The Detroit Lions didn’t impress in Week 9, getting upset by the Minnesota Vikings at home despite being a hefty favorite.
The schedule looked more daunting ahead with a road trip to face the Washington Commanders for the first time since being eliminated by them in last year’s playoffs.
But with quarterback Jayden Daniels suffering a gruesome elbow injury in Week 9, the Lions are now trending as a big favorite at Northwest Stadium on Sunday.
Detroit opens as an 8.5-point favorite against the Commanders, according to FanDuel odds on Tuesday, following the reports Daniels will be out for several games. This is the second-largest road favorite the Lions have been this season after going in as 10.5-point favorites against the Cincinnati Bengals by oddsmakers.
The Commanders didn’t look stellar in their last game before Daniels’ fourth-quarter injury as they were blown out, 38-14, by the Seattle Seahawks, trailing 31-7 at halftime.
While the Lions are still dealing with a lot of injuries themselves — adding starting left guard Christian Mahogany to the group — Detroit remains the best team in the league coming off a loss.
The Lions haven’t lost consecutive games in the regular season since Week 7 and 8 back in 2022, the longest active streak in the NFL.
After beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7, Detroit moved to 11-0 in regular-season games following a loss in that stretch — having lost to the Kansas City Chiefs the prior week.
This will be the 49th all-time meeting between the franchises with Washington leading the all-time series, 32-16.
The Lions have only faced the Commanders twice since coach Dan Campbell became head coach, winning a home game in 2022 before last season’s playoff defeat.
This will be the first visit to Washington’s home field for the Lions since 2019, which Detroit lost.
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