Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders were responsible for the biggest upset of the Wild Card Round. In a tough game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday Night Football, they went out and won 23-20 to move to the Divisional Round for the first time since the 2005 season.
A bigger challenge awaits. The Commanders will now travel to Detroit and play the red-hot Lions, who had a bye in the first round of the playoffs due to being the best team in the conference during the regular season. However, as Lions head coach Dan Campbell made it clear, he knows that a dangerous game is coming:
"He's dangerous, he’s dangerous. He poses a major threat. He does not play the position like a rookie quarterback. He's composed, he understands how to progress, he sees the field well, he can buy time with his legs, he's a dangerous runner. You know, he's smart, you can tell he understands how to run that offense, what they're asking him to do, and then he's got weapons around him. The receivers are pretty good. Got a good back, more than one receiver. He's a difference-maker"
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The Commanders did not play the Lions during the regular season. They had faced the Buccaneers in Week 1 and lost 37-20 but were able to grab revenge in the playoffs.
Apart from not playing in the Wild Card Round and resting their players, Detroit will have the advantage of hosting all NFC playoff games.
When will the Commanders-Lions NFC Divisional Round game happen?
The next round of the NFL playoffs will start on Saturday, when both seeds #1 will start their runs. Washington and Detroit will play in the second game of the day, starting at 8 p.m. ET at Ford Field. The Lions started the week as an 8.5-point favorite.
Whoever wins the game will play the winner of Sunday's matchup between the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles. They'll play each other at the Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Eagles, at 3 p.m. ET.
If the Lions win, the NFC Championship Game will be at Ford Field; if Detroit loses, whoever wins between Los Angeles and Philadelphia will host the conference championship.
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