The Detroit Lions will host the Washington Commanders in a highly anticipated NFL Divisional Round matchup at Ford Field on Saturday night.
The Lions earned the NFC’s top seed with a 15-2 regular season record and will look to take another step towards their first-ever Super Bowl appearance.
Meanwhile, the Commanders are riding high after a 12-5 season and a thrilling 23-20 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round.
Well rested after their bye week, Detroit will be boosted by the return of their bulldozing running back David Montgomery.
He was feared to be done for the season when he picked up a knee injury in Week 15, but he was a full participant in practice this week.
Rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold was also a full participant, indicating the foot injury he sustained in the Lions’ Week 18 win over the Minnesota Vikings will not keep him out.
But star pass rusher Aidan Hutchinson, who broke his leg in Week 6, and defensive end Pat O’Connor, who hurt his calf against the Vikings, are not likely to feature.
Two Washington linebackers are doubts for the clash with rookie Jordan Magee almost certainly out after reinjuring his hamstring against the Bucs.
And former Super Bowl winner Bobby Wagner was listed as a non-participant for midweek practice with a new ankle injury.
The Lions are the overwhelming favourites to progress to the NFC Conference Championship Game.
But the Commanders have exceeded all expectations and, with nothing to lose, could prove to be dangerous opponents.
We’ve prepared a three-leg bet builder suggestion for the match that pays out at 4/1.
Detroit Lions v Washington Commanders tips
- Over 45.5 total points
- Jahmyr Gibbs over 115.5 rushing yards
- Jahmyr Gibbs anytime touchdown scorer
- Bet Builder odds: 4/1
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Punters redundant in high-scoring contest
Dan Campbell and Dan Quinn, the respective head coaches of the Lions and Commanders, share an aggressive-minded mentality when it comes to going for it on fourth down.
Both men are ready to risk it for touchdowns instead of settling for field goals or even, as was the norm in high-stakes games like this in the past, punting when just out of range.
The Lions converted 22 of their 33 fourth-down attempts this season on their way to scoring an NFL-high 33.2 points per game.
The Commanders went for it fewer times than Detroit, but they hit better than anybody – moving the chains 20 times and turning it over on only three occasions.
Both teams have shown the ability to put up points in bunches this season and with playmakers like Jared Goff, Jahmyr Gibbs, and Amon-Ra St. Brown on one side, and Jayden Daniels and Terry McLaurin on the other, this game has the potential to turn into a shootout.
Over 45.5 points have been scored in four of the Lions’ last five games and they have gone over that number by themselves three times this season.
Commanders defence could be gashed by Gibbs
The Lions’ biggest advantage in this matchup will be when their sixth-ranked rushing attack goes up against Washington’s’ 30th-ranked rushing defense.
The Commanders allowed on average 137.5 yards on the ground per game this season with only New Orleans (141.4) and Carolina (179.8) faring worse.
That suggests Gibbs and the returning Montgomery will get plenty of hand offs.
Gibbs has rushed for an average of more than 121 yards per game in Detroit’s last three and looks poised to gain more than 116 yards on Saturday.
Gibbs to find the end zone
The Commanders’ defence has been susceptible to big plays this season, and Gibbs has the explosive ability to make them pay again.
The second-year star is a threat to score from anywhere on the field and with 16 rushing touchdowns to his name in the regular season, including three against the Vikings last time out, he looks the standout candidate to score at least once.
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All odds correct at time of writing
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