Who do the Washington Commanders play next? Playoff bracket and matchup scenarios

The Washington Commanders have been one of the most surprising teams in the NFL. In the first year of the Dan Quinn-Adam Peters regime, the Commanders struck gold by landing a sure-fire franchise quarterback in Jayden Daniels in the first round of the NFL Draft. That pick, along with the other draft selections and free agent signings resulted in a 12-5 record and a playoff berth.

If you thought the Commanders were satisfied with just making the playoffs, you thought wrong.

On Sunday night, the No. 6 Commanders defeated the No. 3 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-20 on a walk-off field goal by Zane Gonzalez. It wasn't an ordinary field goal. It was a kick that bounced off the right upright and over the cross bar to secure the win for the Commanders.

Thus far, the NFL playoffs have been all chalk. But now, there is a Cinderella team in the Commanders looking to make a miracle run in the playoffs. But, who do they play next?

Who do the Commanders play next in the playoffs?

After the Green Bay Packers' loss to the Philadelphia Eagles earlier in the day, the Commanders are the lowest seed remaining in the NFC. With that, they are set to take on the No. 1 seed on their side of the bracket — the Detroit Lions.

The Lions have been considered the favorites to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 59 since the start of the season, and they've lived up to it. A superb coaching staff, a stacked overall roster, and it resulted in 15 wins, an NFC North title, and a home-field advantage in the playoffs. All this while dealing with a bunch of injuries.

Commanders will be on the road against the Lions on Saturday, Jan. 18, at 8:00 p.m. ET on FOX.

Commanders vs. Lions matchup history

In terms of the all-time series between the two teams, Washington holds the head-to-head advantage, picking up 31 wins in 47 matchups against Detroit.

Washington owns the playoff head-to-head with Detroit, as they are a perfect 3-0. In the 1982 season, Washington defeated Detroit 31-7. In the 1991 season, the two teams met in the NFC Championship Game, with Washington picking up the 41-10. Then, in 1999, Washington defeated Detroit 27-13.

The Lions will look to get their first playoff win over the Commanders, and get closer to their goal of reaching the Super Bowl for the first time ever. But if the Commanders have shown us anything this season, it's that they are going to give the Lions a gigantic fight.