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Michael Kadlick

Chiefs vs. Lions: Three Bold Predictions For 'Sunday Night Football' in Week 6

We've got quite the matchup ahead of us to close out Week 6's Sunday slate, as the 4-1 Lions are headed to Kansas City to take on the 2-3 Chiefs.

2025 has been yet another dominant season for Detroit thus far. After losing their Week 1 matchup to the Packers, the Lions have rattled off four straight wins and better yet, new OC John Morton has the offense humming, scoring 34+ points in each of their last four games.

For the Chiefs, meanwhile, it's been up-and-down. The NFL's perennial top team started the year 0-2 for the first time since 2014, but then rattled off three straight victories before losing to the Jaguars in upset fashion last Monday night.

Here are three bold predictions for Sunday's much anticipated contest.

Jahmyr Gibbs notches 100 yards rushing for first time in 2025

Jahmyr Gibbs
Jahmyrs Gibbs has the opportunity to run wild on Sunday afternoon. | Katie Stratman-Imagn Images

The Lions are known for their 1–2 punch in the backfield, splitting carries pretty much evenly between Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery—who fittingly call themselves Sonic and Knuckles

On Sunday night, however, I’m predicting that Gibbs will carry the load. Through five games, the 2023 first-round pick is averaging 4.6 yards per carry and has paced the running back room in touches in three of the last four contests (all wins). Kansas City, meanwhile, ranks in the bottom half of the league in terms of run defense, allowing 123.4 yards per game on the ground.

Gibbs hasn’t topped the century mark on the ground since finishing the 2024 season with three consecutive 100-plus yard games. I’m expecting him to get there against the Chiefs.

Patrick Mahomes elevates Chiefs' offense back to where it belongs

Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes needs to get the Chiefs back on track. | Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Still widely considered to be among the league’s best quarterbacks, Patrick Mahomes has the Chiefs’ offense playing top-half-of-the-league football through the first five games of the season. They rank 12th in points per game (25.0) and eighth in yards per game (361.0). 

For a three-time Super Bowl MVP, however, it hasn’t been good enough. Coming into Week 6, Mahomes was just sixth in the NFL in passing yards (1,927), tied for ninth in passing touchdowns (8), and last Monday night against the Jaguars, threw a costly pick-six that led to Kansas City’s third loss of the year.

With their backs against the wall at 2–3, I’m predicting Mahomes to have a vintage, showtime performance against Detroit. Call it 300-plus passing yards and four total touchdowns in a high-scoring affair, which we’ll get to now.

Sunday night will mark the highest-scoring game of the season so far

Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jared Goff
There's a chance we're in for a high-scoring affair on Sunday night. | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

The last time these two teams faced off, a modest 41 points were scored as the Lions beat the Chiefs 21–20 to open the 2023 season. Expect them to double it, at least, on Sunday night.

As mentioned, the Lions’ offense is flying high. They’re averaging an NFL-best 34.8 points per game, Jared Goff leads the league in touchdown passes with 12, and Amon-Ra St. Brown has been unstoppable at wide receiver—his six touchdowns pace the position and his 407 yards rank fifth.

While the Chiefs admittedly haven’t been as impressive, Sunday night has “epic, prime-time shootout between two of the league’s best” written all over it. The highest scoring game in the NFL so far this year was the Bills’ 41–40 win over the Ravens in Week 1. I’m predicting Detroit and Kansas City to break the 82-point mark at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday.


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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Chiefs vs. Lions: Three Bold Predictions For 'Sunday Night Football' in Week 6.

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