The Detroit Lions are traveling once again this week, and they're headed into hostile territory against the Kansas City Chiefs for a Week 6 primetime clash. The two squads couldn't be in different spots at this point in the season - the Lions are 4-1, atop several power rankings leading into Week 6, and have another high-octane offense running the show in 2025.
The Chiefs, by contrast, are now 2-3 on the year, third in the AFC West behind the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos, and haven't looked like the juggernaut they're, essentially, always presumed to be with Patrick Mahomes at the helm.
It makes the Lions and Chiefs clash set to take place during Sunday Night Football all the more intriguing. Detroit is fighting to keep a four game winning streak alive - Kansas City is just fighting to show they're still a contending football team. There are a few key matchups between the two of these teams that should be fun to watch.
4 matchups to watch in clash between Lions, Chiefs
Jared Goff vs. Patrick Mahomes
This is the most obvious matchup to watch for in this contest. Goff has simply been elite to begin the 2025 season. He's leading a team that's averaging 365 yards on offense per game, and he's currently wielding a second-best passer rating of 120.7. He's completed 12 or more touchdown passes while also completing 75 percent or more of his passes and maintaining a passer rating of 120 or better through five games - that puts him in the company of former MVP Peyton Manning.
Mahomes hasn't exactly struggled to start the year, but he doesn't look like the surefooted signal caller he has always been. He's got two turnovers on the year and just eight passing touchdowns, but he's far from the Chiefs' biggest issue. It's time for a signature performance from Mahomes, and what better time for it than against a potentially depleted and vulnerable Lions secondary?
Aidan Hutchinson vs. Jawaan Taylor
The oft-penalized Taylor will have his hands full against Hutchinson in this game. The Lions' best pass rusher and potential Defensive Player of the Year candidate has already tallied up five sacks on the year and two forced fumbles. He seems intent on always punching the ball out of a quarterback's hands when executing a sack lately, and that poses a real issue for Taylor.
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The Chiefs' seventh-year tackle has been perfectly fine at pass blocking this year, allowing zero sacks on the year on Mahomes. But, Kansas City had issues against Josh Hines-Allen in Week 5, and it feels destined that Hutchinson will shine again in primetime just as he did against the Baltimore Ravens during Monday Night Football in Week 3. Detroit's pass rush is one of the best in the NFL right now.
Harrison Butker vs. Jack Fox
Fox had an underrated game on special teams in Week 5 for the Lions. He finished up the game with four total punts that landed inside the Cincinnati Bengals' 20, and he has 11 punts inside the 20 on the year - tied for 2nd best. Butker, on the other hand, has struggled this season.
He had a potentially game-losing kickoff that landed out of bounds against the Jacksonville Jaguars, placing the ball at the 40 and kicking off what would be a game-winning drive for them. Special teams have suddenly become all-important this year with new kickoff rules in full effect, and Fox has thrived regardless. Butker, not so much. These wins on the margin are what's separating Detroit from Kansas City right now.
Trent McDuffie vs. Amon-Ra St. Brown
St. Brown has been off to an electric start for the Lions this season. With a league-leading six receiving touchdowns and 407 receiving yards on the year, he's solidifying his status as a legendary Lions wide receiver alongside the likes of Calvin Johnson, Herman Moore, and Johnnie Morton.
McDuffie, on the other hand, has continued to prove to be one of the Chiefs' best draft selections in a very long time.
He's already had six pass breakups and one interception on the year, and he's an active threat to St. Brown in the open field. Against Goff, McDuffie can present issues as Goff isn't a scrambling quarterback like Mahomes. Of course, Detroit has the luxury of just deferring to Jahmyr Gibbs or David Montgomery if he's really locking the Lions' receivers down like that.