The victor of Monday, January 13’s Minnesota Vikings vs. Los Angeles Rams game was predicted by many NFL analysts and experts to be the Detroit Lions’ first playoff opponent, however that did not transpire. Because of a playoff upset, the Lions already know who they will play this coming Saturday.
The Rams (No. 4 seed), Vikings (No. 5 seed), Washington Commanders (No. 6 seed), or Green Bay Packers (No. 7 seed) were the four possible opponents for the Lions going into Sunday’s game because they are facing the NFC Wild Card round’s lowest-seeded victor.
The Lions’ playoff matchup is determined by an upset game.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were seeded higher than the Washington Commanders, so it was generally expected that the Commanders would lose to them on Sunday. But that didn’t take place. Since the Commanders were the bottom seed left after the Packers’ loss to the Eagles, they will play the Lions in their inaugural playoff game on Saturday, January 18, at 8 p.m. Eastern time at Ford Field. The Commanders defeated the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. The Bucs would have travelled to meet the Eagles the next weekend if they had prevailed.
According to the Football Database, the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders have faced off 47 times, including three postseason encounters, with the Lions winning 16 of those encounters.
won 16 of those games, compared to 31 victories for the Commanders.
Given that these two teams haven’t faced one another since 2022, the upcoming playoff matchup could be intriguing. The Commanders were defeated by the Lions in September of that year, 36-27. Naturally, that was prior to Dan Quinn being the Commanders’ new head coach.
When facing the commanders, the Lions’ defence must be outstanding.
The Lions are aware that they cannot afford to take it easy, even though they are playing a lower-seeded opponent than anticipated. This Washington squad is performing well under Quinn, particularly in the latter stages of the season.
The Lions’ defence played flawlessly against the Vikings last Sunday.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff had nothing but praise for the defence after the game.
“I have nothing but praise for what they accomplished today,” Goff remarked. “It’s astonishing, really. Once more, everyone is writing about how exhausted and hurt they are, and they don’t give a damn—it’s next man up. played their hearts out today, and they didn’t score any touchdowns despite having a strong offence, right?
In reference to his turnovers, he continued, saying that the defence “bailed me out a couple times” and “bailed us out offensively a couple times and team win.” We are grateful.
Following the Vikings game, Lions head coach Dan Campbell again praised the defence.
“I believe that given where we are. There’s no mystery, you see. For example, we must be
be able to play in a specific manner, and as long as our guys play lights out, the recipe is correct,” he stated. They follow instructions properly, function as a team, and pursue the football. And we can be effective if we do those things, and they did it today, dude.
The defence “played with high, high energy,” Campbell continued, and carried out “what the coaches asked them to do.”
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