Mike Tirico and the Lions are picking up where they left off. Seven months after calling the Lions' season finale, a thrilling win over Aaron Rodgers and the Packers at Lambeau, Tirico will call their season opener against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs at Arrowhead -- a Thursday edition of Sunday Night Football on NBC.
And Tirico says the Lions can pull another stunner.
"Absolutely they can," Tirico said Wednesday on 97.1 The Ticket. "It’s hard to win that opening night, and it’s hard to win there. And that’s why the Chiefs are, will be and should be favored. But it’s not outside the realm of possibility. You’re not holding mirrors to the sun on a full moon to come up with the equation."
To Tirico, who was in Allen Park this week for the Lions' joint practices with the Giants, the key factor is Detroit's offensive line. Billed as one of the best in the NFL, it could allow the Lions to take control of the clock, and the game, against the defending Super Bowl champs. And acknowledging that a lot can happen between now and Sept. 7, Tirico says the Lions' strength up front "is gold in this league."
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"You can decide how you want to play. You don’t have to go play a Madden game and try to score 40. You can go win a grind fest. And against Kansas City, let’s say you score early and get the lead, what do you want to do? You want to keep the ball out of 15’s hands," he said. "You could screen, slow-play it and grind the clock down and take snaps away from Mahomes."
What's more, offensive coordinator Ben Johnson will have a handful of new cards to play in Week 1. That includes a pair of dangerous backfield weapons in David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs, and a dynamic tight end in Sam LaPorta. If the game does turn into a shootout, Johnson should be able to keep the Chiefs guessing. The Lions averaged 35 points in their first four games last year, before defenses could (briefly) adjust.
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"The Lions came out smoking on offense last year," said Tirico. "They scored 35 in that opener against Philly. I don’t think Ben Johnson’s offense is going to tip-toe into the season."
Nor will Andy Reid's, of course. The Chiefs were only the No. 1 offense in the NFL last season for the third time in the last six years. Their quarterback is only the NFL's career leader in passer rating. They are 6.5-point favorites over the Lions for a reason.
But Detroit has a chance, and it's not just the locals who believe it. The NFL could have picked any numbers of teams to play the opening-night foil to the Chiefs, "but the league is saying, ‘OK, we think the Lions might be ready -- here they are,'" said Tirico.
"And if you needed any more confidence that this team could do things that other Lions teams couldn’t, just go back and put in the tape of the game at Lambeau," Tirico said. "Week 18, everything on the line for Green Bay, nothing on the line for Detroit, and not only do they win but they end the Rodgers era in Lambeau. That helped fuel a lot of the momentum entering this season."
Suffice to say, Tirico has boarded the Hype Train in Detroit. After two days in Allen Park, he sees a team on the right track.
"It's legit," Tirico said. "You don’t win eight of your last 10 by accident, you’re not a top-five scoring offense in the league by accident. But just (watching practice), three years ago, two years ago, last year, (compared to) yesterday -- what a difference. Good players will be cut from this roster, as long as everyone stays healthy through camp. That’s that barometer. This is a really good, deep, talented team."
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