Commanders vs. Lions Final Score Prediction for NFL Divisional Round (Expect a High-Scoring Affair)

Iain MacMillan | Jan 16, 2025

The Lions are the biggest favorites of the divisional round of the NFL playoffs. / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions enjoyed a well-deserved week off but with the divisional round upon us, it's time for them to suit up and prove they're the team to beat in the NFC.

Their first playoff game will be against the Washington Commanders, who are fresh off a wild-card upset against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and are the only non-division winner to advance to the second round of the playoffs.

Let's take a look at the latest odds for the game and then I'll predict the final score.

Commanders vs. Lions Odds, Spread, and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

• Commanders +9.5 (-112)
• Lions -9.5 (-108)

Moneyline

• Commanders +370
• Lions -485

Total

• OVER 55.5 (-105)
• UNDER 55.5 (-115)

The Lions opened as 8.5-point favorites but the line has since moved a point up to Lions -9.5. The total has remained steady at 55.5.

Commanders vs. Lions Final Score Prediction

In this week's edition of the "Road to Super Bowl 59," I broke down why I'm going to sit back and root for points in this NFC matchup:

I'm not going to overthink this game. Give me the OVER and let's just sit back and root for points in this NFC showdown.

You don't need me to tell you these are two of the most elite offenses in the NFL. They rank third and fourth in EPA per play, first and fifth in success rate, and first and fifth in points per game. The Lions can attack defenses both on the ground and through the air while the Commanders can torch teams through the air with their electric rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels.

Defensively, I have a lot of questions for both teams. The Lions are still dealing with plenty of injuries, especially their secondary, and the Commanders have had holes on that side of the football all season. All signs possible point to this being a high-scoring affair.

If I'm going to predict the final score in this game, I'm going to have to pick a side in it as well. I'll take the Lions to win the game, but the Commanders to keep it within the 9.5-point spread. The Commanders' offense has been a top-five unit all season and Daniels has proved to play at his best in big moments. Even if Washington finds itself down late in the game, a fourth-quarter comeback and a potential back-door cover is certainly in the cards.

Final score prediction: Lions 38, Commanders 31

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