The Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl defense begins Thursday night, when they play host to the Detroit Lions in the NFL’s regular season opener.
Since 2004, defending champs have gone 14-4 in the league’s Thursday night opener, with the L.A. Rams being the first team since 2017 to lose.
With the Chiefs set to kick off and Kansas sports betting abuzz, BetKansas.com utilized data from Pro-Football-Reference.com to see how defending champs have done in the league’s opening Thursday Night Game. Since 2004, 2019 was the only year to not feature the Super Bowl champion on opening night.
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Super Bowl Winners on Opening Night
| Year | Opening Game | SB Champ Record |
| 2004 | Patriots 27, Colts 24 | 1-0 |
| 2005 | Patriots 30, Raiders 20 | 2-0 |
| 2006 | Steelers 28, Dolphins 17 | 3-0 |
| 2007 | Colts 41, Saints 10 | 4-0 |
| 2008 | Giants 16, Redskins 7 | 5-0 |
| 2009 | Steelers 13 , Titans 10 | 6-0 |
| 2010 | Saints 14, Vikings 9 | 7-0 |
| 2011 | Packers 42, Saints 34 | 8-0 |
| 2012 | Cowboys 24, Giants 17 | 8-1 |
| 2013 | Broncos 49, Ravens 27 | 8-2 |
| 2014 | Seahawks 36, Packers 16 | 9-2 |
| 2015 | Patriots 28, Steelers 21 | 10-2 |
| 2016 | Broncos 21, Panthers 20 | 11-2 |
| 2017 | Chiefs 42, Patriots 27 | 11-3 |
| 2018 | Eagles 18, Falcons 12 | 12-3 |
| 2020 | Chiefs 34, Texans 20 | 13-3 |
| 2021 | Bucs 31, Cowboys 29 | 14-3 |
| 2022 | Bills 31, Rams 10 | 14-4 |
The Chiefs Super Bowl odds are the best in the NFL at +600, just ahead of Philadelphia.
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Chiefs Looking to Continue Hot Streak
When the Chiefs and Lions go toe-to-toe at Arrowhead on Thursday, Kansas City will be hot to trot to continue the league’s championship opener stretch.
Based on the early lines provided by BetMGM Kansas, it seems like the Chiefs should do just that Thursday. Kansas City is currently listed as a 6.5-point favorite, with a moneyline of -275 (the Lions are +220).
Covering the spread in an opener wouldn’t be a new phenomenon for the Chiefs, as they thumped Houston, 34-20, in their season opener in 2020 on the heels of their triumph in Super Bowl LIV.
Based on recent trends, it seems like bettors should use Kansas sportsbook promos to back Patrick Mahomes and company Thursday night, as 14 of the last 18 Super Bowl champs have started the season 1-0.
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