The New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs will kick off the 2017 NFL season on Thursday night in Foxborough. Both teams look to be consistent fixtures in the AFC race this season, with the Patriots trying to defend their Super Bowl LI victory over the Atlanta Falcons. A win for the Chiefs to start the season, on the road in Foxborough would be huge.

Jesse’s Pick Against The Spread What a sad state of things for the Giants. Six-point underdogs. They have no offense. We keep waiting for the offense to click, but I don’t think it’s coming. They haven’t scored 30 points in a game since McAdoo became head coach. The defense won the Giants a lot of games last year, but they don’t seem to be quite as crisp yet. Hopefully both units step up. If I’m analyzing this without Blue colored glasses I’d say the Eagles pass rush will overwhelm the Giants and it’ll be much of what we have already seen. But, go Giants! Pick: Giants stay within 6 (please) [All of Jesse’s Week 3 picks]

The Chiefs bring in their elite defense into Foxborough to try and stop one of the NFL’s top offenses. The Patriots suffered a big blow earlier this preseason as Julian Edelman tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season. It will be interesting to see how the Patriots fill that role. Patriots fans will get their first look at Brandin Cooks tonight, who has been kept under wraps during the preseason.

The Patriots come in as 8.5-point favorites. Catch the game on NBC at 8:30 p.m. ET. This will be your open thread to discuss the game. Enjoy the beginning of the NFL season!

Game details

When: 8:30 p.m. EST

Where: Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Mass.

TV Channel: NBC

Live Stream: All of your legal streaming options

Odds: Patriots (-8.5)

Team Blogs: Patriots (Pats Pulpit) | Chiefs (Arrowhead Pride)

SB Nation: Complete NFL coverage | 2017 NFL season preview