Instant observations: Lions deliver on hype in 21-20 comeback win against Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Do you believe now?

There was so much hype for the Detroit Lions that even their head coach openly wondered whether it was all a bit much. Then they flew to Kansas City for their most anticipated opener in years — Decades? Ever? — and came back to beat the defending champions 21-20 on Thursday night at Arrowhead Stadium.

David Montgomery scored the go-ahead touchdown on a tough 8-yard run up the middle in the fourth quarter, then the defense stood strong — thanks in part to a flurry of drops and miscues by Kansas City — before Montgomery ended things for good by moving the chains one final time in the final seconds.

Lions 21,

Chiefs, 20.

Do you believe now?

It’s only one game in a very long season, of course, and Kansas City was without two of its three best players. It seemed to really miss Travis Kelce, who caught 110 balls last season before hyperextending his knee on the final day of practice before the opener. Sure. No doubt. So let’s not get carried away.

But the Chiefs are still the Chiefs, they still have Patrick Mahomes, they still have Arrowhead Stadium, and they almost never lose here no matter what. Then the Lions marched into these hallowed grounds, fell behind in the second quarter, and didn’t blink on the national stage. Brian Branch sure didn’t. The rookie defensive back one-handed a carom in the third quarter and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown, knotting up the score at 14-all.

Then after a couple Kansas City field goals stretched the deficit back out to six, an offense that struggled to get going really got going. After moving the chains just twice on their first 10 third downs, the Lions moved them on back-to-back third downs, one of which came on an 18-yard pass to Josh Reynolds on third-and-12.

Then after not completing a pass of longer than 21 yards all day, Jared Goff found Reynolds again for 33 yards. That moved the ball to the 8-yard line, and Montgomery powered it in from there for the go-ahead score.

Mahomes had a couple more looks late in the fourth quarter, which is always a dangerous thing in a one-point game, but the defense continued to flex its newfound muscle on that side of the ball, including Josh Paschal coming up with a tackle for loss on third-and-1, forcing a punt. Then on Kansas City’s following possession, the Chiefs were flagged for holding and a false start, pushing them into a desperation fourth-and-25. Mahomes’ desperation heave fell innocently to the ground, and Detroit was one first down away from victory.

They fed the ball three straight times to Montgomery, who delivered on third and short.

Ballgame — and chants of “LET’S GO LIONS” reigned down on the field as Detroit headed back to the locker room with a win that should convince America that the hype just might be for real.

That they just might be back.

Let’s get to some more observations from the opening night of football:

— You’ve heard about Brian Branch all summer. Now you see why. OK, sure, his pick-six was gift-wrapped by Chiefs receiver Kadarius Toney, who popped the ball into the air instead of catching it. But Branch also showed great ball skills to pick off the pass with one arm, then bring the ball into his body before taking off 50 yards the other way for a touchdown that knotted up the score at 14-all. It was one of the biggest plays of the game, and it’s no surprise Branch made it. He’s made plays in all the ways a slot cornerback can, from sacking quarterbacks on the blitz to chasing down ball-carriers and blanketing receivers in space. But he’s also shown terrific ball skills too, and that’s been especially pleasing to the Lions, who have struggled to generate takeaways for years. Now with Branch in the slot, plus C.J. Gardner-Johnson (the reigning NFL interception leader) and Kerby Joseph (the reigning Lions interception leader) at safety, Detroit should be much more opportunistic this season. And if training camp is any indication, Branch should help lead the way. On the opening night of the NFL season, he did.

— Branch scared a lot of folks when he left the game with what appeared to be a non-contact injury in the third quarter, but the injury turned out to be cramps. Defensive tackle Levi Onwuzurike also left the game with cramping too, on a hot night in Kansas City. Branch later returned to the field, and there is no concern for his health.

— Sticking with the defense for just a moment, Aidan Hutchinson never got home for a sack — not many do against Patrick Mahomes — but the second-year edge rusher was really disruptive anyway, including hitting Mahomes three times. That’s good stuff against the greatest quarterback on the planet.

— David Montgomery was as-advertised in his Lions debut, running 21 times for 74 yards and a go-ahead touchdown in the fourth quarter, then the game-sealing first down in the final seconds. He also moved the chains on a third-and-short on the go-ahead drive. Montgomery was signed to replace Jamaal Williams in free agency, and continues to look like a better version of Jamaal Williams with better hands, an asset in this offense.

— There was some debate over whether Dan Campbell — who leads the league in fourth-down attempts since taking over in Detroit, and fake punts too — would continue to take so many chances now that Detroit has a better roster. There never should have been. “I want us to be aggressive,” he told me during a video call just a few weeks after his hire in 2021. “I want us to think aggressively. I don’t want to be known as a conservative team. There will be a time and place to be conservative, but if there’s anything I learned from Sean Payton, it’s, man, you have to keep them on their toes. They have to know you’re not taking your foot off of their throat. That’s what they need to know, really.” And Campbell wasted no time diving into his bag of tricks, dialing up a fake punt from his own 17-yard line on just the second series of the season. And it worked. Jalen Reeves-Maybin took the direct snap up the gut to move the chains, then the Lions found some offensive rhythm for the first time, as Jared Goff completed four straight passes and found Amon-Ra St. Brown on a short crosser for a 9-yard touchdown that staked Detroit to an early 7-0 lead — and on third down, no less. The sequence also kept Patrick Mahomes off the field for another six-plus minutes, which is always a good thing.

— Marvin Jones’ return to Detroit got off to a rough start. He was so sure-handed — and so good — during his five seasons in Detroit from 2016-20, but coughed up the football after making a catch deep in Kansas City territory in the second quarter. Yes, it was the first fumble in Jones’ long career. He’s actually the oldest every-down receiver in the league, and ball-security has never been an issue. But his miscue took near-certain points off the board in a 7-all game, and that’s a back-breaker against a team like Kansas City. Jones also dropped a pass deep in his own territory to open the second half, and finished with two catches for 8 yards.

— Khalil Dorsey was a bit of a surprise to make the team over Starling Thomas V, but wasted no time showing why he did. He started the game at kick returner for Detroit, then made the tackle on Jack Fox’s first punt of the season.

— Halapoulivaati Vaitai won the right guard job over Graham Glasgow and played the whole game. That’s something of an upset. Glasgow signed with the team in free agency while Vaitai was coming off a lost season because of a back injury, but Vaitai was able to overcome that injury and some bruises in camp to win the final starting job on the offensive line.