The Detroit Lions looked like one of the best teams in the NFL heading into the playoffs. Detroit finished the regular season with a 15-2 record, the best in franchise history. The Lions secured the No. 1 seed in the NFC after beating the Vikings in one of the most consequential regular season games in recent memory.

Detroit boasts one of the most dominant offenses in the NFL. The Lions are famously banged up on defense, but have still been able to slow down their opponents enough to beat them consistently. In fact, the Lions lead the league in point differential with +222. The next closest team is the Eagles at +160. This highlights that the Lions are not only able to beat their opponents, but they can beat them soundly.

Next up for Detroit is a Divisional Round matchup against Washington. Unlike the Lions, the Commanders continue to win games by going down the the final play. Washington has won its past six games, five regular season and one playoff, on the final play of regulation. This suggests that the Lions may be able to take care of the Commanders easily, at least when comparing season-long statistics against one another. And simply looking at the talent difference between the two teams.

The Lions will certainly be favorites to win this game, but that does not mean they should overlook a confident Commanders team that has nothing to lose.

Detroit will need to come up with a smart gameplan that spreads the ball around on offense to cruise past Washington. Otherwise, this game could get close and turn into another Commanders game that comes down to the final play.

Below we will explore the one Lions X-factor against the Commanders, aside from QB Jared Goff, who could have a huge impact on this game.