Strike Posse & Injury Shock
NFL giant Chiefs are dragging big problems into the new season
09/06/2023 9:23 p.m
With two titles in four years, the Kansas City Chiefs are the benchmark in the NFL. The opening opponent from Detroit, however, comes with momentum and a German who bears even more responsibility. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have to deal with some bitter news.
The opening game in the NFL against Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs comes at the ideal time for the Detroit Lions. The team around the German-American Amon-Ra St. Brown is on Friday night in Germany (2.20 a.m. on RTL and in the live ticker on ntv.de) although the underdog against the team with quarterback superstar Patrick Mahomes. But being able to compete with the defending champion right at the start of the season is not only promising for the Lions from a marketing point of view.
“We ended up having a strong season last year, people saw that. The NFL loves our head coach, our story and the players on the team. They gave us the first game because they think we could do even better this season are,” said St. Brown of the German Press Agency before the trip to Kansas City. With eight wins in the last ten games in Detroit, the Lions, which have been notoriously weak for decades, have sparked a euphoria that has never been seen again.
Detroit is ‘very important’ to the NFL
For bookmakers, they are favorites to win in their division with the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears – and for the NFL, which is completely trimmed for profit and show, they are now hot goods. Only the New York Jets, with veteran Aaron Rodgers as the new quarterback, have recently been confirmed by the many experts in the US media as often as having the potential for a fairytale season.
The reward is the prestigious prime-time duel with the Chiefs on US national television. “You have to do that first, which means that Detroit has managed to be very important to the NFL,” said ex-NFL professional Björn Werner in a documentary by RTL. The broadcaster starts its first NFL season since taking over the rights with the game at Arrowhead Stadium and could report a surprise right away.
Because the time is also good for the Lions in terms of sport. The Chiefs are without their main defensive man. Chris Jones is on strike because he cannot agree on a new contract with the Super Bowl winner. “He’s one of the best players in the league. Without him, that’ll help us. He’s a real problem maker in defence,” said St. Brown. Because tight end Travis Kelce overstretched his knee in training on Tuesday, the second most important Chiefs professional could only play in attack. “We’re already the underdog. The Chiefs are the defending champions, they were the best team last year,” St. Brown said, but also said: “We’re looking forward to this game, we’re excited, but we’re ready.”
“Wants to be a player who will never be forgotten”
On the other hand, his teammates documented how important St. Brown is for the Lions with their choice of captains on Tuesday. Like quarterback Jared Goff, the still only 23-year-old son of a German father and an American father is now part of the group of five who wears the patch with the golden C on their jersey. “We want to win more games as a team. I want to be a better leader for my teammates,” St. Brown said of his goals for the season. His ligament strain from the preparation has healed, he said.
His brother, Equanimeous St. Brown, is already playing for NFL future with the Bears and will have a hard time playing in the best football league in the world unless he significantly increases his tally. Amon-Ra, on the other hand, is one of the rising stars after his six touchdowns and 106 catches last season. “People know me now. The defense now know that the ball should come to me,” he said. “I want to be a player who will never be forgotten.”