The betting lines have moved in their favor in the wake of injury news about Travis Kelce, but whether the best tight end in the NFL plays on Thursday night or not the Detroit Lions are still a pretty solid underdogs to the Kansas City Chiefs.
With or without Kelce on the field (and without star defensive tackle Chris Jones for sure), the Chiefs still have Patrick Mahomes and plenty of other talented players to challenge the Lions on both sides of the ball. The noise of Arrowhead Stadium will add a layer to it for a young team trying to show it's worthy of all the offseason hype.
Head coach Dan Campbell reinforced how important it will be for his players to not get too high or too low, and "put the last one (play) behind you" in a tough environment against the defending Super Bowl champs. That is easy to say and hard to do, but the Lions have to relish the opportunity that's in front them too. A statement to the doubters and the rest of the league can be made, saying loudly these are not the "Same Old Lions" and indeed the "Brand New Lions."
If the Lions are to not just keep it close against the Chiefs (the proverbial "moral victory") but pull the upset, these six players will have to play well.