Home Sports Commanders-Lions preview: Will Detroit’s Super Bowl dreams be derailed by Jayden Daniels?

Commanders-Lions preview: Will Detroit’s Super Bowl dreams be derailed by Jayden Daniels?

0 comments
The NFL divisional round is usually the best weekend of games of the entire year. Let's do a preview. (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports)

Years from now, when we look back on the 2024 NFL season, the first two things that come to mind may be the Detroit Lions winning their first Super Bowl and Jayden Daniels’ incredible, historic rookie season.

The Lions are the favorites to win the Super Bowl, via BetMGM Oddsafter securing the NFC’s No. 1 seed. Their first matchup is against the Washington Commanders, led by Daniels. Daniels has led some incredible and dramatic wins, including a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild card round.

The atmosphere in Detroit should be electric in Saturday night’s divisional playoff showdown. We’ll see if Daniels can calm the crowd down a bit.

Ford Field, Detroit

8 pm Eastern Time

The game will be broadcast on Fox.

The Lions are the biggest favorites in the divisional round. They are favorites by 9.5 points. at BetMGM. This game also has the highest total of the round, 55.5. The Lions had a lot of hype to start the season and still exceeded market expectations, posting a 12-4-1 record against the spread that tied for the best mark in the NFL. as rated by Action Network.

The NFL divisional round is usually the best weekend of games of the entire year. Let’s do a preview. (Hassan Ahmad/Yahoo Sports)

Among the Lions’ many injuries this season, it appeared running back David Montgomery was headed for season-ending surgery on a knee injury. But the injury was not as serious as initially feared and the Lions are confident Montgomery will play this week. Montgomery was a big part of the Lions’ offense, providing a 1-2 punch with the explosive Jahmyr Gibbs. Montgomery had 775 yards and 12 touchdowns on 185 carries in 14 games this season. It’s really difficult to stop the Lions’ running game when both running backs are at full strength. Will Montgomery look the same as always? That would be bad news for a Commanders defense that ranked 28th in the NFL in rushing yards allowed.

We’ll keep this simple. This is the hope of the commanders:

The Commanders are outmatched in this game, but Jayden Daniels gives them a chance. It’s hard to believe a rookie quarterback can have that kind of impact, but he does. The Lions defense has struggled at times due to injuries. We’ve seen Daniels throw five touchdown passes against a much better Eagles defense in Week 16. Washington has a path to victory, and it’s Daniels who takes over the game. He is capable of doing it.

The Lions should score a lot of points. They had the highest scoring offense in the NFL this season. The Commanders ranked 18th in points allowed and 13th in yards allowed. That’s not bad, and Washington head coach Dan Quinn has a sharp defensive mind, but the Commanders don’t look like the type of defense that can slow down Detroit’s diverse attack. The Lions don’t want Jared Goff to throw a ton of interceptions or give up a ton of points to Jayden Daniels (mobile quarterbacks like Kyler Murray, Anthony Richardson and Josh Allen all had success on the ground against Detroit this season), but while their offense plays at its normal level, they should be fine. This could be a game where David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs dominate a Commanders defense that has given up a lot of rushing yards this season.

Jayden Daniels already belongs to that rare category of quarterback who scares the hell out of his opponents, no matter the situation. Has there ever been another rookie quarterback you’d trust more in a road playoff game against a No. 1 seed? Even if Daniels has a big game, the Lions can outplay anyone if necessary. The Commanders have had a fun season, but other than Daniels, this is a good matchup for the Lions. If Detroit loses as a heavy favorite at home, it would be beyond devastating for Lions fans praying to see their team reach the Super Bowl for the first time. Lions 34, commanders 24

You may also like