The Commanders are coming off their first playoff victory since January 2006 with last weekend’s 23-20 Wild Card win over Tampa Bay, which also extended their current win streak to a season-high six games. The Lions enjoyed a bye last weekend after finishing as the top seed in the NFC with a 15-2 record, capped by a decisive 31-9 victory in their Week 18 showdown with Minnesota.

The Lions are perched as 9.5-point home favourites on the NFL Divisional Round odds. The Commanders trail as +400 underdogs on the NFL moneyline and the total is set at 55.5.

NFL Point Spread and Betting Analysis

Saturday night’s matchup marks the first playoff meeting between these teams since 2000 and the first-ever postseason clash to be held between these century-old franchises in Detroit. The Commanders earned the win in each of their three previous playoff dates with the Lions, claiming victory by an average margin of 24 points in those contests. However, the Lions have dominated in recent head-to-head tilts during the regular season, winning six of seven since 2008 including five straight victories on home turf. The Lions have also been a dominant force at Ford Field overall, averaging 39.4 points per game while winning six of their past seven and have covered five times while winning their past six when favoured by nine or points at home. The Commanders have also impressed at both ends of the gridiron during their current 6-0 run, averaging 29 points per game and claiming a pair of outright wins as betting underdogs, but have posted just two wins in eight playoff games as underdogs since 1993.

Washington Commanders

Jayden Daniels turned in yet another big-game performance in last weekend’s upset victory over the Buccaneers. Daniels tossed for 268 yards and two touchdowns and also led the squad with 36 rushing yards. Apart from Washington’s meaningless  23-19 win over Dallas in Week 18 in which Daniels was kept out of the endzone, the rookie pivot has been consistently productive, tossing for 17 total TDs over his past seven outings while averaging 63.6 rushing yards per game over that stretch. Terry McLaurin remains Daniels’ top target. The veteran receiver has pulled in 22 total catches for 151 yards and two scores over the past two games and has racked up 14 total scoring receptions this season. 

NFL Divisional Round Props and Betting Odds: Commanders vs. Lions

Detroit Lions

Last week’s bye has provided the Lions with a much-needed break. The squad enjoyed one of the earliest byes of the regular season back in Week 5 and are likely to benefit from the long layoff, particularly on the injury front. David Montgomery is expected to return to action on Saturday night after missing the final three games of the regular season. The return of Montgomery reunites arguably the best backfield tandem in the NFL, with Montgomery and fellow running back Jahmyr Gibbs combining to rack up 28 scoring runs this season. That should take some of the pressure off quarterback Jared Goff, who has been simply spectacular at times while piling up 17 of his 37 touchdowns over the past six games, but who must now face a Washington pass defence that ranked third in the NFL while surrendering an average of just 189.5 passing yards this season and allowed just four total scoring tosses over the past four games.

NFL Prediction: Who Will Win Commanders vs. Lions?