The Lions have a better team than the Commanders. There is a sharp contrast in the quality of the rosters. It’s not close.
The Lions are young, but nonetheless loaded with All-Pro and Pro Bowl caliber players, legitimate Top 5 NFL players at their respective positions across the board. The Commanders have nowhere near such star power.
The Lions will be at home in their indoor stadium before a frenzied crowd. The noise level at Ford Field Saturday night figures to be unprecedented.
Detroit head coach Dan Campbell’s program has been in place for four seasons and is building toward a crescendo which could hit its highest volume this postseason.
His counterpart with the Commanders, Dan Quinn, is in his first season.
All this has been duly noted by Las Vegas. The Lions are a 9.5-point favorite.
Yet, there is an undeniable “X” factor, Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels.
We know he is very good. What is unknown, on this level of the NFL’s stage, is whether he is great.
In the NFL, it’s often difficult to discern if it is the team or the quarterback. Elite quarterbacks are the equalizer.
Bobby Wagner is still a top-end off-the-ball linebacker. Daniels has brought out the big-time receiver in Terry McLaurin.
But Washington’s offensive line is mediocre, their defensive front underwhelming and their secondary pedestrian.
The Rams, who the Lions would have played if the Commanders had not upset the Bucs, would present a much more difficult challenge.
The Lions’ roster up and down is stronger than Washington’s and it includes defense and special teams.
Washington has one of the NFL’s worst run defenses. In theory, the Lions should control the ball and the clock.
Daniels alone, though, makes the Commanders ominous. His traditional QB numbers were excellent this season. He is a very accurate passer. His feel in the pocket is special, and evade among the best to ever play the position. Often, it looks like he is lined up perfectly by pass rushers, and then he just vanishes. He throws well on the run, displays an ideal balance of when to throw or keep the ball when in space on the edge.
The knock he is too thin to hold up physically has been unfounded. He is not a kid. Daniels is 24 years old and usually has a half-dozen plays per game that are designed runs.
He has displayed superior poise since he led comeback wins at Michigan State, both ranked at the time, as a freshman for Arizona State in 2019 long before he became a legend at LSU.
While this should be a methodical victory for the Lions, they can’t afford to let the Commanders stay in this game and allow Daniels to get hot early.
It’s difficult to imagine a scenario in which the Lions don’t score 30 points, but that may not be enough if Daniels rolls.
The Lions’ goal is not complicated, but stopping Daniels is.
He is the Commanders. If the Lions contain him, they win the game.