Washington Commanders fans were getting a little animated on Sunday night, Jan. 12, after their team defeated the Tampa Buccaneers 23-20 on a last-second field goal. The road win drove the Commanders’ fans to chant “We want Detroit!” as they left Raymond James Stadium.
Commanders Fans Looking Forward To Facing Detroit in Divisional Round
The fans of the Commanders were waking a sleeping giant when they cheered “We want Detroit!” after defeating the Buccaneers. The cheers could be heard all the way in Motown where the top-seeded Detroit Lions were resting on a bye week due to having the best record in the conference.
Washington’s first playoff victory since 2005 energized the fanbase and has them begging for more.
Kicker Zane Gonzalez booted a 37-yard field goal off the right upright as the clock struck all zeroes to give Washington a 23-20 road win.
Washington was also the only road winner in all of the games on Wild Card Weekend, not including Monday night’s game between the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams in Arizona.
Commanders fans showed up and showed out in Tampa, Fla. However, the average ticket cost for Sunday’s Divisional Round game against the Lions is approaching four times the cost of a ticket for the Wild Card showdown. We will wait and see how many of the Commanders’ faithful show up at Ford Field this weekend.
It appears as though the Washington faithful are trying to send a message for the Lions to hear loud and clear ahead of next week’s game.
The Commanders are the Cinderella story of this season’s playoffs. The 12-5 team won its first playoff game on the road, and it is led by a quarterback who is young enough to still get carded for beer.
The Lions opened as 10-point favorites on Sunday, Jan. 12, shortly after Washington beat Tampa Bay. By Monday morning, Jan. 13, the line had moved to -8.5 on BetMGM and FanDuel and -8 on Caesars.
This will be the fourth all-time playoff matchup between two of the NFL’s historic franchises. Washington beat Detroit in the 1999 Wild Card Round and in the NFC Championship in 1991.
🚨VIDEO: #Commanders fans were chanting “WE WANT DETROIT – WE WANT DETROIT” after beating Tampa last night.#Lions – #Commanders divisional round.
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) January 13, 2025
Washington also beat Detroit in the 1982 NFL playoffs, so the Lions are looking for their first win in the postseason series.
Despite the Lions’ dominance over the conference this season, Commanders fans are confident in their team. It will be no small task to go into the visitors’ den and win against the 15-2 Lions.
The winner advances to the NFC Championship Game, one game away from the Super Bowl.
Kick off is at 8 p.m. ET on Saturday. The game can be seen nationally on Fox.