The Washington Commanders are traveling to Detroit to take on the Lions in the Divisional round of the playoffs this weekend. Here are three keys to them advancing to the NFC Championship.
The Commanders need to have a similar game plan to the one they had against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, meaning they must control the time of possession to give themselves a chance against the Lions. They did that against the Buccaneers despite rushing for 82 yards on 33 carries. That combination of stats isn’t likely to happen again, so it’s imperative that Washington find some traction on the ground.
In fairness to Washington and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, it wasn’t for a lack of trying against the Buccaneers. They used some uncharacteristic looks like having Marcus Mariota under center, and they even called some speed option plays in the red zone. Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey are difficult matchups for anyone, though, and the two played a role in keeping Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler in check.
The Lions also have a stout defensive front that ranked fifth against the run in the regular season, but that number comes with some context. For starters, the Lions have rarely played in a deficit, leading to teams abandoning the run to catch up. The Lions are also severely banged up at the defensive line, with seven players on Injured Reserve. The current personnel plays hard, but there will still be some opportunities for Washington to establish the run.
While dynamic with the ball, Jayden Daniels can’t carry the load on the ground the way he’s had to do for the last month. The Commanders will need more from the other parts of their run game, and that includes getting Brian Robinson some open lanes.
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