The Detroit Lions (5-3) and Washington Commanders (3-6) will square off in Week 10, in a rematch of last year’s NFC Divisional Playoff game. This matchup doesn’t quite have the same feel as last year’s game, as the Lions are coming off their third loss of the season, and the Commanders will be without their starting quarterback, Jayden Daniels, who suffered a dislocated non-throwing elbow in Week 9 and is out indefinitely.
Ahead of Week 9, the betting line for this game saw the Lions favored by just over a field goal, but after the fallout from Sunday, the folks over at FanDuel Sportsbook have adjusted the opening betting line to Lions -8.5 points.
For the Commanders, it’s been a tumultuous season. This is Daniels’ third injury of the season (elbow, knee, and hamstring); they’ve been without their top wide receiver, Terry McLaurin, for over half the season (including Week 9); and the replacements haven’t held up like we saw last season.
Marcus Mariota is expected to take over at quarterback—as he has in the previous 3 and a half games when Daniels was injured—but his performances have been a mixed bag. In Weeks 3 and 4, he performed well above expectations, leading the Commanders to a win over the Raiders and an unfortunate loss to the Falcons. However, in Weeks 7 and 8, Mariota struggled against the Cowboys and Chiefs, with both games ending in losses. Overall, he’s performed well when it’s been known that he is going to start—versus coming in cold off the bench—but he’s still a step down from Daniels.
As for the Lions, they haven’t lost back-to-back games since Weeks 7 and 8 in 2022, and they’ll be looking to bounce back after an underwhelming performance that left a lot of unanswered questions surrounding their offense. The Lions are a veteran team, and there’s a history of them being able to right the ship quickly, and based on the betting line, Vegas is expecting that to happen.
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