NFL season opener picks and open thread for Week 1

The NFL season kicks off tonight with Sunday Night Football on Thursday night at 8:15 p.m. ET as the Kansas City Chiefs host the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium. The Chiefs are 4.5-point favorites, according to our friends at DraftKings Sportsbook, and the total is set at 53.5 points.

Detroit will try to knock off the defending champs in the NFL’s first regular season game of 2023. Kansas City is expected to play without its two best players not named Patrick Mahomes -- tight end Travis Kelce (hyperextended knee) and defensive tackle Chris Jones (contract holdout) are unlikely to suit up.

Jones said to media yesterday: “We can’t really talk about it. Hopefully, it gets worked out. You know, it’s always been my goal to be a Kansas City Chief for life. I’ve said that multiple times on social media platforms [and] from interviews. They know where my position is at — and hopefully, we can get something worked out for the long term.”

We’ll see how long he and Kelce remain out of the Chiefs lineup. They’ll face the Jaguars in Jacksonville next week.

This is now an open thread for the game. Let us know your TNF thoughts in the comments below!