The Detroit Lions are enjoying a well-earned bye week after securing the top seed in the NFC, though the journey wasn’t easy. They had to fight hard right until the final regular season game to claim the number one spot. Now, they know their next challenge. The Washington Commanders, who defeated the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night, will travel to Detroit for a Saturday night game against the Lions.
The Commanders, seeded sixth in the NFC, ended the season with a 12-5 record, thanks in part to an impressive rookie season from quarterback Jayden Daniels. Daniels has already won a road playoff game and is aiming to add another victory to his resume.
Lions head coach Dan Campbell had high praise for Daniels, calling him a significant threat. “He’s dangerous, he poses a major threat,” Campbell said, according to a Fox article. “He does not play the position like a rookie quarterback. He’s composed, he’s a dangerous runner, he’s smart. And then he’s got weapons around him. He’s a difference maker.”
Campbell recognizes the challenges quarterbacks like Daniels bring to the table. While Daniels excels as a passer, his ability to run makes him even more difficult to defend against. “Running quarterbacks are hard,” Campbell explained. “They’re hard to defend. It’s like, somebody tells you that, ‘We don’t handle running quarterbacks very well.’ Tell me the team that does. When you’re trying to deal with Lamar [Jackson] and a guy like this (Daniels) and Josh Allen, it’s a lot of teams that struggle against those guys. They’re not easy to stop. And there’s a reason for that. He may make a run. He may pop a run or two, but that doesn’t mean that you win the game.”
Despite initially thinking they might face a team they had already played during the regular season, the Lions will now face an unfamiliar opponent in the Commanders, which Campbell finds exciting. “I think there’s a level of excitement,” Campbell said. “(If) you see another team you face twice, you know each other, they know you. Whereas the opponent you haven’t faced yet, that’s exciting too, because you don’t really entirely know them. They don’t entirely know you. And so now you kind of start from scratch.”
The upcoming matchup won’t be an easy one for the Lions, but Campbell is focused on ensuring his team is ready for the challenge. He stressed the importance of seizing every moment and executing the fundamentals in high-pressure situations. “You look at what could have cost the team,” Campbell said. “Whether it’s a drop here, a penalty, a situation, whatever it is. That’s what the playoffs are. That one extra play, just doing your job in the heat of the moment. If you do that, you give yourself the best odds. If you don’t, the other team is going to.”
With Daniels and the Commanders coming to town, the Lions are gearing up for a tough and thrilling game as they aim for a spot in the NFC Championship.
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