Washington Commanders vs Detroit Lions 09/18/2022 NFL Odds and Prediction

The Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions meet on Sunday afternoon in an NFC showdown.

Washington rallied to beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 29-22 at home last week. Meanwhile, the Lions lost in a high-scoring contest to the Philadelphia Eagles 38-35. These two teams last met in November 2020 with the Lions beating the Commanders 30-27 at Ford Field.

The Commanders opened as 1-point favorites but after the early betting action came in, the odds have shifted and the Lions are now 1.5-point spread favorites. If the current betting line holds, this will mark the first time in 25 games where the Lions have entered the game with the minus money sign written next to their name. Detroit’s 24-game streak as betting underdogs is the longest current streak in the NFL.

Washington Commanders

Washington defeated Jacksonville 29-22 last week as three-point home favorites. Carson Wentz impressed in his Washington debut as he threw four TD passes and passed for 313 yards. No question, Wentz is a big upgrade from Taylor Heinicke who started most of their games last season after Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered an early season injury.

The Commanders also had a great year in 2021, rushing for a total of 1,037 yards last season. He was only mediocre last week, however, rushing for just 58 on 4.1 yards per rush. Terry McLaurin had 58 receiving yards last week and is projected to top 1,000 yards this season. With the Lions not having a star cornerback, Wentz should be able to find him for big plays on Sunday.

Detroit Lions

Detroit also rallied in their season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles. But unlike the Commanders, their comeback came up short as they lost 38-35. Detroit however, covered the betting spread as they were six-point underdogs to the Eagles last week.

Jared Goff connected on only 21 of 37 passes for 215 passing yards with 2 TDs and one pick. Goff is coming off a season where he threw for only 3,245 passing yards but should be able to improve those numbers with a better WR corps this year. De’Andre Swift had a massive game with 144 rushing yards on 15 carries while also catching 30 yards. Swift, however, did not practice with the team this week and is listed as questionable for this game. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 65 yards last week. Meanwhile, top rookie Aidan Hutchinson had zero tackles last week as their defense faltered

Commanders vs Lions Prediction

The Commanders are 1-5 SU in their last six games played against the Lions. Washington is also 3-6 SU in their last nine games played in Detroit.

The Commanders are:

• 2-4 SU in their last six games played.

• 1-4 SU in their last five games played against the NFC.

• 1-5 SU in their last six games against the NFC North Division.

• 1-5 SU in their last six September games.

The Lions are:

• 3-16-1 SU in their last 20 games played.

• 2-3 SU in their last five games played at home.

• 3-13 SU in their last 16 games played against the NFC.

• 1-7 SU in their last eight September games.

The Commanders hope that Carson Wentz can continue with his terrific play in Week 2. Playing in his first game in a Washington uniform, Wentz threw for 313 passing yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions. That marked the first time since 2017 that Wentz threw for four TD passes. It was also only the 4th time since 2020 that Wentz had 2 or more TDs in a game.

Washington ranked just 24th in the NFL in scoring last season at 19.7 points per game. If their Week 1 performance was any indication, they are a tough team that is going to contend for the division title this year. With Antonio Gibson, Curtis Samuel, and rookie Jahan Dotson also providing Wentz the much-needed support, the Commanders have enough firepower to overcome the Lions.

The Lions looked good offensively last week, scoring 35 points in a losing effort. However, the defense was an issue as they allowed 455 offensive yards to the Eagles. Last season, Detroit also ranked 29th in defense, allowing 379.8 yards per game. The Lions also ranked next to last in scoring defense at 27.5 points per game allowed.

Offensively, D’Andre Swift had a massive 2022 debut, rushing for 144 yards on 15 carries. Meanwhile, Jamal Williams had 28 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns for the Lions. They will need the two to produce again to help open up the passing game for Jared Goff.

Overall, the Lions looked good last week as they did not allow any point in the first and fourth quarters. For as long as they don’t allow the Commanders to have huge scoring spurts, they should be good here. I don’t think the Commanders have that kind of offense.

Prediction: Detroit Lions

Commanders vs Lions ATS Predictions

The Commanders are 1-5 ATS in their last six games played. Washington is also 0-4 ATS in their last four games played in Detroit. The home team is also 5-1 ATS in the last six meetings between these two teams.

The Commanders are:

• 7-2-1 ATS in their last 10 games overall.

• 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 road games.

• 6-1-1 ATS in their last 8 games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game.

• 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games following an ATS win.

• 13-4-1 ATS in their last 18 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.

• 3-1-1 ATS in their last 5 road games versus a team with a losing home record.

• 8-3 ATS in their last 11 games following a straight-up win.

• 5-2-1 ATS in their last 8 vs. NFC.

• 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.

• 1-5 ATS in their last 6 games in September.

• 0-5 ATS in their last 5 games after accumulating more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.

• 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games played in Week 2.

The Lions are:

• 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games overall.

• 5-0 ATS in their last 5 home games.

• 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing more than 30 points in their previous game.

• 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games after allowing more than 150 yards rushing in their previous game.

• 5-0 ATS in their last 5 games as a home underdog.

• 4-0 ATS in their last 4 games against a team with a winning record.

• 7-1 ATS in their last 8 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.

• 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a straight-up loss.

• 6-1 ATS in their last 7 versus NFC.

• 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games after accumulating more than 150 yards rushing in their previous game.

• 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game.

• 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games on field turf.

• 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games after scoring more than 30 points in their previous game.

• 8-2 ATS in their last 10 games as an underdog.

• 4-1 ATS in their last 5 games in September.

• 4-1 ATS in their last 5 home games against a team with a winning road record.

• 6-14-1 ATS in their last 21 games in Week 2.

Despite falling to the Eagles in Week 1, the Lions were competitive. There was only that nine-minute stretch in the second where their defense allowed the Eagles to score three TDs where the defense blinked. Otherwise, it was a good effort from Dan Campbell’s boys.

Meanwhile, the Commanders squandered 383 yards against a young Jacksonville team last week. The veteran Lions team should be able to do better against the Washington defense.

A lot has been said about the Lions being favorites for the first time in 25 games. But at home, Detroit has been competitive as they are 3-1 SU in their last four games played and 5-0 ATS in their last five appearances at Ford Field. Look for the Lions to bounce back here.

Prediction: Lions -1

Commanders vs Lions Over/Under 

The total has gone under in eight out of the last 11 meetings between these two teams. The under is 4-2-1 in the last seven head-to-head matchups featuring the Commanders and Lions.

Washington Commanders over/under trends:

• Under is 9-4 in the Commanders’ last 13 games overall.

• Under is 5-1 in the Commanders’ last 6 games as a road favorite.

• Under is 4-1 in the Commanders’ last 5 games following an ATS win.

• Under is 4-1 in the Commanders’ last 5 games versus a team with a losing record.

• Under is 11-4 in the Commanders’ last 15 games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game.

• Under is 5-2 in the Commanders’ last 7 games after accumulating more than 250 yards passing in their previous game.

• Under is 9-4 in the Commanders’ last 13 games after accumulating less than 90 yards rushing in their previous game.

• Under is 11-5 in the Commanders’ last 16 games as a favorite.

• Under is 8-3 in the Commanders’ last 11 Sunday games played.

• Over is 7-3 in the Commanders’ last 10 games in Week 2.

• Over is 4-1 in the Commanders’ last 5 games in September.

Detroit Lions over/under trends:

• Over is 5-2 in the Lions’ last 7 games overall.

• Over is 17-7 in the Lions’ last 24 home games.

• Over is 5-2 in the Lions’ last 7 games as an underdog.

• Over is 4-1 in the Lions’ last 5 games following a straight-up loss.

• Over is 4-1 in the Lions’ last 5 games on field turf.

• Over is 7-2 in the Lions’ last 9 games in September.

• Over is 8-3 in the Lions’ last 11 games after scoring more than 30 points in their previous game.

• Under is 5-1 in the Lions’ last 6 games after allowing more than 150 yards rushing in their previous game.

• Under is 5-1 in the Lions’ last 6 games versus a team with a winning record.

• Under is 9-2 in the Lions’ last 11 games after accumulating more than 350 total yards in their previous game.

• Under is 4-1 in the Lions’ last 5 games after allowing more than 30 points in their previous game.

• Under is 4-1 in the Lions’ last 5 games after allowing more than 350 total yards in their previous game.

• Under is 4-1 in the Lions’ last 5 home games against a team with a winning road record.

• Under is 5-2 in the Lions’ last 7 games after accumulating more than 150 yards rushing in their previous game.

The Commanders had a solid performance last week as they accumulated 390 yards of total offense. They should have a better time this week against a Lions defense that allowed 455 total yards and was at a loss with what to do with Jalen Hurts. The Detroit offense also gave up 216 rushing yards last week and was 28th against the run last season.

Meanwhile, the Lions were able to score 35 points against the Eagles the last time out, even if Jared Goff didn’t have a good game. With Washington allowing 275 passing yards against Trevor Lawrence, Goff should have at least a better outing here. The over is also 4-1 in the Lions’ last five games after a straight-up loss. I expect Goff to have a big game here.

Prediction: Over 48.5

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