Detroit Lions at Washington Commanders

Lions at Commanders

▶ Kickoff: 4:25 p.m. Sunday, Northwest Stadium, Landover, Maryland

▶ TV/radio: FOX/97.1 FM

▶ Records: Lions are 5-3; Commanders are 3-6

▶ Line: Lions by 8½

▶ Series: Washington leads, 32-16, including postseason (Last meeting: Jan. 18, 2025 — Commanders 45, (at) Lions 31, NFC divisional playoff round)

Richard Silva of The Detroit News breaks down the Lions’ Week 10 matchup against the Washington Commanders.

Key matchup

DETROIT’S RUN DEFENSE VS. WASHINGTON’S RUSHING OFFENSE

The Lions allowed running backs Aaron Jones and Jordan Mason to combine for 4.6 yards per carry on 18 true rushing attempts in Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. Jones, specifically, was difficult to handle, as he notched 47 yards on eight carries before exiting with an injury. It was an unusually substandard performance for a run defense that ranks eighth in average expected points allowed per rush (-0.07).

Detroit’s defensive front will have to be better against the Commanders, who lean on their rushing attack, especially without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels. Rookie running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt leads the NFL in Pro Football Reference’s success rate (59.6%), and the Commanders (139.9) average the fourth-most rushing yards in the NFL, trailing the Buffalo Bills (161.5), Chicago Bears (144.4) and New York Jets (143.6). Croskey-Merritt has 440 yards and four touchdowns on the season.

Also a factor in Washington’s run game is Marcus Mariota, who is expected to start in place of Daniels. Mariota has 122 yards on 18 carries this season, including 34 yards on five scrambles. The Commanders have designed 13 runs for Mariota over his 197 snaps this season. He has two rushes of 15-plus yards on those plays, serving as a similar rushing threat to Daniels.

The Lions have done relatively well against mobile quarterbacks this season, limiting Green Bay’s Jordan Love (Week 1), Chicago’s Caleb Williams (Week 2), Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson (Week 3), Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes (Week 6) and Tampa Bay’s Baker Mayfield (Week 7) to a combined 83 yards on 29 attempts.

Commanders to watch

▶ Josh Conerly Jr., offensive tackle: Conerly, drafted with the 29th overall pick in April’s draft, has struggled as a pass protector early in his career, allowing 31 pressures through nine games. The only player in the NFL who’s surrendered more pressures is Tampa Bay’s Charlie Heck, who was forced into the starting lineup after an injury to Luke Goedeke. Conerly starred at Oregon and was the fourth offensive tackle off the board, selected after LSU’s Will Campbell (selected at No. 4, New England Patriots), Missouri’s Armand Membou (No. 7, New York Jets) and Texas’ Kelvin Banks Jr. (No. 9, New Orleans Saints).

▶ Jacob Martin, defensive end: With Dorance Armstrong (knee) out for the season, Martin has become Washington’s top pass rusher. The eighth-year pro is up to 20 pressures and 3½ sacks this season, a half-sack away from matching his career high. Martin, a rotational piece for the Chicago Bears last season, has a respectable win rate of 15.9%. For reference, Al-Quadin Muhammad is close by, at 17.8%. Aidan Hutchinson is at 25.3%, the third-best mark in the NFL.

▶ Mike Sainristil, cornerback: A former standout at Michigan who had two interceptions against the Lions in last season’s divisional round, Sainristil has spent most of his time this season at nickel, a deviation from how he was deployed by the Commanders in 2024. Sainristil has allowed 36 catches (49 targets) for 413 yards and three touchdowns in 2025, and he has three interceptions. His passer rating allowed (93.3) ranks 35th among the 73 cornerbacks in the NFL who have played 200 or more coverage snaps.

Facts and figures

▶ Veteran linebacker Bobby Wagner is 10 tackles away from becoming the second player in NFL history to record 14 consecutive seasons with 100 or more tackles, joining London Fletcher. Wagner, a 10-time Pro Bowler in his second year with the Commanders, has the sixth-most solo tackles of all time (1,114), behind Ray Lewis (1,568), Fletcher (1,384), Derrick Brooks (1,300), Lavonte David (1,136) and Donnie Edwards (1,135).

▶ Rookie receiver Jaylin Lane has averaged 13.1 yards per punt return on 17 attempts this season, the sixth-highest rate among players with at least 10 returns. He’s also one of seven players with a punt returned for a touchdown, having housed a try in Washington’s Week 3 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Offensively, Lane has caught 14 of his 28 targets for 171 yards.

rsilva@detroitnews.com

@rich_silva18

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