DETROIT – The wait is over as the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions will look to hunt down prey inside Ford Field and play host to the No. 6 seed Washington Commanders in the NFC Divisional Round.
Kickoff is at 8 p.m., and the football world should be in for a treat as the Commanders are rolling into the matchup riding a six-game winning streak after kicker Zane Gonzalez doinked them past the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with a 47-yard field goal as the clock expired in a 23-20 Wild Card victory.
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DOINKED IT IN FOR THE DUB!!!!!
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 13, 2025
📺 #WASvsTB @SNFonNBC pic.twitter.com/3WvqkokVMV
Media pundits say both teams mirror each other as both teams have top-five offenses, with Detroit ranking No. 1.
The Lions' offense during the 2024 regular season was first in points per game with 33.2, ranked fourth on third-down conversions, and second in the red zone while scoring 31 or more points in their previous five games.
The Commanders ranked fifth in points per game, scoring 28.2, and sixth in third-down conversions.
They’re led by future rookie of the year in quarterback Jayden Daniels, who shined bright like a diamond in his first playoff game as he accumulated 268 passing yards and two touchdowns while completing 24-35 passes.
He also used his legs to make big plays in pivotal moments, running the ball 13 times for 36 yards.
Offense | Lions | Rank | Commanders | Rank |
---|---|---|---|---|
Points/Game | 33.2 | 1 | 28.5 | 5 |
Total Offense | 409.5 | 2 | 369.6 | 7 |
Rushing Offense | 146.4 | 6 | 154.1 | 3 |
Passing Offense | 263.2 | 2 | 215.6 | 17 |
3rd Down Offense % | 47.6 | 4 | 45.6 | 6 |
Red Zone Efficiency | 69.4 | 3 | 63.4 | 6 |
Giveaways | 15 | 6 (Tied) | 16 | 8 (Tied) |
Speaking of mirroring each other, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn went for it on fourth down five times vs. Tampa Bay and converted three of them.
The Lions’ offense was led by Super Bowl quarterback Jared Goff, who averaged 272.3 passing yards per game during the regular season with 37 touchdowns (ranking No. 4 in the league) and 12 interceptions, which include those five picks against the Houstons Texans on Sunday Night Football.
As a team, Detroit ended the regular season third in rushing attempts and 16th in passing attempts behind the rushing attack of Jahmyr Gibbs (Sonic) and a returning David Montgomery (Knuckles).
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But the Commanders’ defense is filled with big names like Super Bowl champion Bobby Wagner linebacker Frankie Luvu, Pro Bowl cornerback Marshon Lattimore, and former Michigan Wolverines national champion Mike Sainristil on the back end.
Sonic the Hedgehog and Knuckles, on paper, will look to collect coins on all levels as running backs have averaged 4.9 yards per carry against the Commander’s defense, which is tied for 30th in the league as a rush defense.
Gibbs totaled 1,412 yards rushing, ranking fifth in 2024, and tied for first in scoring with 16 touchdowns on the ground.
Montgomery finished the regular season with 775 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns before tearing his MCL against the Buffalo Bills in Week 15.
Knuckles chose to bypass surgery and rehab the injury instead. He returned to practice this week, and all signs point to him reentering the lineup this week.
The Commanders ranked 18th this season in points per game allowed with 22.8, with Goff licking his chops as his receiving core featuring Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick, and tight end Sam LaPorta.
St. Brown caught 115 passes for 1,263 yards and 13 touchdowns this season. Williams had 58 receptions for 1,001 yards and seven touchdowns.
Patrick snagged 33 catches for 394 yards and three touchdowns, two of which came against the Green Bay Packers in Week 14.
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LaPorta racked up 60 receptions for 726 yards and seven touchdowns, and Gibbs added to his already huge stat line with 52 catches for 517 yards and four touchdowns.
Right tackle Taylor Decker and left tackle Penei Sewell helped them stay upright. Through 17 games, Goff was sacked 33 times, ranking 10th and 15th in quarterback pressure percentage at 33.5%, respectively.
The Lions lost guard Kevin Zeitler during their Week 18 victory over the Minnesota Vikings to a hamstring injury. That same injury will keep him out of this weekend’s matchup against the Commanders.
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Daniels will face an injury-depleted Lions defense, which lost cornerback Terrion Arnold to a foot injury in Week 18. However, head coach Dan Campbell said Daniels has a chance to play, as he, too, returned to practice.
The Lions’ defense ranked seventh in points per game (20.1), first in third-down defense, seventh in red zone defense, and 10th in turnovers (24) on the season.
Their secondary ranked first in pass defense with a rating of 82.0 and second in completion percentage behind cornerback Amik Robertson.
He’s locking down the team’s best receivers, with safety Brian Branch catching four interceptions and safety Kerby Joseph leading the league in interceptions with nine.
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Daniels’ safety blanket was tight end Zach Ertz, but he’s expected to have a long day as the Lions held tight ends to the second-lowest rate behind stellar play by linebacker Alex Anzalone, who spent most of the season on injured reserve after breaking his forearm.
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Robertson might have his hands full as wide receiver Terry McLaurin is coming off a seven-catch, 89-yard game with a touchdown on 10 targets.
They also have Dyami Brown coming into the matchup en fuego, catching five passes for 89 yards and a touchdown.
But all of that production could be stifled by the Lions’ pass rush, led by Za’Darius Smith (nine sacks). They accumulated 37 sacks, tied for 23rd, and ranked third in the blitz with 38.4%.
Daniels, against the blitz, though, has a 114.7 rating as he’s thrown 12 touchdowns and one interception. As a rush defense against quarterbacks, the Lions are 31st as dual-threats average 6.2 yards per carry. Daniels just so happened to have 891 yards rushing with six touchdowns and six yards per carry.
The Lions give up 4.2 yards per carry to running backs, which is tied for 11th, so they could see a heavy dose of Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler.
Defense | Lions | Ranking | Commanders | Ranking |
---|---|---|---|---|
Points/Game | 20.1 | 7 | 23.0 | 18 |
Total Defense | 342.4 | 20 | 326.9 | 13 |
Rushing Defense | 98.4 | 5 | 137.5 | 30 |
Passing Defense | 244.0 | 30 | 185.9 | 3 |
3rd Down Defense % | 32.4 | 1 | 38.2 | 15 |
Red Zone Efficiency | 50.9 | 7 | 60.4 | 22 |
Takeaways | 24 | 10 (Tied) | 17 | 20 (Tied) |
The Lions were 7-2 at home this season, losing to Buffalo and the Buccaneers, while the Commanders went 6-2 on the road.
This will also be the fourth playoff matchup between the two franchises, with the Commanders leading 3-0.
The No. 6 seeded Commanders as an organization are undefeated against the Detroit Lions as they’ve played three times.
The last time they played each other in the playoffs was in the Wild Card Round in 1999, when Washington won 27-13 at home.
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Washington eliminated Detroit in the NFC Championship game back in 1991 during a home beatdown, winning 41-10 to advance to the Super Bowl.
Before that, they eliminated the Lions in the 1982 strike-shorten season 31-7 inside Robert F. Kennedy Stadium.
With the matchup being set, which side are you leaning on? Can the Lions advance to their first home NFC Championship game in franchise history? Or will the magical run of the Commanders continue?