Chiefs-Lions: Start time, channel, how to watch and stream NFL kickoff

It’s been 207 days since the Kansas City Chiefs narrowly defeated the Eagles in Super Bowl LVII, but after a long offseason football is finally back.

The Chiefs and Patrick Mahomes will host the Detroit Lions Thursday night in the NFL’s annual kickoff game, a surprising choice considering the Lions have played in just two primetime games over the past three seasons (excluding their annual Thanksgiving games) and started last season 1-6. But the Lions got hot during the second half of the season, which ended with Detroit preventing Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers from advancing to the playoffs.

It’s hard to believe it’s Andy Reid’s 11th season as the Chiefs’ head coach. Reid, 65, was hired by Kansas City after the Eagles fired him following the 2012 season. Under him, the Chiefs have gone 162-117 and made the playoffs in eight-straight seasons, winning two Super Bowls. Just four coaches have won more Super Bowls than Reid, who isn’t expected to retire anytime soon.

“That’s never come up in my conversations with Andy,” said Chiefs owner Clark Hunt. “I think he has as much energy and passion as I’ve seen in the past 10-plus years that he’s been with us.”

The big news heading into Thursday’s game is the status of Chiefs star Travis Kelce, who won’t play tonight after a hyperextending his knee during practice Tuesday, according to multiple reports. It’s the first game that Kelce’s missed since 2014, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, but the injury doesn’t seem to be serious and the Chiefs are hopeful he’ll be able to play next week, ProFootballTalk reports.

“From what we know right now, his knee is fine,” his brother, Eagles center Jason Kelce, said on 94.1 WIP Wednesday. “It’s about getting that swelling down and [seeing] how bruised that bone is.”

With or without Kelce, the Chiefs are certainly a hot property this season — Kansas City is scheduled to play in primetime six times, one more than the Eagles’ five scheduled primetime appearances. The two teams will meet in Arrowhead Stadium in Week 11 on Fox in one of the most highly anticipated games of the season, thanks to a tense Super Bowl that set viewership records and came down to a late-game field goal (and penalty).

The Eagles will open their season on the road Sunday against Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, who will be celebrating future Hall of Famer (and future Fox Sports announcer) Tom Brady on the field before the game. The Patriots nearly drafted Jalen Hurts, and Belichick said the Eagles quarterback was “arguably the best player in the league.”

Here’s everything you need to know about the NFL Kickoff game between the Chiefs and the Lions:

The NFL Kickoff game between the Chiefs and Lions is scheduled to begin at 8:20 p.m. Eastern on NBC.

Calling the game will be Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth, who are entering their second season together on NBC’s NFL coverage. Melissa Stark will report from the sidelines of Arrowhead Stadium.

Collinsworth is entering his 15th season calling Sunday Night Football games, and like many NFL fans and pundits, he was surprised — but not shocked — to see the Lions playing in the NFL’s first game of the season.

“When the schedule came out... and it was Kansas City and Detroit, I was like, really? Really?” Collinsworth said in a conference call earlier this week. “But they’ve won eight out of 10, they were the hot team, they’re kind of a very interesting team with a lot of interesting personalities, and in many ways I think it was the perfect game to match up against Kansas City in the opener.”

The Chiefs-Lions game can also be heard on WIP in and around Philadelphia via Westwood One, with Kevin Harlan and Hall of Famer Kurt Warner on the call.

» READ MORE: Tony Romo will call two Eagles games this season while Fox gets many of the Birds' best match-ups

The Chiefs-Lions game will stream on Peacock, NBC’s subscription streaming platform.

Peacock will exclusively stream two NFL games this season — a Week 16 matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 23, and a playoff game during the wild card round on Jan. 12.

The Chiefs-Lions game will also stream in the Philadelphia market on any so-called skinny bundle that carries NBC, including fuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu + Live TV, Sling TV, and DirecTV Stream. Most offer a free trial.

Fans can also stream the game on NFL+, the league streaming service. It’ll set you back $6.99 a month, though there is a free seven-day trial.

If you’re looking to stream the game for free and you live in or around Philadelphia, your best option is using a digital antenna, since since the game will air on broadcast television.

While NBC’s Sunday Night Football booth remains unchanged from last season, NFL fans will see a new face on the network’s pregame show.

Former Patriots Super Bowl champ Devin McCourty is jumping to Football Night in America this season, where he’ll join host Maria Taylor and analysts Jason Garrett, Chris Simms, Tony Dungy, and Rodney Harrison. Also joining the crowded broadcast will be NFL insider Mike Florio, fantasy sports analyst Matthew Berry, and Jac Collinsworth.

Eagles fans might remember McCourty as the Patriots defender Zach Ertz leapt over to score the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl LII in 2018 (one of two Birds scores Collinsworth thought should’ve been overturned).

It’s not McCourty’s first foray in television. Last season, while still on the Patriots’ roster, McCourty worked as a studio analyst on The NFL Today on CBS. His twin brother, former NFL cornerback Jason McCourty, is a co-host on the NFL Network’s Good Morning Football. The two hosted the Double Coverage podcast from 2018 to 2020 while they were both still with the Patriots.

In addition to the Eagles, there’s a lot to see in Week 1 this season, including Sean Payton making his debut as the head coach of the Denver Broncos and Aaron Rodgers first game in New York (well, New Jersey). There’s also a big NFC East matchup between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Jets that will air on Sunday Night Football.

Here’s the NFL’s full Week 1 schedule, along with their TV announcing crews:

» READ MORE: Eagles game-by-game predictions for 2023