Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs have been fast starters to the NFL season.

The defending-champion Chiefs head into their opener Thursday night at home against the Detroit Lions having won eight consecutive regular-season openers, which is tied for the fifth-longest streak of the Super Bowl era.

Kansas City last lost in Week 1 back in 2014 with Alex Smith as quarterback when they fell 26-10 to the Tennessee Titans in a game played before Mahomes had even made his college debut at Texas Tech.

They won the next three openers with Smith at quarterback and then all five since Mahomes became the starter, scoring at least 33 points in the past seven Week 1 games.

They have a long way to go to catch the longest streak ever as the Dallas Cowboys won 17 consecutive openers between 1965 and 1981. The last team to win more than eight in a row was the New England Patriots, who won 10 in a row from 2004-13.

Mahomes has been particularly sharp to start the season, throwing at least three touchdown passes in all five season-opening starts in his career for the longest streak ever. He might have to try to do so Thursday, without All Pro tight end Travis Kelce, who hyperextended a knee Tuesday during the Chiefs' final practice before Thursday's kickoff. Kelce's status is in question for the game.

The only quarterback to have more than five career Week 1 games with at least three TD passes are Tom Brady (nine), Dan Marino (seven) and Drew Brees (six), all of whom have retired.

In fact, only nine teams other than the Chiefs have had five Week 1 games with at least three touchdown passes in the past 20 seasons. The Cincinnati Bengals have the longest drought of that kind, with none since Boomer Esiason did it in 1988.

On the other end of the Week 1 dominance is the Indianapolis Colts, who ended an eight-game losing streak in season openers with a 20-20 tie versus the  Houston Texans last year. The only team that has a longer streak without winning a season opener in NFL history is the Cleveland Browns, who went 0-16-1 from 2005-21 before beating the Carolina Panthers 26-24 last year.

The Colts open the season at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday.

Quarterback shuffle

Another season, another Week 1 starting quarterback in Washington and Indianapolis.

The Commanders and Colts will become the fourth and fifth teams in the Super Bowl era to have a different starting quarterback in seven consecutive season openers.

Sam Howell will join Kirk Cousins, Alex Smith, Case Keenum, Dwayne Haskins, Ryan Fitzpatrick and Carson Wentz to start in Week 1 for Washington since 2017.

Rookie Anthony Richardson, a former Florida Gator, follows Matt Ryan, Wentz, Philip Rivers, Jacoby Brissett, Andrew Luck and Scott Tolzien to do it in Indianapolis.

The only other teams with seven Week 1 starting quarterbacks in seven seasons are Cleveland (2013-19), Baltimore (1997-2003) and the Chargers (1987-93).

With Derek Carr having left Las Vegas for New Orleans and Aaron Rodgers with the New York Jets after starting 15 consecutive openers with the Green Bay Packers, Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys will have the longest streak of Week 1 starts at quarterback with the same team when he makes his eighth in a row in the season opener.

Moving time

Baker Mayfield has been a well-traveled quarterback during his short time in the NFL.

Mayfield is set to start for his fourth team since being picked first overall by Cleveland in 2018. He also spent time in Carolina and with the Los Angeles Rams last season.

Mayfield is set to start the opener for the fourth team of his career, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday against the Minnesota Vikings. No other top pick quarterback in the common draft era since 1967 started for more than two teams in his first six seasons.

Mayfield will be the sixth quarterback in the Super Bowl era to start the season opener for three franchises in three seasons after doing it in Cleveland in 2021 and Carolina in 2022. He will join Carson Wentz (2020-22), Donovan McNabb (2009-11), Brett Favre (2007-09), Kurt Warner (2003-05) and Jim Harbaugh (1997-99).

Do it again

The Philadelphia Eagles are trying to pull off the rare NFC East repeat.

Philadelphia is trying to become the first repeat division winner in the NFC East since the Eagles won it from 2002-04 in the first years of the current division format.

The Eagles are also looking to become the fourth team to win the Super Bowl the year after losing the title game, joining the 1971 Cowboys, the 1972  Dolphins and the 2018 Patriots.

The only other Super Bowl losers even to make it back to the big game are the 1974 Vikings, 1987 Broncos, 1991-93 Buffalo Bills.

Falling out

Seven teams made the playoffs last season after missing the postseason in 2021, marking the 33rd consecutive season when at least four teams pulled off the trick.

Four teams that are prime candidates to fall out of playoff position are the teams that made it last season despite getting outscored: Minnesota, the Giants, Tampa Bay and Miami.

The last nine teams to make the playoffs despite being outscored missed the postseason the following year, with the 2015 Panthers the last to make it.