Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs: How to watch and 3 things to watch in the Week 6 matchup

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● What: Detroit Lions at Kansas City Chiefs

● When: Sunday, Oct. 12, 8:20 p.m.

● Where: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City

● How to watch: NBC

● How to listen: 97.1-FM The Ticket in Metro Detroit or any number of network affiliates around the state.

● Line: Chiefs -2.5

● Injury report: The Chiefs’ injury report is clean, while the Lions are missing several pieces. The team will be without starting offensive tackle Taylor Decker (shoulder), cornerback Terrion Arnold (shoulder), linebacker Zach Cunningham (hamstring), defensive back Avonte Maddox (hamstring) and running back Sione Vaki (groin).

Additionally, receiver Kalif Raymond (neck) and starting safeties Brian Branch (ankle) and Kerby Joseph (knee) are questionable for the contest.

● Officiating assignment: Craig Wrolstad’s crew. This will be his eighth Lions game as a referee. He last drew the team for their postseason victory over the Los Angeles Rams.

● Last meeting: Detroit escaped Arrowhead with a 21-20 victory in the season opener of the 2023 season.

Three things worth watching

● Well before you scrolled to this point, you knew the number one discussion entering this game would be Detroit’s injury situation, in particular, the decimated depth at offensive tackle and in the secondary.

Let’s start with the tackle position. Starting blindside blocker Taylor Decker has been ruled out for the second straight week with a nagging shoulder injury. And Giovanni Manu, who made the spot start in Decker’s stead a week ago, landed on injured reserve this weekend after suffering a mid-week knee injury.

That’s left the Lions to turn to veteran Dan Skipper, the primary backup a year ago. The team called upon him in three games in 2024. They won each of those matchups, with Skipper allowing a respectable nine pressures and no sacks in the appearances.

Skipper will draw a lot of power rusher George Karlaftis on Sunday. The former first-round pick is off to another impactful start with 31 pressures and 3.5 sacks through the first five games. That’s a 12-sack, 100-pressure pace. Karlaftis’ pressure total is tied with Detroit’s Aidan Hutchinson for the most in the NFL.

In the back end, Detroit is shuffling the deck at cornerback with DJ Reed, Terrion Arnold and Avonte Maddox all on the shelf. Amik Robertson and Rock Ya-Sin are quality, veteran backups who should be able to hold their own on the outside. However, it’s unclear which way the team is leaning in the slot with the limited nickel looks they’re likely to utilize. Thomas Harper, Erick Hallett and newcomer Arthur Maulet are all options.

Additionally, it’s expected that Kerby Joseph and Brian Branch will suit up, but after significantly reduced practice schedules this week, they’re not lineup locks. If either sits, it will only compound Detroit’s issues trying to defend Kansas City’s offense, led by two-time MVP Patrick Mahomes.

● The numbers are inflated because of allowing a 71-yard Justice Hill touchdown run in the closing minutes of a blowout victory over the Ravens, but the Chiefs have been susceptible to opposing ground games.

The Chiefs’ past four opponents have averaged 132 rushing yards, with the past three finishing with at least 4.0 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Detroit’s formidable ground game has been slowed up in recent weeks because of a concentrated defensive effort to limit the damage done by Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery.

Montgomery, in particular, is seeing eight-man boxes at one of the highest clips in the NFL. Regardless, Detroit’s best bet for success against the Chiefs is establishing the run, controlling the clock, and limiting how much Mahomes and company possess the ball.

● If it weren’t for Mahomes’ scrambling ability, the Chiefs’ rushing attack would nearly be considered a non-factor through the first five weeks of the 2025 season. Despite two proven ball carriers in Kareem Hunt and Isaiah Pacheco, the tandem is averaging a meager 65.4 yards per game.

Mahomes, meanwhile, has run for 190 yards and is on pace to blow out his previous high rushing total for the season. Of that tally, 185 yards were the result of scrambles, which expands the threat of his ability to make downfield throws when eluding pressure. Mahomes is one of the best in league history at making out-of-structure plays, which adds to Detroit’s problems with so many moving parts in the secondary.

Detroit will likely have to employ some variation of QB spy to their rush plan, or at least greenlight their athletic group of linebackers to fire downhill when Mahomes breaks the pocket. Despite different approaches to the quarterback’s inclusion into their rushing attack, it was an effective part of Detroit’s defensive game plan to slow down Lamar Jackson and could be similarly critical against the Chiefs.