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WSH Commanders vs DET Lions Public-Betting Splits & Injury Reports (Jan 18)

Sascha Paruk

By Sascha Paruk in NFL Football

Published:


Detroit Lions guard Kevin Zeitler on the field between plays
Detroit Lions guard Kevin Zeitler (71) warms up before the game between Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.
  • The Detroit Lions host the Washington Commanders on Saturday in the NFL Divisional Playoffs
  • The Lions have the biggest moneyline split of any team in action this weekend
  • Below, see the Commanders vs Lions public-betting splits and final injury reports

The Super Bowl-favorite Detroit Lions (15-2, 7-2 home, 12-5 ATS) start their postseason journey against the Washington Commanders (13-5, 6-3 away, 11-6-1 ATS) in the Divisional Playoffs this Saturday, January 18, at 8:00 pm ET from Ford Field. The Lions opened as 7.5-point chalk, and the early money has bet that line up to nearly double-digits.

WSH Commanders vs DET Lions Public-Betting Splits

Team Spread ATS Handle% ATS Bet% Total O/U Handle% O/U Bet% Moneyline ML Handle% ML Bet%
Washington Commanders +9.5 51% 53% 55.5 45% 51% +400 3% 11%
Detroit Lions -9.5 49% 47% 55.5 55% 49% -469 97% 89%

The Commanders vs Lions odds list Detroit as a massive 9.5-point home favorite as of Friday afternoon, and that’s proving too rich for many. The Commanders/Lions ATS splits show Washington getting 51% of ATS handle on 53% of the wagers.

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NFL public betting splits as of 3:45 pm ET, January 17. Check out SBD’s list of the fastest payout sportsbooks before registering your next account.

The moneyline splits, however, paint a very different portrait. The Lions are currently getting a mammoth 97% of moneyline handle on 89% of the moneyline tickets. That leaves a miniscule 3% of moneyline handle on Washington to pull off a second straight road upset. The Texans vs Chiefs public betting splits are also dramatically lopsided in favor of the home team, but Detroit’s 97% of handle is even higher than KC’s 94%.

The confidence in Detroit comes with plenty of evidence. Not only did the Lions finish the regular season with the best point differential in the NFL (+222, 128 points better than Washington at +94), Detroit also owned the best ATS record in the league at 12-5. Washington wasn’t far behind at 10-6-1, though.

The public is almost evenly split on the game total at this point: 55% of handle is on over 55.5 along with 49% of the O/U wagers. But it must be noted that this total has been bet up by almost a full touchdown since last Sunday. The Commanders/Lions game total opened at just 49.5 and is now sitting at 55.5.

Commanders vs Lions Injury Reports

Commanders Injury Game Status
Jordan Magee (LB) Hamstring Out
Colson Yankoff (TE) Hamstring Questionable
Mykal Walker (LB) Illness Questionable
Lions Injury Game Status
Kevin Zeitler (G) Hamstring Out
Pat O’Connor (DE) Calf Out
Ennis Rakestraw (CB) Hamstring Questionable

The biggest absence on either side will be Detroit starting right guard Kevin Zeitler. The 2023 Pro Bowler is listed as out with a hamstring injury. The only game Zeitler missed this season was Detroit’s thrilling 31-29 win over Minnesota in Week 7. The 13-year pro played 100% of snaps in ten of the 16 games he suited up for in the regular season.

The Lions defensive line will also take a minor hit with the absence of DE Pat O’Connor. Since Aidan Hutchinson went down, the Eastern Michigan product has largely been splitting reps with Josh Pachal on the right side of the Lion’s D-line. He had one sack and two TFLs in 12 games during the regular season.

The only player listed as “out” on the Washington injury report is backup MLB Jordan Magee. Largely a special-teams player, Magee accounted for nine tackles in eight games. Backup OLB Mykal Walker (21 tackles in 17 GP) is questionable with an illness of some sort. He didn’t practice during the week.

Sascha Paruk
Sascha Paruk

Managing Editor

Sascha has been working in the sports-betting industry since 2014, and quickly paired his strong writing skills with a burgeoning knowledge of probability and statistics. He holds an undergraduate degree in linguistics and a Juris Doctor from the University of British Columbia.

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