The Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots meet Thursday night in the opening game of the 2017 NFL season.
Here are 10 stats to know, presented by DraftKings:
1. It's the 35th meeting in history between these two teams
The history of these two franchises dates back to the days of the original AFL.
The first meeting between the *Chiefs (not Dallas Texans) *and Patriots occurred in November of 1963 at Historic Fenway Park. That game resulted in a 24-24 tie.
Overall, the Chiefs and Patriots have played 34 times in history, with the Chiefs holding an overall advantage of 17-13-3 in the regular season.
The most recent match-up was the Chiefs' 27-20 loss in the divisional round of AFC Playoffs two years ago. That's the only time these two teams have met in the postseason.
2. The game is also historic in a way people might not realize
This game features two of the best coaches in the NFL in the Chiefs' Andy Reid and the Patriots' Bill Belichick.
They both currently rank in the Top 10 in NFL history in all-time wins by a head coach. Reid ranks 10th with 184, and Belichick ranks 4th with 263 (includes postseason).
They are the only two active NFL coaches inside the Top 25, and they have combined for 447 wins, which ranks among the most for any two coaches who have ever faced off against one another.
3. Rookie Kareem Hunt a popular Week 1 play
According to the Week 1 rankings on DraftKings.com, Chiefs' rookie Kareem Hunt ranks as the No. 12 running back in the league as he's set to face the Patriots' stout defense.
Last year, the Patriots ranked third in the NFL by allowing just 88.6 yards rushing per game.
Hunt has been considered a breakout candidate by many this year and the recent season-ending injury to Spencer Ware has only furthered that idea.
In standard DraftKings leagues, Hunt costs $5,800 right now.
4. Tom Brady is good
The Patriots boast the NFL's all-time winningest quarterback, Tom Brady, who holds numerous NFL records and is 51-1 at home against AFC teams since 2007. He's completed 67 percent of his passes with 121 touchdowns and just 17 interceptions in those games.
"When you play 261 games, pass for 61,000 yards – or whatever he has – you're playing against a football player, a quarterback that's really talented," Chiefs' defensive coordinator Bob Sutton said. "It's just a huge challenge. You know as a coach, as a player, you really have to be at your best when you go into this. It's going to be a fun night, a challenging night.
"He's certainly one of the best to maybe have played at that position. So big challenge for us. One that we're looking forward to."
There's not much else that has to be said about Brady. He's good, and he's also the most expensive quarterback this week on DraftKings at $7,600.
5. Andy Reid has done well in season openers
Over the last nine years, Andy Reid is 7-2 in season-opening games, and 3-1 with the Chiefs.
6. Travis Kelce considered a Top 4 fantasy-play this week
According to the values at DraftKings this week, tight end Travis Kelce will cost $5,600 to play.
In four primetime games last season, Kelce had 29 catches for 385 yards and two touchdowns.
7. A healthy Justin Houston returns to the field
The last time Houston stepped on the field in Foxboro, he wasn't 100 percent.
It was the playoff game two years ago and Houston played just eight snaps in the game.
It's fair to say he'll see more time than that this year.
With Houston missing most of last year—playing just five games, the Chiefs' defense still ranked among the best in the league—allowing just 19.4 points per game.
8. Marcus Peters is making plays at an all-time rate
9. Tyreek Hill loves him some primetime
Overall, the Chiefs went 3-1 in four primetime games last season, averaging 28.0 points per game in their three wins.
Part of the reason for that was the play of then-rookie Tyreek Hill, who scored seven of his 10 total touchdowns in those four primetime games.
"I just like playing under the lights because it reminds me so much of playing in front of my hometown, like Friday Night Lights," Hill said on Monday. "I'm always trying to make that big play under the lights because everyone's watching."
Because of his affinity for playing on the big stage and making plays under the lights, Hill could be seen as a great value at just $5,700 in DraftKings leagues.
Also, don't forget the ridiculous stat that Hill averaged 44.2 yards per play on his 10 touchdowns last year. He can score from anywhere, and coach Reid had an entire offseason to find ways to get him the ball.
10. It's all about the takeaways
The Chiefs led the NFL in takeaways last year with 33, while the Patriots turned it over the fewest of any team in the league with just 11 giveaways.
If the Chiefs are going to pull off a win over the Patriots in Foxboro, they might need something like a game-changing defensive play or special teams touchdown to make that happen.
It's easier said than done, but the Chiefs have the weapons to make it happen.
The Chiefs' Marcus Peters leads the NFL over the past two seasons with 14 interceptions, and in six regular season games, Brady has thrown seven interceptions against the Chiefs.
