The Washington Commanders and Detroit Lions meet in Week 2 of the preseason with both teams looking to shake off disappointing 2025 seasons, and this one has a little more weight than your usual August tune-up.
Washington opened the preseason by rolling past the Dolphins, 20-7. Detroit, meanwhile, fell just short against the Bengals, 16-14. But that box score doesn’t tell the whole story, because the Lions did it without any of their starters on the field.
That matters here. Starters are expected to see at least some action on Saturday, and that changes the feel of the matchup.
One of the biggest things to watch for Detroit is the battle behind Jahmyr Gibbs. With David Montgomery now in Houston, there’s an opening for the No. 2 running back job, and second-year back Jacob Saylors made a strong first impression in Week 1. He turned eight carries into 55 yards, and now the question is whether he can do enough to carve out a bigger role in the regular season instead of settling in as just a special teams piece.
Washington’s preseason opener was impressive, but there’s still one thing hard to ignore: Dan Quinn’s track record as a head coach in the preseason. That gives pause here, especially with the Lions expected to have more of their top players available than they did last week.
That’s why the lean goes to Detroit. Even after the loss to Cincinnati, the Lions showed enough with their backups to cover, and with more starters likely involved this time, they get the edge in Saturday’s exhibition.
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Commanders Have 3 Roster Races Fans Need To Watch Vs Lions
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