5 scenarios to launch the divisional cycle

The Detroit Lions will host the Washington Commanders at Ford Field on Saturday night in the divisional round of the playoffs. The Lions are the No. 1 seed as NFC North champions and the Commanders move into the No. 6 seed after their Wild Card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night.

Here are five scenarios to follow for this match which will kick off the week:

1. Jayden Daniels vs. Aaron Glenn

There have been six quarterbacks selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft and one remains in the playoffs, second overall pick Jayden Daniels.

Daniels threw for 268 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions and led the Commanders rushing attack with 36 yards in the win over the Bucs. He became the first rookie to lead his team in passing and rushing in a playoff victory, according to NFL Research.

During the regular season, he completed 69 percent of his passes for 3,568 yards with 25 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a passer rating of 100.1. A dual-threat weapon for the Commanders, Daniels also totaled 891 yards and six touchdowns. Daniels is likely to be the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year, but he remains a rookie who hasn’t seen everything in this league.

Glenn put together a tremendous game plan against Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings in Detroit’s regular season finale to clinch the NFC North title and the No. 1 seed. Can he generate pressure and mix up coverages behind it to confuse the rookie? Keeping Daniels in the pocket and limiting his outside play will be key to Detroit’s defense.

“He’s dangerous,” Lions head coach Dan Campbell said Monday of Daniels. “He’s a major threat because he doesn’t play the position like a rookie quarterback. He’s calm, he understands how to progress, he sees the field well and he can wait with his legs. He’s a dangerous runner. He is smart and you can tell he knows how to carry out this attack.”

The Lions are 2-1 this season against mobile quarterbacks. Buffalo’s Josh Allen handed them a loss in Week 15, but the defense managed to contain Kyler Murray in Week 3 and Anthony Richardson in Week 12. Allen ran for 68 yards, while Richardson ran for 61 and Murray had 45.