Who is playing Thursday Night Football tonight, Sept. 7? (and how to watch)

It’s the moment we’ve all been waiting for: football is finally back! After what felt like an endless summer, NFL football is finally making its way back into our lives with our favorite teams gearing up to play their first games of the new season.

While the real action will begin Sunday as the NFL rolls out the majority of the Week 1 games, the season kicks off tonight with a special presentation of Sunday Night Football on Thursday night as NBC welcomes football back into their homes!

Tonight, the 2023 NFL season officially kicks off with the first game of the season in a matchup that will see the defending Super Bowl champions taking on an NFC underdog!

Who plays Thursday Night Football tonight, September 7?

• Matchup: Detriot Lions vs Kansas City Chiefs
• Location: GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium

Tonight, the NFL season officially begins as the reining Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs take on the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead in what promises to be an exciting, must-see game! Heading into the night, the Chiefs are the favorites to pick up the first win of the season but this is Game 1 of the NFL season! You can’t count any team out and we’re sure the Lions are going to look to improve upon last season’s record with a statement win this Thursday!

What time is Thursday Night Football on tonight?

• Date: Thursday, Sept. 7, 2023
• Time: 8:20 p.m. ET

While kickoff coverage will begin at 7 p.m. ET on NBC, the actual game will not begin until 8:20 p.m. ET! Fans will then be into a night of football with coverage running through 11:30 p.m. ET — though there is a strong chance the game could go later than that!

What channel is Thursday Night Football on tonight?

• Game: Lions vs. Chiefs
• TV Channel: NBC
• Announcers: Mike Tirico and Cris Collinsworth
• Where to Stream: Peacock

Tonight, NBC will bring fans the first NFL game of the season! That’s right, tonight’s Lions and Chiefs game will be broadcast on NBC, meaning you’ll be able to watch this evening’s game via your local NBC affiliate.

Of note, if you’re searching for the game on your cable provider or DVR, you won’t see Thursday Night Football in your search as tonight’s Thursday night game is actually a special presentation of Sunday Night Football. 

Is Thursday Night Football on Prime Video tonight?

Although Amazon Prime Video will be the exclusive home to Thursday Night Football again this season, tonight’s game between the Lions and Chiefs will not be streaming on Prime Video. That’s right, you won’t be able to watch tonight’s game on Prime! The official Thursday Night Football season will kick off on Prime Video on Sept. 14, meaning next week’s game will stream on Prime.

NFL Live Stream for Lions vs Chiefs

If you’re hoping to watch tonight’s NFL season opener between the Lions and Chiefs, you have a few options to choose from! As the game will be airing on NBC, you’ll be able to stream it live via a Peacock subscription but don’t fret if you don’t have Peacock! Tonight’s game will be airing on NBC meaning that you’ll be able to stream the game live via fuboTV as well as other streaming plans which offer the ability to watch NBC live including Hulu+ Live TV!

Who won Thursday Night Football in Week 1: Lions vs Chiefs score recap

The Week 1 game between the Lions and Chiefs started with a low-scoring first quarter of the game. After a series of quick back-and-forth possessions, the Lions took their time marching down the field with a drive that lasted over eight minutes and saw them scoring the first points of the game with a touchdown pass to wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

The Lions managed to shut the Chiefs out in the quarter ending 7-0, Lions.

While the Chiefs were unable to put points on the board before the end of the first quarter, they kicked off the second quarter with an impressive drive that saw them March down the field to score their first touchdown of the game with a passing touchdown from Patrick Mahomes to Rashee Rice, tying things up 7-7.

With their first possession of the quarter, the Lions began putting together another impressive drive and it looked like they were to finish the drive by putting more points on the board. Instead, Goff threw a costly interception with just over five minutes left in the half.

The Lions’ defense put up a strong showing after the turnover which forced the Chiefs to punt away to them after a brief possession. However, the Lions offense didn’t have much luck on their next reception punting back to the Chiefs just before the 2-minute warning for the half.

In yet another impressive drive, Mahomes completed another touchdown pass to the end zone this time to tight end Blake Bell putting the score at 14-7, Chiefs.

While many anticipated the Chiefs to run away with an early lead in the first half of the game, the score at halftime was 14-7, Chiefs. Both teams put together some pretty amazing drives across the first half and the Lions kept the score within one possession.

In the third quarter, after a pair of back-and-forth possessions, the Lions managed to score the first points of the second quarter when Brian Branch intercepted Mahomes and scored a 50-yard touchdown bringing the score to 14-14. The only other score of the quarter came when the Chiefs scored a field goal putting the score at 17-14, Chiefs, at the end of the quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, the Chiefs added to their lead with yet another field goal extending their lead to 20-14. On the following drive, David Montgomery scored a rushing touchdown giving the Lions their first lead of the half going up 21-20 over the Chiefs — a lead they’d retain giving the win.

While Mahomes and the Chiefs attempted to rally a comeback, the Lions pulled off a major upset in beating the reigning Super Bowl champions at their home stadium in primetime.