Will Lions knock off Commanders to advance to NFC Championship Game?

Detroit Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell watches the action from the sidelines against the Minnesota Vikings / David Reginek-Imagn Images

The Detroit Lions are currently 8.5-point betting favorites ahead of their NFL Divisional Round contest at home against the Washington Commanders.

Washington advanced to face the No. 1 seed in the NFC by defeating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 23-20, in the Wild Card Round.

According to NFL Pickwatch, 95 percent of NFL analysts are picking the Lions to defeat the Commanders at Ford Field.

Dan Campbell has often indicated teams that handle the growing pressure the best are able to execute and advance in the postseason.

Heading into their first playoff game this year, Detroit is confident the roster will not crumble when the pressure mounts in critical moments of competitive games.

“I don’t know if there’s something that we say, ‘Okay this is – it’s this type of game, this is how we’re going to-‘ I think we handle the perception of pressure well, the lights, all of it,” Campbell said. “Really, we handle one o’clock games too, we handle that pretty well too. But I think for us, a lot of times two things happen, and it happens in those type of games, it happens in the playoffs.

“I said it last year, you either crumble – it’s too much and some guys crumble, teams crumble because it’s just too much pressure, you can feel the lights, the bright lights. Or you want it so bad that you go out of the norm, and you start trying to make plays instead of just doing your job that got you 15 wins,” Campbell explained further. “Just do your job, the guy next to you will do his, one more time, that’s all.”