Lions to Humiliate Commanders: Mariota’s Legs Are Washington’s Only Hope
Week 10 of the NFL season is here before we knew it and fans are ready for another wild slate of close finishes. We’ll make our bold predictions for one matchup in particular when the
The Detroit Lions come into this game following a Week 9 27-24 loss at the hands of the Minnesota Vikings. It’s their second loss in just three games as Dan Campbell’s squad will hit the road for the next two. While they’re considered the favorites to win this game, the Lions won’t be overlooking Washington as they try to be dominant in all three phases.
The Washington Commanders return after an embarrassing 38-14 loss at home to the Seattle Seahawks. Even worse, however, was the loss of quarterback Jayden Daniels, who injured his arm in the fourth quarter. The Commanders will have to live with the questionable decision to leave Daniels in the blowout, opting for veteran Marcus Mariota as their quarterback moving forward.
Sportsbooks are billing the Detroit Lions as 8.5-point betting favorites on the road with an implied total for the game set at 48.5 points. Let’s take a look at some bold predictions ahead of the 2024 Divisional rematch from last year’s playoffs.
Lions vs. Commanders bold predictions – Week 10
Lions’ Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery dominate, ‘Sonic & Knuckles’ style.
In trailing early 14-7 to the Vikings in the first quarter of their Week 9 loss, the game script favored a passing approach to Detroit’s offense as they tried to keep up with Minnesota. QB Jared Goff attempted 37 passes while the backfield of Gibbs (11) and Montgomery (9) saw 20 total carries. Uncharacteristically, they were together held to just 65 yards and 1 touchdown.
While they couldn’t script for JJ McCarthy’s breakout game last week, the Lions’ defense will have a much easier time planning for quarterback Marcus Mariota. While Mariota has been solid in relief this season, he’ll be dealing with an insane amount of pressure from the Lions’ defensive front, second in the NFL with 28 sacks on the season.
This means the Lions should control the bulk of the offensive possessions throughout this game, running the ball against a Commanders’ defense allowing 124.2 rushing yards to opponents per game. Expect both Gibbs and Montgomery to be focal points this week as they should both find the end zone.
TE Zach Ertz becomes the go-to passing option, not Deebo Samuel or Terry McLaurin.
With WR Terry McLaurin coming into Week 10 with a ‘questionable’ designation, there’s a solid chance he could miss his second game in a row and leave Deebo Samuel the blunt of the target share in games where he’s absent. However, Samuel’s numbers have taken a visible dip in games where Jayden Daniels isn’t playing quarterback. With McLaurin out, Samuel will have to deal with the Lions’ best corners along with Mariota’s limited ceiling throwing from the pocket.
This opens the door for tight end Zach Ertz to be the ‘security blanket’ he has been in the past. Mariota will rely on him for underneath routes and numerous check-downs when dealing with the Lions’ pass rush during the game. With Deebo Samuel likely drawing double-teams and the Commanders slated to trail in this game, Zach Ertz could be their most reliable pass catcher throughout this game.
Commanders’ QB Marcus Mariota makes an impact rushing the ball
Throughout his career, Mariota has always been known as an athletic quarterback that can break away long runs if he’s able to find space. During his last start against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 8, Mariota carried the ball for a season-high eight times. While most of this came in evading the rush, he’s broken multiple runs of 20+ yards this season and could stand to do so against this Lions’ defense.
The Detroit Lions boast the league’s fourth-highest sack percentage (9.62%), but they’ve been reaching opposing quarterbacks 10.26% of the time over their last three games. Detroit’s defensive line will be looking to prove a point against the Commanders coming off a loss, so expect a ton of pressure in the backfield around Marcus Mariota.
Playing into his strengths, expect Marcus Mariota to be scrambling and taking off for yards more often in this game than in his previous starts. His legs will be the greatest chance Washington has at moving the ball down field, opening up big plays for his skill position players.
Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Has Urgent Question For Aaron Rodgers And Arthur Smith
The Pittsburgh Steelers moved to 5-3 on Sunday after defeating the Indianapolis Colts 27-20 at Acrisure Stadium. It was a massive win for Pittsburgh as the team had struggled against the Colts over the past two seasons. This time they managed to take down one of the elite teams in the AFC.
This was also a nice win for Head Coach Mike Tomlin and the Steelers because they had lost the previous two games. Getting an upset win over one of the best teams in the NFL is always inspiring. The Steelers' offense, led by Aaron Rodgers, was not at its best and played an average game at best, but Rodgers showed he can still make big-time plays. Execution needs to improve, especially in the red zone.
On his podcast Footbahlin, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger shared his thoughts on how to help the offense score more touchdowns in the red zone. He is confused about why running back Jaylen Warren is not getting the ball more near the goal line. Roethlisberger believes Offensive Coordinator Arthur Smith should give Warren multiple carries in goal-line situations, which could lead to more consistent touchdowns.
"Maybe he has just given total control to Aaron [Rodgers] to throw the little nows or whatever they call them, the little RPO type plays," Roethlisberger said while speaking on his podcast on Tuesday night. "Is it Arthur Smith doing it? I don't know what the deal is, but I would like to see them run it in the goal line. You know you got down to the two or three yard line a couple of times. Why is [Jaylen] Warren not getting the ball three or four times?"
It's very clear that Roethlisberger would like to see Warren get more carries. Especially when that football is near the painted line. Co-host Spencer Te’o pointed out that Warren averages 4.1 yards per carry and is capable of producing in those situations. Roethlisberger agreed with Te'o and then mentioned that the previous week he made the same comments about DK Metcalf.
He wanted Metcalf to receive four targets in goal-line situations. In Roethlisberger’s view, when the Steelers get near the end zone, the offense should focus only on Metcalf or Warren. He believes this is the key to success in the red zone for Smith and the team. If anyone knows how to score touchdowns, it is Roethlisberger.
Roethlisberger also noted that some of the issues may come from Rodgers checking out of plays at the line of scrimmage, making it difficult to place full blame. He would like to see Rodgers hand the ball to Warren more often in goal-line situations. If the Steelers can improve execution and commit to using Warren in short-yardage opportunities, they have a chance to turn red zone trips into more touchdowns and strengthen their offense for the rest of the season.
The Steelers Should Use Jaylen Warren More
Warren has carried the ball 99 times for 404 rushing yards and scored two rushing touchdowns through the first eight games. He has also been a weapon in the passing game, recording 21 catches for 193 receiving yards and adding one receiving touchdown.
If Metcalf is unable to get separation, as was the case during the Colts game, checking the ball down to Warren more often would be a smart move. He has been electric whenever he has the football, and Smith should find ways to get him even more touches and create opportunities to get him into space.
