Odds Lions Beat Commanders in Week 10

Examining the odds the Lions have to beat Washington in Week 10.

Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) waits for the snap in the first half against the Washington Commanders in the NFC divisional round at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. | Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions will try to get back on track Sunday when they take on the Jayden Daniels-less Washington Commanders. Kickoff is set for 4:25 p.m. (EST) at Northwest Stadium.

Detroit, which hasn’t lost two in a row since Weeks 7 and 8 of the 2022 season, suffered an ugly, 27-24 defeat at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings in Week 9. Meanwhile, Washington, which sits at 3-6 and in third place in the NFC East, is reeling and has lost four in a row.

To make matters worse, Daniels – the Commanders’ second-year passer – suffered a dislocated left elbow in the team's loss Sunday night to the Seattle Seahawks. The injury is expected to sideline him for multiple weeks, if not the remainder of the season.

Daniels, who has been mired in a sophomore slump, had also just returned from a hamstring injury which he suffered in Week 7 against the Dallas Cowboys. 

It's a devastating blow to Dan Quinn's offense, which has averaged just 22.3 points per game through its first nine contests.

Veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota will get the start Sunday against the Lions in Daniels’ place. Mariota, who's currently in his 11th NFL season, has played in parts of five games in 2025, and has thrown for 639 yards and the same amount of touchdowns as interceptions (four). He's also contributed another 122 yards and a score as a runner.

Meanwhile, Lions quarterback Jared Goff will attempt to bounce back from an uneven performance against the Vikings, in which he was sacked four times, tossed an interception and threw for a season-low 5.8 yards per attempt. He'll have a solid opportunity to do so against the Commanders, which have permitted the fourth-most yards (2,282) and the fifth-most touchdowns (19) through the air through nine weeks.

Goff, however, could be negatively affected by Detroit's injury-hampered offensive line. 

The team's starting offensive tackles, Taylor Decker (knee and shoulder) and Penei Sewell (shoulder), were banged up in Week 9 vs. the Vikings, and might be sidelined for Detroit's Week 10 matchup with Washington. Plus, starting left guard Christian Mahogany injured his knee against Minnesota, and has since been placed on injured reserve.

Yet, I believe that Detroit will overcome these injury woes on offense (and its fair share of them on defense), and emerge victorious in Washington Sunday.

At this present juncture, I'll give Dan Campbell's squad a 66 percent chance to capture the Week 10 victory.