Are the Washington Commanders a good matchup for the Lions? Jon, Jim, and T.J. Lang break it down.
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00:00You heard in the update, we've been talking about it all morning, we know when and we
00:04know who.
00:05Saturday night, the Lions host the Commanders, divisional round of the playoffs.
00:08John, it's who you said you wanted.
00:11Yep.
00:12The Commanders.
00:13Bring them on.
00:14And I don't like the matchup.
00:15I love the matchup.
00:17We got TJ Lang in studio.
00:18TJ, how do you feel about Washington?
00:20Yeah, I mean, we broke it down Friday when I was in with the afternoon guys and kind
00:24of ranked, you know, one to four, who we want to play.
00:28Washington was my number one, just because, like you guys said, you match up well with
00:33them.
00:34I think your offensive line has a massive advantage over their D-line.
00:36I think your run game has a massive advantage over Washington's defense.
00:42And I know that the talk all week is going to be, oh my God, running quarterback, you
00:45know, blah, blah, blah.
00:46Which, yeah, I mean, they're definitely going to have their hands full with Jayden Daniels,
00:49no doubt, right?
00:50Especially a guy that's playing with house money, I mean, you know, he could be dangerous.
00:55But I like the matchup.
00:56I mean, Detroit is a tested team.
00:58You know, they've been through these games, you know, for not only the last half of the
01:03season, but going back to last year as well.
01:06So I'm with you, man.
01:07John, are you torn this morning?
01:09I know you said you were still rooting for the Lions.
01:12I know that.
01:13Yeah, yeah.
01:14Are we supposed to ask you this every time the Lions play the Green Bay Packers?
01:17I'm glad they don't have to this year.
01:19But no, I do.
01:20I do think it is a good matchup.
01:23And you look at Washington, and yeah, it's been great what they've done this year.
01:26I think yesterday made it seven wins in the last 30 seconds, you know, that team has had.
01:33So you know, props to them.
01:34They're finding a way to win close games.
01:36I just can't help myself but to think that it's not going to be very close next week
01:41when they come to town.
01:42I don't feel like it's going to be either.
01:44And we've both had experiences as, you know, our first time in the playoffs.
01:50You were there with a very experienced quarterback.
01:53How much do you think the experience that the Lions had last year pays dividends this
01:59year in not just getting the NFC Championship game, but finding ways to get over the hump,
02:03whether it's the divisional round, the NFC Championship game, and just getting to the
02:07Super Bowl?
02:08Yeah, I mean, it's huge because you know what it takes, right?
02:10And I think we saw that experience pay off the last game of the season versus the Vikings,
02:15you know?
02:16The Lions didn't look like the moment was too big for them.
02:18They looked like a team that's like, yeah, we know what it's like to be in a must-win
02:22game.
02:23I've got to have a game.
02:24We know some of the mistakes that you can't make in those games, and you kind of lean
02:29back on those memories a little bit to kind of remind yourself, OK, let's not panic.
02:34And that's why I said all year long with Dan Campbell and some of the decisions that he
02:39was making going forward on fourth downs and some of the high stressful moments, I think
02:43a lot of that was by design because you know you're going to have to rely on those plays
02:47come playoff time when you need a big fourth down.
02:50Look at last night.
02:51I mean, I think Washington was 3-4 on fourth downs or 3-5, I want to say, on fourth downs.
02:57But the Lions have that experience, whether it's high-stress play, got to have it play,
03:02hey, this is a big drive.
03:03We have to get points.
03:04They've had that experience, not only from Dan being so aggressive this season, but you're
03:09right, John, going back to the run that they had to the NFC title game last year.
03:14When you were playing the first playoff game that you played in, was there an eye-opening
03:18moment because there's different speeds of the NFL season.
03:21Obviously, preseason is different than the regular season.
03:23You get to the end of the season and you're playing against Minnesota for the division
03:26for the one seed.
03:27There's a different speed.
03:28There's a different speed when you get to each and every round of the playoffs.
03:33What was your initial reaction to, holy crap, this is a lot faster?
03:38You could see it on, it comes across the TV, it's more intense, it's more physical, it's
03:43faster.
03:44What was your personal response or reaction to, holy crap, how fast is this game going
03:50to get?
03:51The speed, definitely, but I think more so the pressure.
03:55If I have a bad play, normally in the regular season, if I get beat, okay, let's fix it.
03:59I'm not happy about it, but it's going to suck watching on film Monday, but let's learn
04:03from it.
04:04Playoff game, it's like-
04:05Did I just cost the team the season?
04:07You just cost the team your season if you're having bad play.
04:10I think the pressure can get to a lot of young guys because there is no coming in Monday
04:15and fixing it.
04:16You're going in Monday and packing your locker and getting out of there, and there's a lot
04:18of guys looking around like, man, kind of let us down a little bit.
04:22So I think the pressure gets to you more when you think that, hey, one negative player,
04:27oh man, I didn't do my job, does that cost you the season?
04:31But that's why, and I remember being a young player, my rookie year, I think we went out
04:35to Arizona in the wildcard game, ended up getting into a shootout.
04:39Our left tackle got hurt, so I had to play the whole fourth quarter into overtime, and
04:43it was like, oh my goodness, you guys are flying, I don't want to be the guy to let
04:48up a big sack or something, we end up losing that game.
04:51But the more playoff games I played in, the more you start to get used to it, you understand
04:56what playoff football is, and I think that, obviously, that run last year that they had
05:02to the NFC Championship game and getting out to a 17-point lead, they understand what it
05:07takes to be successful in those moments, and they also understand what it takes to be consistent
05:13and keep it going, because I think they know just as well as they built a lead last year,
05:18they understand in the playoffs how quickly it can disappear too, so I think that's a
05:21valuable lesson as well.
05:22We want your reactions, 248-539-9797, it's the Commanders, it's Saturday night, it's
05:28Ford Field.
05:29And again, all the credit in the world to Jaden Daniels for going on the road and picking
05:33up a win as a rookie in the NFL playoffs, it hasn't happened often, he's just the fourth
05:37quarter back to do it.
05:38It was Flacco, Mark Sanchez, and Russell Wilson, the other three.
05:43But Flacco and Mark Sanchez won a second road game after it.
05:47But guys, I think there's a big jump from playing at Tampa to playing in the Lions'
05:52den in Detroit.
05:53Oh, yeah.
05:54Last night, there were MVP chants for Jaden Daniels.
05:57You heard Washington fans.
05:58Washington fans were loud.
06:00Guys, they're not going to have a presence at Ford Field.
06:03This is going to be a true hostile environment for a rookie quarterback.
06:06It's a completely different environment, and I do think Aaron Glenn's going to have to
06:11blitz to get pressure.
06:12I'd like blitzing a rookie quarterback.
06:13I don't want to have to blitz a veteran quarterback.
06:15I think this is a good matchup.
06:17As much as Daniels is going to make a play or two in this game, I think it's a good matchup
06:21for the Lions.
06:22Yeah, and you're going to have to, kind of your recipe all season is, let's get out to
06:27that early lead.
06:28Let's make the other team uncomfortable, right?
06:29You can't afford a Buffalo performance where the first two drives are three and out, three
06:34and out, and then you're down 21-7, whatever it was, Buffalo, and then even second half
06:40coming out.
06:41I think in that Buffalo game, it was punt, and then it was a fumble, or interception,
06:44I want to say.
06:45So you can't afford that against teams like this that can give them any sort of hope.
06:50So I think that, you're right, a big key too is, you mentioned it, Aaron Glenn.
06:53I mean, I think he's going to have to be a bit of a chameleon, these playoffs, right?
06:57I don't think you can afford, really, that, hey, we're going to rush for man coverage.
07:01He did a great job against Minnesota, mixing up a lot of pressures, mixing up a lot of
07:05zone blitzes, and dropping guys into coverage, and bringing extra guys off the edge.
07:11I mean, I know we kind of dogged on Sam Darnold and his performance, but you go back and watch
07:15that game, I mean, they were throwing him off a little bit with some of the pressures.
07:18Even that one play where, I think it was a fourth down, he threw a quick fade to Jefferson
07:23and he overthrew it, well, people don't, you watch that play, Brian Branch is flying off
07:28the edge, and he gets a piece of Sam Darnold.
07:30So you know what I mean?
07:31You're going to have to be timely with some of these blitzes, and I think you can confuse
07:35some rookie quarterbacks.
07:36I think that's the last thing that comes with some young quarterbacks sometimes, John, is
07:39identifying all the protections.
07:41A lot of guys now, they just rely on, okay, if I'm wrong, I'll just use my legs to get
07:44out of it.
07:46So I think there is going to be an opportunity, especially being at home with the noise, to
07:49try to confuse that offense a little bit for Washington and get some free runners at the
07:53quarterback.
07:54Now, you've got to bring them down, right?
07:55Because we all know with quarterbacks like that, you miss, and it's like, oh boy, watch
07:59out.
08:00There's a lot of grass.
08:01The end of that game, Kaleija Cantsy, he makes a play in the middle.
08:03He's got the quarterback, but he gets a little stiff arm, a little speed from Daniels, picks
08:07up the first, and they can kick the game-winning kick with zero seconds on the clock.
08:11If Cantsy makes the play, you force him to kick the field goal, and at least you have
08:15like 30 or 40 seconds to try to respond, but you can't whiff there.
08:19Yeah, and I'm curious as to how Aaron Glenn does things post-snap, because there's one
08:24thing to get up to a line of scrimmage, right?
08:27You get your basic checks, and you're looking at the defensive front.
08:30You're looking at the coverage.
08:31You put a guy in motion, and all of a sudden, okay, you're trying to identify man or zone,
08:36and that's easy at that point to be able to make calls, make some adjustments.
08:42When things change post-snap, which in the NFL, they're going to, and they should, that's
08:47where you're really starting to test a young quarterback and how comfortable, how much
08:51does he trust what he sees?
08:53How much does he trust what he knows, his reaction?
08:56Because some of those things you can't think about.
08:58There's not time to think about it after the snap, and now all of a sudden, can you force
09:02some errors with a young quarterback?
09:05And I think the answer should be yes.
09:06Yeah.
09:07Yeah, because so many young quarterbacks are taught, hey, versus man coverage, we're doing
09:10this, right?
09:11So if you show man coverage, and then all of a sudden, oh, no, they dropped into cover
09:14four, right?
09:15It kind of stalls you for that split second.
09:17So no doubt, it's going to be interesting what they do on defense.
09:19I think it's also going to be interesting to see what they do with the return of David
09:24Montgomery.
09:25I mean, Jameer Gibbs, what he did the last three games and getting better every game,
09:30averaging, what, 160 all-purpose yards, a couple touchdowns a game.
09:33Like, are they going to go back to split time with him and Montgomery?
09:36Or do you kind of ride with like, hey, Jameer's more of our Belcal lead guy.
09:41Let's get David kind of mixed back into things on some third downs or some power runs, second
09:47and short.
09:48And that's going to be interesting to me, because Jameer Gibbs has been so damn good
09:51over the past three weeks.
09:53And you don't want to underestimate a defense, right?
09:55They still got De'Ron Payne in there.
09:57They still got Jonathan Allen in there.
10:00But do you somewhat, hey, let's let David Montgomery get comfortable again.
10:06And maybe instead of 12 or 13 carries, he only gets seven or eight.
10:12The other ones are given to Gibbs.
10:14But on the flip side, you want to make sure that you don't overwork Gibbs, because you
10:18know you're going to need him against Philly or the Rams or the Vikings, and then obviously
10:22in the Super Bowl.
10:23Like, there's kind of a juggling act.
10:26It'll be interesting to see how they do play that relationship, that ratio of runs to carries
10:32to touches with those two guys.
10:34I know.
10:35I'm with you.
10:36And Jameer Gibbs, since being the lead guy, has been a huge threat out of the backfield
10:40as a receiver, too.
10:41I mean, averaging four catches and 45, 50 yards, whatever it is, too.
10:44So that'll be interesting to see what the game plan is.
10:47Obviously going to be a big storyline come Saturday night.
10:49I was kind of surprised that the schedule, I thought they were going to put both NFC
10:54teams on Sunday, just especially with the Rams and Vikings playing tonight, and especially
11:00with all the AFC teams playing early this weekend.
11:04I was thinking Lions were going to be that afternoon-Sunday game, but hey, let's get
11:07it kicked off Saturday night, man.
11:08You know Ford Field is going to be, man, that place is going to be rocking.
11:11Bonkers.
11:12Oh, it's going to be bonkers.
11:13I'm so glad, too, that we get a chance to watch it Saturday night, and then you don't
11:16have to get up early on Sunday morning.
11:19No kidding.
11:20It'll be a nice mix-up.
11:21Exactly.