The NBC broadcaster proclaimed Thursday that they're "not the same old Lions" after Detroit's 21-20 road win over the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs to kick off the 2023 NFL season. He compared the Lions favorably to a Chiefs team that years ago started its current run of dominance in similar fashion on opening night. They come into Kansas City on opening night and beat the champs. That announced to everyone that the Kansas City Chiefs were going to be a factor. In that context, it doesn't seem like Tirico was necessarily trying to downplay the Lions' achievement with the "asterisk" comment.

Source: Los Angeles Times September 08, 2023 21:44 UTC