For the first time in nearly two decades, Washington is playing in the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. The Commanders’ reward for that? A visit to the No. 1-seed Detroit Lions, who are more than a touchdown favorite. Washington is the biggest underdog of the weekend, meaning a serious uphill battle if they are to make an appearance in their first NFC Championship game since the 1991-92 season.
How to watch Commanders at Lions
To get there, they would need another big game from rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. The postseason stage did not appear too big or too bright for him in the wild-card round, as he threw for 268 yards, averaged 7.7 yards per attempt, threw two touchdowns, did not turn the ball over and orchestrated a game-winning field goal drive at the end of the fourth quarter. An impressive output for any quarterback, let alone a rookie.
The last time we saw the Lions defense, it was dominating Minnesota Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold with the No. 1 spot in the NFC on the line. But that game was a bit of an outlier for the way the Lions had been playing down the stretch. Injuries remain a significant issue on that side of the ball and resulted in the Lions giving up more than 30 points in three of their final five games. They had not allowed 30 points a single time in the first 12 games of the season.
If the Commanders are going to have a chance at an upset, they need to take advantage of the injuries on that side of the ball. Especially because the Lions offense is still clicking on all cylinders and is almost certainly going to put up points of its own. The Lions have the NFL’s best offense (33.2 points per game) and have scored at least 30 points in each of their past five games.
Quarterback Jared Goff has been especially dominant over that stretch with 15 touchdowns to only three interceptions.
Along with having one of the NFL’s best records, the Lions were also the best team in the league against the spread this season, going 12-5. They did, however, struggle a little in covering at home, only going 5-4 against the spread at Ford Field.
Washington was 3-2-1 against the spread as road underdogs.
This game also has the highest over/under of the week at 55.5 points. Detroit games reached the over just nine times this season, while Washington games did so 11 times.
Washington Commanders vs. Detroit Lions odds
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(Photo of Jared Goff: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)