Chiefs to open Super Bowl defense against Lions

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Chiefs will begin the 2023 NFL season with a game against the Lions on Sept. 7 at Arrowhead Stadium in the traditional Thursday prime-time season opener for the defending Super Bowl champion.

The Chiefs are planning to unveil the banner that night marking their Super Bowl LVII victory over the Philadelphia Eagles.

They will be able to celebrate their title with a full stadium of fans, unlike in the opener after their Super Bowl LIV win over the San Francisco 49ers. Then, in 2020, COVID-19 restrictions limited the crowd to an announced total of 15,895 as the Chiefs beat the Houston Texans.

The Lions won eight of their final 10 games in 2022 to finish at 9-8 and post their first winning record since 2017. They were chosen to play for the first time in the NFL Kickoff Game, which began in 2002.

Among the other teams that could have been selected to play the Chiefs in Arrowhead Stadium were the Los Angeles Chargers, Buffalo Bills and Eagles.

The Super Bowl rematch against the Eagles will take place on Nov. 20, in a “Monday Night Football” matchup on ESPN and ABC.

The New York Giants, meanwhile, are hosting the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1 on Sunday night at MetLife Stadium, sources told ESPN’s Jordan Raanan.

In another game announced ahead of the full 2023 schedule release Thursday night, the Chiefs will face the Las Vegas Raiders on Dec. 25 in Kansas City in a contest that will air on Nickelodeon and CBS.

A pair of 49ers games also have been announced, as they will host the Cowboys in Week 5 on Oct. 8 and play at the Eagles in a 2022 NFC Championship Game rematch in Week 13 on Dec. 3.

The home team is 16-5 all time in the NFL Kickoff Game, and the Chiefs are 2-0, defeating the champion New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium in 2017 along with their 2020 win over the Texans.