Washington Commanders vs. Detroit Lions Odds, Picks, and Prediction
Commanders vs. Lions Odds
| Commanders Odds | +2 |
| Lions Odds | -2 |
| Over/Under | 48.5 |
| Date | Sunday, Sept. 18 |
| Time | 1:00 p.m. |
| TV | FOX |
On Sunday, the Washington Commanders and the Detroit Lions will battle in the Motor City, with the Commanders looking to stay undefeated and the Lions hoping to get their first victory of the campaign. Oddsmakers are expecting a tightly-contested affair between these two teams, pricing Detroit as a 2-point home favorite on the spread.
Let’s take a deeper look at the matchup to see where NFL bettors can find value at sportsbooks in this contest.
Washington Commanders
In Week 1, the Commanders were up 14-3 at the half against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but a sloppy start to the second half saw them fall behind 22-14 with 11:45 remaining in the contest. Impressively, Washington responded by going 78 yards on four plays to get within a single score, forced a three-and-out to get the ball back, then methodically delivered a 13-play, 90-yard drive to go up 28-22 before a game-sealing interception officially earned them a win.
As was mentioned in our preseason preview of the Commanders, this team is criminally underrated heading into 2022. One of the most overlooked storylines during the offseason was the addition of Andrew Norwell and Trai Turner to the offensive line. Both Norwell and Turner have been phenomenal in pass protection in recent years, and it showed again in Week 1, with Wentz being sacked only once in a game that he threw 41 pass attempts. Charles Leno Jr. graded as the best pass-blocking tackle in all of football during the season opener, per Pro Football Focus. As I mentioned in my weekly podcast, Jahan Dotson ran some of the most crisp routes of any receiver in the NFL last week, ultimately leading to two touchdown grabs for the rookie in his first taste of professional action. Facing an extremely weak Detroit pass-rush, Washington’s passing attack should have a field day in this spot.
Defensively, Washington was strong against the pass in Week 1, but struggled mightily against the run – allowing Jacksonville to total 123 rushing yards on only 18 carries. Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne both got on the board with their first sack of the year last Sunday. This Sunday, they have an opportunity to feast once again, facing an injury-depleted Lions offensive line that could be featuring multiple back-ups.
Detroit Lions
The Lions ostensibly played competitive football in Week 1, losing their home opener by only three points to the Philadelphia Eagles. However, Detroit trailed 38-21 entering the fourth quarter and gained 162 of their 386 total yards of offense on their final three drives against a Philadelphia defense that was playing quasi prevent defense in a three score contest. Still, the Lions were out-gained by nearly 100 yards, had fewer first downs than the Eagles, and lost the time of possession battle. Heading into Week 2, starting center, and 2020 Pro Bowler, Frank Ragnow has already been ruled out. Right guard Halapoulivaati Vaitai recently underwent back surgery after a preseason injury. Left guard Jonah Jackson is listed as questionable, as of this writing, with a finger injury that caused him to miss practice on both Thursday and Friday this week – not creating much optimism that he will be on the field for this one.
There are few, if any, teams in football worse on the defensive side of the ball than the Lions. Philadelphia totaled 407 yards of offense in the first three quarters in Week 1 before taking their foot off of the gas pedal with some conservative play-calling with a big fourth quarter lead. Jalen Hurts was rarely under pressure in the pocket, and had plenty of easy throws to open pass-catchers all afternoon. The Eagles also added 216 rushing yards on only 39 carries. Last fall, the Lions ranked 27th in sacks per pass attempt, which prompted the front office to draft Aidan Hutchinson with the second overall pick in this past summer’s draft. He made little impact in his debut, and figures to have a similar performance against a strong Washington offensive line in Week 2. The secondary unit finished 2021 ranked dead-last in the league, allowing 7.65 yards per pass play, according to NFL GSIS. Jeffrey Okudah looks to be improved compared to his first two years, but his technique is still inconsistent. Amani Oruwariye offers little to no production on his side of the field. Expect this defense to have a rough weekend.
Commanders vs. Lions Picks & Predictions
The Eagles had 407 yards of total offense in the first three quarters in Week 1 against the Lions. Washington has an extremely underrated pass-blocking offensive line, which should give Carson Wentz and company plenty of opportunity to attack down-the-field in this spot. If the Commanders are able to run the ball effectively, it will only add another layer of reasoning for bettors to take the over on Washington’s team total. Take the over and live with the result.
PICK: Commanders o23.5 points (-115, DraftKings)
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