The opening betting line has been set for the Washington Commanders at Detroit Lions NFC Divisional round playoff game.
After earning the No. 1 seed in the NFC and securing a bye week during the Wild Card round of the 2024-25 NFL playoffs , the Detroit Lions were able to get some much-needed rest as they awaited their opponent in the Divisional Round. As the lowest seed in the NFC advancing out of the Wild Card round, the Washington Commanders will travel to Detroit on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET to take on the Lions.
With the time and opponents established, the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook have set the opening betting line at Lions -8.5 points. The number initially opened at Lions -7.5 points, but within the first few minutes, the number was quickly adjusted and landed at the current number.
The Commanders won their final five games of the regular season, beating the Titans, Saints, Eagles, Falcons, and Cowboys, then advanced out of the first round of the playoffs by upsetting the No. 3 seed Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 on a walk-off field goal kick that bounced off the upright and through the posts.
Ironically, the successful kick was made by Zane Gonzalez, who was on the Lions roster (and practice squad) in 2021. He did not see any game action while in Detroit and was poached off the Lions practice squad early in the season.
But the crossover storylines don’t end there.
The biggest storyline will surround the Commanders’ pursuit of Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson to be their next head coach, and then leaking negative things about him after he opted to stay in Detroit .
There is also the fact that Washington’s previous most recent playoff win came when Mark Brunell was their quarterback, and he is now the Lions’ quarterback coach. Equally as unique is the fact that Washington’s current quarterback’s coach is former Lions quarterback David Blough. Additionally, the Commanders hired Lance Newmark away from the Lions front office to be their assistant general manager, then signed Anthony Pittman this past offseason—but Pittman has since re-joined the Lions less than a month ago. Taking this another step further, the Commanders’ starting tight end is Zach Ertz, who was on the Lions practice squad for the playoffs last season but never acclimated enough to contribute. And the list goes on.
As for the game itself, both teams lean on their offenses to win, and while the Lions will hold most of the advantages on paper, the Commanders’ rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is a difference maker. He has been electric this season, both throwing the ball with accuracy and racking up the yardage on the ground with his mobility. Working to contain Daniels and limit his ability to make explosive plays will be a tough task for the Lions defense.
On offense, the Lions should have multiple advantages, the biggest being their ability to establish an effective rushing attack. And while the Lions will be bringing David Montgomery back for this game to further aid this method of attack, it’s the Lions’ balance on offense and ability to play at every level of the field that makes them so dangerous.