NFL Playoffs - Divisional Round
Nuts & Bolts
Date: January 18, 2025
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Venue: Ford Field - Detroit, MI
How to Watch: FOX
Matchup History: Washington leads all-time series 31-16
Last Meeting: Detroit def. Washington 36-7 on 9/18/22
Betting Lines: Via DraftKings
Spread: Washington +9.5
Over/Under: 53.5
Prediction: Washington 34, Detroit 31
Official Game Notes: HERE
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Head Coach: Dan Quinn (1st season, 13-5 record in Washington)
Record: 12-5 (4-2, 2nd in NFC East)
Last Time Out: Won @ Tampa Bay 23-20 on 1/12/25
Highlights HERE
Player to Watch: Jayden Daniels
For the first time in 19 years, the Washington Commanders have won a playoff game.
On the last play of the game, kicker Zane Gonzalez hit a field goal off the right upright and in from 37 yards out to win it, acting as the fourth different kicker the Commanders have had on the roster this season.
It was a fortunate bounce for Washington and its fans, who have suffered through plenty of bounces that didn’t go in their favor over the past 19 seasons without a playoff win.
All year long, things have seemed to go the Commanders way; going back to the Hail Mary win over the Bears or the two-point conversion stop in New Orleans, or the miraculous touchdown in the closing seconds to beat the Eagles, this team has had a way of pulling it out in the closing moments time and time again.
Of course, you have to be good to be lucky, and this team has found a good one in its rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels.
Daniels is just 24 years old and in his rookie NFL season out of LSU, but in Sunday night’s win in Tampa Bay, he looked like a veteran who had been there many times before.
In the win, Daniels threw for 268 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24/35 passing while leading the team in rushing with 36 yards on 13 carries, including the biggest play of the game, a 4 yard run on 3rd and 2 to convert a first down to salt the game away and set up the game-winning field goal.
The Commanders did well to capitalize on a couple of crucial fourth quarter mistakes by Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield and recaptured the lead with 9:46 to play and never trailed again.
On Saturday, Washington faces a Detroit Lions team that is 15-2 and coming off a bye; the task is about as daunting as it could possibly be.
However, at this point, Head Coach Dan Quinn and his team are playing with house money. The Commanders are walking into Detroit with the Offensive Rookie of the Year as the starting quarterback and nothing to lose - a dangerous combination for the top team in the NFC to go up against.
Head Coach: Dan Campbell (4th season, 39-28-1 record in Detroit)
Record: 15-2 (6-0, 1st in NFC North)
Last Time Out: Won vs. Minnesota 31-9 on 1/5/25
Highlights HERE
Player to Watch: Jahmyr Gibbs
In 2024, the Detroit Lions won a franchise record 15 games in the regular season and earned the NFC’s number one seed for the first time ever.
Head Coach Dan Campbell has orchestrated an extraordinary turnaround in Detroit, taking a team that went 3-13-1 his first season to places the team has never been in year four at the helm.
The Lions’ only two losses this year came in Week 2 against Tampa Bay in a game Jared Goff threw two interceptions, and against Buffalo in Week 15, 48-42, when the heavily depleted Detroit defense could not stop Josh Allen and the Bills offense.
It’s been a season plagued by injury and the Lions have played in what is widely considered to be the league’s toughest division, the NFC North, alongside the 14-3 Minnesota Vikings and the NFC seven seed Green Bay Packers, who both failed to make it out of Wildcard weekend.
The Lions led the NFL in points scored per game (33.2) and boast the league’s second-best passing attack, trailing only Cincinnati.
Quarterback Jared Goff threw for 4,600 yards and 37 touchdowns in the regular season, working behind one of if not the best offensive lines in football.
From a weapons standpoint, the Lions have plenty of mouths to feed. Outside, they have All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and second-year tight end Sam LaPorta while in the backfield they feature the dynamic duo of Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, who is expected to make his return from injury after previously being declared out for the year.
For Detroit to advance to its second consecutive NFC Championship Game, they’ll need to slow down the dynamic offense of the Commanders and take care of the football on offense.
If they can find ways to frustrate rookie Jayden Daniels and score on the majority of possessions, the Lions should win this game by multiple possessions.
Expect an extremely motivated Lions team to come out on Saturday; they’re just two home wins away from playing in the first Super Bowl in team history.
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