn you some extra cash while you watch the action.
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After partying and celebrating their successful 2022 season, preparations for the new year began with the first of three pre-season games on August 13 for the Chiefs when they took on the New Orleans Saints.
And it was a slow start in that game as they found themselves 14-0 down after the first quarter. Half-time saw them 17-7 down before they rallied with a 14-0 third quarter to take the lead, only for a fourth-quarter collapse saw them lose the game 26-24.
They bounced back in game 2 of pre-season against the Arizona Cardinals with a much more familiar and dominant display that saw them claim a 38-10 win in Phoenix, before they wrapped up their pre-season with a sensational comeback win against the Cleveland Browns.
Kansas were 22-3 down after the first quarter but won the second quarter 13-7 and the third quarter 14-0 to take the lead before a quieter fourth quarter saw them run out 33-32 winners.
As for Detroit they started their pre-season with a comeback win of their own against the New York Giants, battling back from 13-3 down at half-time to win 21-16. Game 2 saw them lose to the Jacksonville Jaguars quite convincingly though as they failed to register a point in three quarters and fell to a 25-7 defeat.
Their preparation was completed with a back and forth win over the Carolina Panthers as they fought back from 10-0 down in the first quarter to win the second quarter 20-0 and eventually win the game 17-26.
This line is an absolute gift wrap of a bet and you should get on it as quickly as you can before the odds get even shorter.
Dan Campbell‘s club was one of the best teams against the spread last year (+3.9 was the second-best average ATS in the league), but they’ll quickly become overmatched here.
Getting this type of value on a bet that is less than a touchdown for the defending champs to win at home is crazy against a team as poor as the Lions have been in recent times.
Ths is a fantastic bet and you could potentially even stretch it out with an alternative to get better price as they should win this game quite comfortably.
Check out our review for BetUS sports betting here.
The Chiefs lost their elite offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy and don’t yet have a true top pass-catcher behind tight end Travis Kelce. Despite that though, the reigning NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes can maximize Reid’s system regardless of personnel and should be the difference maker in a game like this.
Though drafting Jahmyr Gibbs and signing David Montgomery added a bit more potential to their run game, Detroit’s offense — especially downfield — would’ve been much more dangerous had second-year WR Jameson Williams not been suspended for the first six games of the season for violating the league’s gambling policy.
To supplement Amon-Ra St. Brown, the Lions will lean on their bolstered backfield and their top-shelf offensive line to try to keep Mahomes off the field. But with Goff’s inconsistency as predictable as the sky is blue, don’t expect that to be a winning game plan.
Kansas City are the favorites to reach a fourth Super Bowl final in five years for a reason, and they will celebrate their Lombardi Trophy in style by spreading the ball around to their diverse targets and letting Isiah Pacheco control the second half on the ground.
The Chiefs have the best quarterback in the world and have shown in pre-season that they are more than capable of scoring a boatload of points. If Detroit have quarters without scoring again then that likely means the Chiefs are in control and dominating, which should see them balance out the scoring by blowing the Lions out of the water.
It will likely be close, but the overs is the play here at this price.
Check out our review for BetOnline sports betting here.
About the Author
Daniel is a football writer who has a great thirst for the Premier League and other major European leagues. A lover of the beautiful game and a firm believer that the eye test is better than statistics. Also an avid MMA fan.
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