6 Detroit Lions players who must play well against the Chiefs in Week 1

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.

6 players who have to play well if the Detroit Lions are going to upset the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1

6. LB Alex Anzalone

Anzalone is moving over to WILL linebacker this year, but he is surely going to still be wearing the "green dot" to communicate defensive calls on the field. Getting everyone where they need to be, in a loud environment with hand signals to do so as he plays a chess game with Mahomes, will be more critical than anything tangible he does statistically on Thursday night.

That said, Anzalone may be a key part of the Lions' plan to defend Kelce, assuming the Chiefs' top pass catcher suits up. He has allowed less than an 80 passer rating in his coverage each of the last two seasons (per Pro Football Reference), which honestly defies what the eye test says at times.

Anzalone has to be at his sharpest mentally against the Chiefs, even moreso than not making any physical mistakes.

5. LB Jack Campbell

Derrick Barnes is in line to start alongside Anzalone on Thursday night, the rookie Campbell will surely see some significant snaps in his NFL debut and he is the most rawly all-around talented linebacker the Lions have.

Woodward Sports pointed to Campbell as someone who needs to perform well against the Chiefs, as a run defender, in coverage or even as someone to get after Mahomes at little.

Even if it's only for something like 20-25 snaps in the game, Campbell can be very impactful against the Chiefs' offense regardless of who is available. At minimum, he needs to not make any glaring mistakes in the big spotlight of his NFL debut.

4. RB Jahmyr Gibbs

He didn't do it in a toe-the-line of the rules, Gregg Williams offering bounties kind of way, but Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo put a bit of a bullseye on Gibbs in his game plan this week.

"It's all eyeballs on No. 26 when he goes in the game," "That's one of the things we've been talking about, know where he is and if he's in the game because we certainly think with a guy that's that explosive they're going to try to find way to get him the ball.""

Steve Spagnuolo

Gibbs is obviously lined up for a multi-faceted role this season. More narrowly, his versatility/big play ability can be a real game-changer in the Lions' bid to upset the Chiefs. Beyond the explosive plays he can offer, Gibbs can make a difference doing little things that won't show up in the box score.

Check out this play from the first preseason game, as Gibbs recognized pressure coming on the back side and abandoned a play-action fake to give Nate Sudfeld a clean pocket. A credit to his awareness, and perhaps his mental preparation after going against the Giants in joint practices that week.

3. WR Amon-Ra St. Brown

St. Brown is an obvious one here, as the Lions' No. 1 wide receiver and a general tone setter for his teammates. He and Jared Goff have a strong connection, and that rapport will have to be non-verbal quite a bit in one of the loudest stadiums in the NFL.

St. Brown will be an important safety net for Goff against the Chiefs, as he always is. The Lions' offense has to be efficient moving the chains and extending drives if they are to pull an upset, and the "Sun God" will obviously be a key cog there.

2. DE Aidan Hutchinson

Kyle Brandt of NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" went a little off the grid to name Hutchinson as his pick for Defensive Player of the Year this year, with a prediction of a big game (two sacks) against the Chiefs to put him on that track.

The Lions' effort to get pressure on Mahomes Thursday starts with Hutchinson. Winning his one-on-ones against two lackluster Chiefs' offensive tackles is one thing, but he will give his teammates favorable one-on-ones too since he'll surely draw a good dose of double-teams.

Hutchinson is lined up for a breakthrough second season. It has to literally start with a big performance against Kansas City.

1. QB Jared Goff

Goff comes into the new season with the fifth-longest streak of pass attempts without an interception in league history (324), with a chance to break into the top-3 with a clean game against the Chiefs

Of course a "clean game" for Goff goes beyond interceptions. When there's pressure around him, which should be eased greatly by Chris Jones' absence on Thursday night, he is susceptible to sack-fumbles and making throws that aren't ideal even if they're completed.

Goff has to strike a balance between cutting it loose and not making mistakes, in most every game and most definitely in a potential shootout against the Chiefs. He has not been one to fear moments and tough environments, setting performance aside, but his first visit to Arrowhead will be an all-around test he has to pass with flying colors if the Lions will have any chance to pull the upset.