After enjoying the first-round bye as the No. 1 seed, the Detroit Lions (15-2) will host the No. 6 seed Washington Commanders (12-5) in the NFC Divisional Round Saturday night.
As the lowest remaining seed, Washington makes the trip to Ford Field following their 23-20 Wild Card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Saturday's game is the first time the teams have faced each other this season.
Commanders report: With the win over the Buccaneers, the Commanders won their first playoff game since 2006, fueled by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels' 268-yard, two-touchdown performance. Daniels remains the lone rookie quarterback still in contention for the Super Bowl and has the Commanders riding a five-game win streak.
Daniels possesses a dual-threat ability, rushing for nearly 900 yards on the season and throwing for more than 3,500. Washington's offense has a variety of skill players, including wide receiver Terry McLaurin, who ranked second in the league during the regular season with 13 touchdowns. Tight end Zach Ertz, running back Brian Robinson Jr., running back Austin Ekeler and wide receiver Olamide Zaccheus are other notable offensive players to watch.
Defensively, Washington allowed 23.0 points per game in the regular season, and limited opposing quarterbacks to just under 190 passing yards per game, which will be a test for Detroit's second ranked passing offense. Linebacker Bobby Wagner and safety Jeremy Chinn led the team with 132 and 107 tackles, respectively, in the regular season while linebacker Dante Fowler Jr. led the team with 10.5 sacks.
Similar to Detroit, the Commanders have a tendency to be more aggressive on fourth down. Washington led the NFL in the regular season with an 87% fourth-down conversation rate (20-of-23) and converted 3-of-5 attempts in the playoff win over Tampa Bay, including a touchdown to tie the game at 20.
Last meeting: In Week 2 of the 2022 season, Detroit picked up their first win of the season with a 36-27 victory over Washington at Ford Field. Two Jared Goff touchdown passes to Amon-Ra St. Brown and Josh Reynolds along with two field goals built a 22-0 halftime lead for Detroit. Washington trimmed the lead to as a little as seven in the second half, but Goff connected with D'Andre Swift and St. Brown once more to secure the win.
Playoff schedule:
| Conference | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| AFC | 4. HOU at 1. KC, 4:30 p.m. | 3. BAL at 2. BUF, 6:30 p.m. |
| NFC | 6. WAS at 1. DET, 8:00 p.m. | 4. LAR at 2. PHI, 3:00 p.m. |
Winners of each game advance to conference championship, hosted by the highest remaining seed.
Quick hits:
1. In Washington's five-game win streak, all games have been decided by six points or less.
2. The Commanders have a 4-0 record when having a 100-plus yard rusher (tied for second) while Detroit leads the league with a 6-0 record.
3. Washington is 3-0 against Detroit in the playoffs with their most recent matchup in 1999 Wild Card round.
Data dive:
Stats are based on the regular season.
| Team | Total Offense | Total Defense | Rushing Offense | Passing Offense | Rushing Defense | Passing Defense | Takeaways |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions | 409.5 (2) | 342.4 (20) | 146.4 (6) | 263.2 (2) | 98.4 (5) | 244 (30) | 24 (T-10) |
| Commanders | 369.6 (7) | 326.9 (13) | 154.1 (3) | 215.6 (17) | 137.5 (30) | 189.5 (3) | 17 (T-20) |
Here are five Commanders storylines to follow into Saturday night's matchup:
1. Practice notes | Quinn, Commanders sticking to aggressive identity on fourth down vs. Lions
Washington boasts the highest conversion rate on fourth downs (87 percent) and plan to be aggressive in its Divisional Round matchup with Detroit. READ MORE
2. Playoff picture | Commanders prepare to face No. 1 Detroit Lions
The Commanders enter the Divisional Round for the first time since 2006 after its 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the Wild Card round. READ MORE
3. Duel in Detroit, Dyami Brown & the doink | Get Loud with Smoot & Jenks
Washington Commanders radio talent Michael Jenkins and Fred Smoot recap the win over Tampa Bay and preview the Divisional Round matchup against Detroit. WATCH
4. QB Jayden Daniels | 'It's going to be a challenge for us'
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels addressed the media Tuesday about the difficulties the Detroit Lions present ahead of the team's NFC Divisional Round matchup. WATCH
5. HC Dan Quinn | 'Winning time moments'
Washington head coach Dan Quinn spoke to reporters Tuesday, previewing the Commanders playoff game against the Lions. WATCH
