
The stage is set for the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, including a fantastic matchup between the Washington Commanders vs Detroit Lions On one side, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels is single-handedly carrying the Commanders roster. Meanwhile, Detroit earned the No. 1 seed in the NFC thanks to phenomenal coaching and an elite roster. Here are the top matchups to watch in Saturday’s Commanders vs Lions game.
Washington Commanders run defense vs Detroit Lions run game

The Washington Commanders ended the regular season allowing the third-most rushing yards per game (137.5) with a 4.8 yards-per-carry average (third-most). Improvements were made down the stretch, with opponents averaging just 113.7 rushing yards and 0.8 rushing touchdowns per game. However, there are still a lot of reasons to be concerned from the Commanders’ perspective.
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Washington allowed three opponents to rush for 200-plus yards during the regular season with five going for 175-plus. It came with a 3-2 record, which could’ve been even worse if not for the Jalen Hurts injury in the Dec. 22 win.
The Detroit Lions are getting David Montgomery back for this matchup, putting together the dynamic duo with Jahmyr Gibbs. Unsurprisingly, Detroit has a 10-0 record when it rushes for 140-plus yards and a 6-1 record when it averages over 5 yards per carry. This is one of the biggest mismatches between the Commanders vs Lions.
Jayden Daniels vs Lions’ blitz-heavy approach

The season-ending injuries to Aidan Hutchinson, Marcus Davenport and Alim McNeil forced Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn to be more aggressive. It’s one of the biggest reasons why Detroit finished with the second-highest blitz rate (34.6 percent) in the NFL. We saw that approach work in Week 18 versus Sam Darnold – blitzed on 46.7 percent of dropbacks – but Jayden Daniels is built to take advantage of the blitz.
- Jayden Daniels vs blitz (PFF): 103.3 QB rating (7th), 64.2% completion rate (10th), 7.7 ypa (11th), 12-3 TD-INT, 93.0 PFF rushing grade (1st)
Even with Daniels’ success against the blitz this season, Washington will need more. Austin Ekeler will be a check-down weapon underneath who will need to maximize every reception and Terry McLaurin must get separation deep downfield to set up some 30-plus-yard plays. Otherwise, it’ll be a one-man show and that isn’t enough to overcome the Lions.
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Marshon Lattimore vs Jameson Williams

The Washington Commanders advanced to the Divisional Round, but Marshon Lattimore lost the battle versus Mike Evans. Washington has protected Lattimore through a hamstring injury (3 starts) but the No. 1 cornerback has now allowed a 130-plus QB rating with over 100 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns since joining Washington.
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When Amon-Ra St. Brown is in the slot, we’ll likely see Lattimore line up against Jameson Williams. Detroit’s No. 2 receiver has been very good this year – 2.18 yards per route run (26th), 447 yards after catch (12th) and 48.9% route win rate (19th). Williams could be an X-factor in this game.
Terry McLaurin vs Detroit Lions secondary

Even with injuries still hurting this Detroit Lions defense, there is less to worry about with the Commanders receiving corps. It’s Terry McLaurin and not much else, which will put all eyes on how Detroit chooses to cover McLaurin.
- Terry McLaurin stats: 26 deep targets (7th), 2.13 yards per route run (29th), 133.0 QB rating when targeted (3rd)
McLaurin finished the season with the third-most targets (30) on throws 20-plus yards downfield this season, pulling in 40 percent of those opportunities for 474 yards and 5 touchdowns. The Lions can either deploy Terrion Arnold or Amik Robertson in man coverage with him, sliding a safety deep to that side to help contain McLaurin. For the Commanders to pull of this upset, McLaurin likely needs to make at least two plays deep downfield as part of a 100-yard performance.
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