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It's hard to believe, but we're already into the divisional round of the 2025 NFL playoffs. There are just eight teams left that have a chance at the Super Bowl -- four in each conference. And we're spending this week doing tale-of-the-tape-style breakdowns of those teams, and their specific matchups.

In the space below, we're going position by position and deciding which of the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders has the advantage. We're taking the entire position group into account, not just the most notable player there.

Lions vs. Commanders where to watch

Date: Saturday, Jan. 18 | Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Ford Field (Detroit)
TV: FOX | Stream: fuboTV (try for free)  
Follow: CBS Sports App   
Betting odds: Lions -9.5, O/U 55.5 (via Caesars Sportsbook)

Quarterback

Jared Goff has probably played just as well this season as Jayden Daniels. But giving the Lions the advantage here would feel like double-counting. We've seen what it looks like for Goff when the infrastructure around him isn't up to the standard of the unit he has with the Lions, and it's not that pretty. Daniels is working within that kind of infrastructure right now, and excelling. These two teams each get fantastic quarterback play, but Daniels is the better individual player, given the various ways he can threaten a defense and bail out the team around him. 

Advantage: Commanders

Running back

The Lions have arguably the NFL's best running back duo in Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery, each of whom is a superior player to everyone in Washington's backfield. Even if Montgomery isn't at full strength as he returns from a knee injury, this is a big advantage for the Lions.

Advantage: Lions

Pass catchers

Detroit has a wide receiver/tight end group that fits together like a glove. Amon-Ra St. Brown is a First Team All-Pro slot man. Jameson Williams is one of the premier big-play threats in the league, and he's been expanding his role throughout the season. Sam LaPorta is a reliable target over the middle, but also capable of creating explosives up the seam or down the sideline. Rotation players like Tim Patrick and Kalif Raymond fill their roles well. Terry McLaurin is a star and Zach Ertz is reliable, but the rest of Washington's pass-catcher corps doesn't compare with Detroit's -- even if they are solid contributors in their own right.

Advantage: Lions

Offensive line

The Lions have the best offensive line in football. We see it every single week.

Advantage: Lions

Defensive line

At full strength, this would be a pretty clear advantage for the Lions, but Detroit's defensive line is ravaged by injuries. It's much closer without guys like Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill, Marcus Davenport, John Cominsky and Kyle Peko, Detroit still has a good defensive line: Za'Darius Smith, Josh Paschal, DJ Reader and Levi Onwuzurike are nothing to sneeze at. Washington's D-line has performed better than expected this season, and if it had better talent on the edge (Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr. are the primary guys there), this advantage might tip in the opposite direction.

Advantage: Lions

Linebackers

This was maybe the closest call among any position group. Jack Campbell and Alex Anzalone are good players. But Anzalone just got back from an injury, and Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu have played at an extremely high level all season long. So, we gave the slight advantage here to Washington.

Advantage: Commanders

Secondary

Did you watch what Detroit's defensive backs did to the Vikings a couple weeks ago? Between Terrion Arnold, Amik Robertson, Kerby Joseph, Brian Branch and Ifeatu Melifonwu, there is so much talent on the back end -- and the Lions don't even have Carlton Davis, Emmanuel Moseley, Khalil Dorsey or Ennis Rakestraw Jr. out there. Washington has been much more beatable on the back end of the defense this season, even while fully healthy. There are talented players here, but not nearly as talented as in Detroit.

Advantage: Lions

Specialists

Zane Gonzalez's doinked-in kick last week was fantastic. But Jake Bates has been one of the NFL's most reliable kickers all season, Jack Fox has long been one of its best punters and Raymond is a very good return man. Detroit gets the advantage here.

Advantage: Lions

Coaching staff

Considering we ranked the Lions No. 1 in our pre-playoffs coaching staff rankings, this is no surprise. Washington's coaching staff has done a fantastic job this season, but Detroit is led by one of the best head coaches in the NFL, and its two coordinators are arguably the top two candidates on the market this offseason.

Advantage: Lions