Winners and Losers From Chiefs' Week 1 Game Against Lions

In the Chiefs' opening loss to the Lions, multiple players stood out for both good and bad reasons alike.

The Kansas City Chiefs' first game of the 2023 campaign is in the books, and it ended in surprising fashion for the reigning Super Bowl champions.

Despite holding a seven-point lead at halftime and being within one score until the very end, Andy Reid's offense couldn't get the job done in the end. A combination of drops, poor coaching decisions and a lack of overall execution led to the loss, and the club with the best championship odds coming into the season is now 0-1 on the year.

With that in mind, let's point out some of the Chiefs' biggest winners and losers from the first week of the NFL season.

Winner: Mike Danna

Without Chris Jones or Charles Omenihu on the field for Week 1, many wondered who would step up and provide some sort of pass rush up front for the Chiefs. Now in his fourth year and coming off a five-sack 2022, Mike Danna recorded the only sack in Kansas City's Week 1 loss while also having a swatted pass earlier in the game. The former fifth-round pick resumed right where he left off last season. 

Loser: Kadarius Toney

Multiple game-altering drops resulted in Kadarius Toney being a lock for a spot on this part of the list. Unfortunately for the Chiefs, their proposed top wideout received a decent concentration of opportunities and couldn't make the most of any of them. Patrick Mahomes isn't giving up on the former first-round pick, but he'll have to bounce back in a bit way in order to get back in the winning section. 

Winner: Trent McDuffie

Leading the Chiefs in solo and combined tackles on Thursday, second-year cornerback Trent McDuffie was an active and aggressive player all night long. In addition to crashing downhill and finishing plays, he also forced a fumble in the first half and ended a Lions drive that was headed near the end zone. Steve Spagnuolo's defense was quite solid in Week 1, and McDuffie was a huge reason why. 

Loser: Skyy Moore

Skyy Moore played more snaps than any other Chiefs receiver, yet it was hard to tell at times. Mahomes admittedly did miss him a time or two but when the ball was thrown his way, Moore couldn't convert. This was a massive missed opportunity for the 2022 second-round pick to show that this year will be a new beginning for him. 

Winner: George Karlaftis

Much like Danna, second-year man George Karlaftis played like a true veteran up front against the Lions. His pressure on the Lions' opening drive forced an incompletion, then a swatted pass on the fifth drive effectively ended the first half. The Purdue product was an aware run defender and displayed his classic "always runs hot" motor in the season's opening week. 

Loser: Chiefs running backs

Kansas City toted the ball 23 times for 90 yards in Week 1, although Mahomes, Toney, Moore and Rashee Rice accounted for nine of those rushing attempts and 45 of the yards. Isiah Pacheco and Clyde Edwards-Helaire had the other 45 on 14 total carries, averaging 2.9 and 3.7 yards per rush, respectively, in the game. Pacheco did flash some ability as a receiver but overall, neither primary Chiefs running back managed to stand out in a good way versus Detroit. 

Winner: Rashee Rice

A stat line of three receptions for 29 yards doesn't seem like a winning-level impact, especially when a drop is factored in. With that said, rookie Rashee Rice scored his first NFL touchdown in his debut and also finished with a positive average YAC above expectation according to Next Gen Stats. He showed qualitative traits — juice, ability to turn upfield immediately after snagging a pass, etc. — that will be building blocks for the coming weeks. 

Loser: Andy Reid

Between a rough third down play involving Rice and Blake Bell, a questionable decision on fourth-and-25 and some overall lackluster in-game adjustments, a chunk of the blame for Week 1 should fall on the Chiefs' head coach. Andy Reid took responsibility postgame, which was expected, and he likely won't have many more games like this one in 2023. In a one-point loss, however, not bringing your 'A' game can result in being the difference between winning and losing.

Read More: Chiefs Can Only Blame Themselves for Week 1 Wideout Woes