Washington Commanders vs Detroit Lions Prediction, Preview and Odds - 01/18/2025

Game Time: 8:00 pm ET, Saturday, January 18, 2025

Venue:  Ford Field, Detroit, MI 

Where to Watch:  FOX

DraftKings:  Point Spread:  Commanders +8.5, Lions -8.5; Over/Under:  55.5 points

Bet365:  Point Spread:  Commanders +8.5, Lions -8.5; Over/Under:  55.5 points

BetMGM:  Point Spread:  Commanders +8.5, Lions -8.5; Over/Under:  55.5 points

Washington Commanders:  12-5 (2nd place, NFC East)

Detroit Lions:  15-2 (1st place, NFC North)

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Washington Commanders:  won their last game on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20.

Detroit Lions:  won their last game at home against the Minnesota Vikings 31-9.

The Commanders finished the NFL regular season with a 12-5 record overall and they were 4-2 in their divisional games. They were 7-2 in their home games, 5-3 in their road games, and they were also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be on the road for this game. They won their last game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20. Jayden Daniels was the starting QB and he completed 24/35 passes for 268 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. Jayden Daniels led the team in rushing yards with 36. Terry McLaurin led the receivers with 89 receiving yards on 7 receptions and 1 TD. Bobby Wagner led the defense in that game with 5 solo tackles and 3 assisted tackles while Bobby Wagner and Dorance Armstrong each led the defense in sacks with 0.5. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

 

 

 

The Lions finished the NFL regular season with a 15-2 record overall and they were 6-0 in their divisional games. They were 7-2 in their home games, 8-0 in their road games, and they were also 0-0 in their neutral site games this season, but they will be at home for this game. They won their last game against the Minnesota Vikings 31-9. Jared Goff was the starting QB and he completed 27/33 passes for 231 passing yards, 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Jahmyr Gibbs led the team in rushing yards with 139 and 3 TDs. Amon-Ra St. Brown led the receivers with 77 receiving yards on 6 receptions. Kerby Joseph led the defense in that game with 4 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles while Za'Darius Smith and Al-Quadin Muhammad each led the defense in sacks with 1. No one on the defense came away with an interception for them in that one.

The current betting odds have the Lions listed as an 8.5 point favorite in this game according to Draftkings Sportsbook. The Lions have looked great in their games this season with their 15-2 record overall which leads the NFC North with the best record in the entire NFL. They needed to win their last game of the regular season to get the number 1 seed in the NFC and they showed up big against the Vikings with a 31-9 win. They had a bye in the last round and that bye week was much needed for them with all of their injuries so they will be better off in this game with some guys getting healthier. Meanwhile, the Commanders have looked really good in their games this season with their 12-5 record overall which has them in 2nd place of the NFC East. They had to go on the road in the Wild Card Round and came out with a win over the Buccaneers. They have a lot of momentum on their side with the way they have gone into the playoffs and they weren't even supposed to be this good this season, but now they are going to run into a much stronger team. They will once again be on the road but now they face the Lions who have one of the best offenses in the NFL and won't struggle to move the ball like the Buccaneers did at times in that game. The Lions defense has also been getting healthier and they looked great against the Vikings in that last game so this won't be an easy defense for the Commanders either. Jayden Daniels played great in that game to win a playoff game on the road in his rookie season, but the Bucs were also really up and down this season while the Lions have been the best team in the NFC all season and have maintained that all year. The Lions are going to be ready for this game after the way their playoffs ended last season and it will be really tough for Jayden Daniels to win 2 road playoff games in a row. The best way to place a bet here is on the Lions to cover the spread in this game. 

Commanders Lions Prediction:  Our NFL Pick for Saturday, January 18, 2025 (8:00 pm ET start time) is Lions 34 Commanders 17.

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Washington Commanders: 5-8 ATS vs. good passing teams averaging 7 or more passing yards/att. 3-6 1H ATS after 3 or more consecutive wins. 3-6 1H ATS vs. poor passing defenses - allowing 235 or more passing yards/game. 12-5 OVER as an underdog of 3.5 to 9.5 points. 10-5 OVER after a win by 6 or less points. 10-5 OVER vs. good teams - outscoring opponents by 6+ PPG on the season.

Detroit Lions: 38-16 ATS in all games. 25-12 ATS as a favorite. 21-6 ATS after scoring 30 points or more last game. 10-2 ATS vs. good offensive teams - scoring 24 or more points/game. 18-10 OVER in home games. 23-13 OVER as a favorite. 8-4 OVER vs. good offensive teams - scoring 24 or more points/game.

Washington Commanders:  J. Daniels (QB) Injured - Quad. J. Chinn (SAF) Injured - Rib. C. Yankoff (TE) Out - Hamstring. B. Coleman (OT) Injured - Knee. F. Luvu (LB) Injured - Shoulder. J. Bates (TE) Injured - Shoulder. C. Lucas (T) Injured - Groin. T. Biadasz (C) Injured - Ankle. J. Crowder (WR) Questionable - Groin. J. Magee (LB) Injured - Hamstring. M. Lattimore (CB) Injured - Hamstring. C. Ferrell (DE) Injured - Knee. Q. Martin (DB) Injured - Illness. 

Detroit Lions:  None.

“We were going to be bold but not reckless.” - Dan Quinn after his team’s win against the Bucs in their last game. 

“He was special, and we needed him to be.” - Jared Goff on Jahmyr Gibbs after their win against the Vikings in their last game. 

WR McLaurin, Terry 

WR Brown, Dyami 

WR Zaccheaus, Olamide

TE Ertz, Zach

QB Daniels, Jayden

RB Robinson Jr., Brian

WR Patrick, Tim

WR Williams, Jameson

WR St. Brown, Amon-Ra

TE LaPorta, Sam

QB Goff, Jared 

RB Gibbs, Jahmyr 

Passing: J. Daniels (3568)

Rushing: J. Daniels (891)

Receiving: T. McLaurin (1096)

Touchdowns: T. McLaurin (13)

Passing: J. Goff (4629)

Rushing: J. Gibbs (1412)

Receiving: A. St. Brown (1263)

Touchdowns: J. Gibbs (20)

Coaches:

Washington Commanders: Dan Quinn (1st season)

Detroit Lions: Dan Campbell (4th season)