The Detroit Lions now know their opponent. What will be the key to defeating the Washington Commanders?
Many Detroit Lions fans got their wish: they will face the Washington Commanders in the NFC Divisional Round.
In last week’s poll , 43 percent of voters wanted to face the Commanders, slightly behind the 49 percent that wanted the now-eliminated Green Bay Packers . The Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams have yet to play their Monday night playoff game, but for the purposes of next week’s schedule, it does not matter to the Lions: their date with the Commanders is set . Washington defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at home, granting themselves a ticket to the Motor City.
In the NFL playoffs , no team should be counted out. Even though Washington is just a sixth seed, they were an admirable 12-5 in the regular season—in most years, that would be good enough for a division crown or top Wild Card seed at worst. Detroit has had a week to rest, but rest also means the potential for rust. Can Detroit resume their high-octane ways?
Today’s Question of the Day is:
What is the key to defeating the Washington Commanders?
My answer: Disrupt Jayden Daniels’ rhythm.
If the Lions win this game, it will likely be carried by the offense. Yet if the Lions want to win this game comfortably, they need to make Daniels uncomfortable.
The Commanders will live or die on the arm and legs of Daniels, plain and simple. The defense is subpar by most metrics (23rd in defensive DVOA entering the playoffs and 29th per PFF’s overall defensive grades), something that a dynamic Lions offense should be able to exploit. The Commanders’ offensive line is closer to good than great, meaning that lanes could be at a premium for their rushing attack. Even then, the running back room in Washington is led by Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler, a dollar store version of the David Montgomery and Jahmyr Gibbs pairing that Detroit boasts. Daniels actually finished as the Commanders’ leading rusher over the regular season—he was the leading rusher against the Buccaneers as well, totaling 36 yards to Ekeler’s 27 and Robinson’s 16.
Despite the injuries to the Lions’ defense, I feel somewhat confident in their ability to stop the Commanders’ passing attack. Terrion Arnold and Amik Robertson did a phenomenal job shutting down the Minnesota Vikings receivers in Week 18, and while Terry McLaurin is a talented receiver, the likes of Olamide Zaccheaus or Dyami Brown are far less threatening. If the Commanders want to beat the Lions, they will need Daniels to play some hero ball.
To stop Daniels, that means two things: keeping the pressure up and minimizing his damage on the ground.
This will be a pivotal game for Za’Darius Smith, Josh Paschal, and Al-Quaddin Muhammad. Not only will they be tasked with creating pressure and disrupting the pocket, but they will also be charged with containing Daniels when he bounces outside. Finding a balance between aggressiveness and containment will be paramount for Detroit to smother the Commanders’ offense. Daniels has had many highlight-reel plays where he created space outside of the pocket to facilitate a play downfield. The Lions need to prevent those types of plays from happening—the fewer fire drills that the cornerbacks have to cover, the better. Daniels will get his yards on the ground, that is just the nature of a quarterback like him. Instead, the Lions need to dictate when those yards get picked up—don’t let him scramble for first downs to keep drives alive.
Detroit needs a repeat performance of their Week 18 defensive stand against the Vikings. They need to prove it was not a mirage. I think that the Lions’ offense can win a shootout, but I would rather it not come to that.
Your turn.