Detroit Lions vs. Kansas City Chiefs: 2023 Week 1 Recap

Game story

In Week 1 of the 2023 NFL season on 2023-09-07, the Detroit Lions took care of business against the Kansas City Chiefs, pulling away with a 21–20 final that came down to the wire.

The highest-scoring period was Q2 with 15 combined points — the stretch that most shaped the final margin.

P. Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) paced the passing game, with -2.19 total EPA, and -6.2% completion percentage over expected.

On the individual side, A.St. Brown (Detroit Lions) delivered the top overall EPA impact at +5.61 — the clearest player-of-the-game signal on the analytics sheet.

The momentum swing (-24.3% win probability) landed in the third quarter when Kansas City Chiefs changed the game: (11:04) (Shotgun) 15-P.Mahomes pass short right intended for 19-K.Toney INTERCEPTED by 32-B.Branch at 50. 32-B.Branch for 50 yards, TOUCHDOWN.

Line score

Final score and points by quarter.

Stars of the game

Top performers by total expected points added (EPA) across passing, rushing, and receiving.

1. 1 A.St. Brown · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +5.61 total EPA · 9 snaps · +0.62 EPA/play
2. 2 M. Valdes-Scantling · Kansas City Chiefs · Receiving · +4.06 total EPA · 2 snaps · +2.03 EPA/play
3. 3 I. Pacheco · Kansas City Chiefs · Receiving · +2.69 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.67 EPA/play
4. 4 J. Goff · Detroit Lions · Passing · +2.54 total EPA · 36 snaps · +0.07 EPA/play
5. 5 J. Reeves-Maybin · Detroit Lions · Rushing · +2.53 total EPA · 1 snaps · +2.53 EPA/play
6. 6 K. Raymond · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +1.77 total EPA · 1 snaps · +1.77 EPA/play
7. 7 S. LaPorta · Detroit Lions · Receiving · +1.74 total EPA · 5 snaps · +0.35 EPA/play
8. 8 Ju. Watson · Kansas City Chiefs · Receiving · +1.70 total EPA · 4 snaps · +0.43 EPA/play

Player of the game

FantasyHQ analytics player-of-the-game pick based on total EPA and signature plays.

Who scored touchdowns and field goals

Every touchdown and field goal with the player named in official play-by-play.

Touchdowns

• Detroit Lions — A. St (J. Goff pass) (Q1 47:52)
• Kansas City Chiefs — R. Rice (P. Mahomes pass) (Q2 41:56)
• Kansas City Chiefs — B. Bell (P. Mahomes pass) (Q2 30:37)
• Detroit Lions — B. Branch (Q3 26:04)
• Detroit Lions — D. Montgomery (Q4 7:11)

Field goals

• Kansas City Chiefs — H. Butker (Q3 17:14)
• Kansas City Chiefs — H. Butker (Q4 12:16)

How it unfolded, quarter by quarter

A quarter-by-quarter recap built from live scoring plays and play descriptions.

The opening quarter: Detroit Lions won the period 7–0. Detroit Lions found the end zone from the KC 9 (Q1 47:52) — (2:52) (Shotgun) 16-J.Goff pass short right to 14-A.St. Brown for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Detroit Lions added 1 points from the KC 15 (Q1 47:46) — 36-R.Patterson extra point is GOOD, Center-47-S.Daly, Holder-3-J.Fox..

The second quarter: Kansas City Chiefs won the period 15–0. Kansas City Chiefs found the end zone from the DET 1 (Q2 41:56) — (11:56) (Shotgun) 15-P.Mahomes pass short left to 4-R.Rice for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.; Kansas City Chiefs added 1 points from the DET 15 (Q2 41:50) — 7-H.Butker extra point is GOOD, Center-41-J.Winchester, Holder-5-T.Townsend.; Kansas City Chiefs found the end zone from the DET 4 (Q2 30:37) — (:37) (Shotgun) 15-P.Mahomes pass short right to 81-B.Bell for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Kansas City Chiefs added 1 points from the DET 15 (Q2 30:34) — 7-H.Butker extra point is GOOD, Center-41-J.Winchester, Holder-5-T.Townsend.; Kansas City Chiefs added 1 points from the KC 35 (Q2 30:34) — 7-H.Butker kicks 65 yards from KC 35 to end zone, Touchback..

The third quarter: Detroit Lions won the period 7–3. Detroit Lions found the end zone from the DET 54 (Q3 26:04); Detroit Lions added 1 points from the KC 15 (Q3 25:54) — 36-R.Patterson extra point is GOOD, Center-47-S.Daly, Holder-3-J.Fox.; Kansas City Chiefs connected on a field goal from the DET 17 (Q3 17:14) — (2:14) 7-H.Butker 35 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-41-J.Winchester, Holder-5-T.Townsend..

The fourth quarter: Detroit Lions won the period 7–3. Kansas City Chiefs connected on a field goal from the DET 21 (Q4 12:16) — (12:16) 7-H.Butker 39 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-41-J.Winchester, Holder-5-T.Townsend.; Detroit Lions found the end zone from the KC 8 (Q4 7:11) — (7:11) 5-D.Montgomery up the middle for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN.; Detroit Lions added 1 points from the KC 15 (Q4 7:06) — 36-R.Patterson extra point is GOOD, Center-47-S.Daly, Holder-3-J.Fox..

Turning points

Plays that moved win probability the most — the swings that decided the game.

• Kansas City Chiefs (Q3 26:04) — (11:04) (Shotgun) 15-P.Mahomes pass short right intended for 19-K.Toney INTERCEPTED by 32-B.Branch at 50. 32-B.Branch for 50 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -24.3% · EPA -8.54]
• Detroit Lions (Q4 2:33) — (2:33) (Shotgun) 16-J.Goff pass incomplete short right to 8-J.Reynolds (20-J.Reid). [WPA -23.6% · EPA -2.49]
• Kansas City Chiefs (Q4 2:09) — (2:09) (Shotgun) 15-P.Mahomes pass incomplete deep right to 84-Ju.Watson [79-J.Cominsky]. [WPA -20.2% · EPA -2.68]
• Detroit Lions (Q4 8:31) — (8:31) 16-J.Goff pass short right to 8-J.Reynolds to KC 14 for 33 yards (50-W.Gay). [WPA +11.3% · EPA +2.16]
• Kansas City Chiefs (Q2 31:07) — (1:07) (Shotgun) 15-P.Mahomes pass deep middle to 11-M.Valdes-Scantling to DET 30 for 34 yards (23-J.Jacobs). [WPA +11.2% · EPA +2.78]

Impact plays

Highest expected-points added snaps that flipped field position and scoring chances.

• Kansas City Chiefs (Q3 26:04) — (11:04) (Shotgun) 15-P.Mahomes pass short right intended for 19-K.Toney INTERCEPTED by 32-B.Branch at 50. 32-B.Branch for 50 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA -24.3% · EPA -8.54]
• Detroit Lions (Q2 35:21) — (5:21) (Shotgun) 16-J.Goff pass short right to 0-M.Jones to KC 14 for 3 yards (22-T.McDuffie). FUMBLES (22-T.McDuffie), RECOVERED by KC-6-B.Cook at KC 7. [WPA -10.3% · EPA -3.43]
• Detroit Lions (Q1 47:52) — (2:52) (Shotgun) 16-J.Goff pass short right to 14-A.St. Brown for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN. [WPA +5.2% · EPA +3.02]
• Detroit Lions (Q4 10:46) — (10:46) (Shotgun) 16-J.Goff pass deep left to 8-J.Reynolds to DET 41 for 18 yards (2-J.Williams) [38-L.Sneed]. [WPA +7.8% · EPA +2.81]

Quarterback report card

P.Mahomes led all passers in efficiency for Kansas City Chiefs, setting the tone in the passing game according to FantasyHQ analytics.

• P.Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs) · 48 dropbacks · 43.8% completion · -6.2% CPOE · -0.05 EPA/play · -2.19 total EPA
• J.Goff (Detroit Lions) · 36 dropbacks · 61.1% completion · -0.1% CPOE · +0.07 EPA/play · +2.54 total EPA

Team stats comparison

Side-by-side offensive and defensive efficiency from FantasyHQ analytics.

By the numbers

Both offenses finished within striking distance on EPA per play (Detroit Lions -0.05, Kansas City Chiefs -0.08) — a true toss-up on the analytics sheet.

• Detroit Lions: 12 drives, -3.98 total EPA, 2 scoring drives
• Kansas City Chiefs: 11 drives, -6.44 total EPA, 5 scoring drives

Key takeaways

What to remember for fantasy research, film review, and follow-up box score digging.

• Detroit Lions leaves with the win and the better postgame narrative for Week-to-week momentum.
• One-score margin — fantasy managers should double-check garbage-time stats before drawing conclusions.
• A.St. Brown (Detroit Lions) is the first name to pull up for highlight reels and prop-retrospective research.
• P. Mahomes (KC) finished below expected efficiency — volume may have masked accuracy issues.

Every scoring play

Chronological scoring with field position and full play-by-play context.

1. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q1 47:52 · KC 9 · Score 6-0
   (2:52) (Shotgun) 16-J.Goff pass short right to 14-A.St. Brown for 9 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
2. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q1 47:46 · KC 15 · Score 7-0
   36-R.Patterson extra point is GOOD, Center-47-S.Daly, Holder-3-J.Fox.
3. Kansas City Chiefs TD (+6) — Q2 41:56 · DET 1 · Score 7-6
   (11:56) (Shotgun) 15-P.Mahomes pass short left to 4-R.Rice for 1 yard, TOUCHDOWN.
4. Kansas City Chiefs XP (+1) — Q2 41:50 · DET 15 · Score 7-7
   7-H.Butker extra point is GOOD, Center-41-J.Winchester, Holder-5-T.Townsend.
5. Kansas City Chiefs TD (+6) — Q2 30:37 · DET 4 · Score 7-13
   (:37) (Shotgun) 15-P.Mahomes pass short right to 81-B.Bell for 4 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
6. Kansas City Chiefs XP (+1) — Q2 30:34 · DET 15 · Score 7-14
   7-H.Butker extra point is GOOD, Center-41-J.Winchester, Holder-5-T.Townsend.
7. Kansas City Chiefs XP (+1) — Q2 30:34 · KC 35 · Score 7-14
   7-H.Butker kicks 65 yards from KC 35 to end zone, Touchback.
8. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q3 26:04 · DET 54 · Score 13-14
   (11:04) (Shotgun) 15-P.Mahomes pass short right intended for 19-K.Toney INTERCEPTED by 32-B.Branch at 50. 32-B.Branch for 50 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
9. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q3 25:54 · KC 15 · Score 14-14
   36-R.Patterson extra point is GOOD, Center-47-S.Daly, Holder-3-J.Fox.
10. Kansas City Chiefs FG (+3) — Q3 17:14 · DET 17 · Score 14-17
    (2:14) 7-H.Butker 35 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-41-J.Winchester, Holder-5-T.Townsend.
11. Kansas City Chiefs FG (+3) — Q4 12:16 · DET 21 · Score 14-20
    (12:16) 7-H.Butker 39 yard field goal is GOOD, Center-41-J.Winchester, Holder-5-T.Townsend.
12. Detroit Lions TD (+6) — Q4 7:11 · KC 8 · Score 20-20
    (7:11) 5-D.Montgomery up the middle for 8 yards, TOUCHDOWN.
13. Detroit Lions XP (+1) — Q4 7:06 · KC 15 · Score 21-20
    36-R.Patterson extra point is GOOD, Center-47-S.Daly, Holder-3-J.Fox.