The sixth-seeded Washington Commanders will travel to Michigan to play against the first-seeded Detroit Lions at Ford Field on Saturday night for the Divisional Round. One crucial matchup that could ultimately determine the winner of this game is Detroit’s talented rushing attack vs. Washington’s struggling rushing defense. The Lions boast one of the best and most explosive rushing attacks in the league, led by elite two-time Pro Bowler Jahmyr Gibbs and power back David Montgomery, who will return to the lineup after missing the last three games with a torn MCL. The Commanders’ run defense has struggled tremendously this season, giving up the third-most rushing yards, the eleventh-most rushing touchdowns, and the fifth-highest yards per attempt against opposing offenses.
The Washington Commanders’ elite linebacker is nursing a lower-leg injury

Bobby Wagner, at some point, suffered an ankle injury against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Sunday night, even though he managed to play every snap on defense. Wagner popped up on the injury report with an ankle injury and did not practice on Tuesday and Wednesday, as many Commanders fans held their breath. Even at the age of 34, the future Hall of Fame linebacker has demonstrated his abilities as an elite linebacker in his 13th season, with the fourth-most run stops at 39 and the sixteenth-highest run stop percentage at 8.4% among qualified linebackers who have played at least 50% of snaps this season (PFF).
The defense cannot afford to have its Pro Bowl linebacker miss against the Lions’ elite running game.
The future Hall of Famer will play on Saturday night

After missing the first two days of practice, Bobby Wagner returned to practice on Thursday, but the extent of him being a limited or full participant hasn’t been revealed. The Washington Commanders will soon release their injury update and provide an official update on him. However, during Thursday’s press conference, head coach Dan Quinn told the media that Wagner will play against the Detroit Lions.
“No,” Quinn told reporters, via Evan Winter of A to Z Sports, when asked if there was any level of concern with Wagner. “He did a good job on the rehab part of it, but getting a chance to see him yesterday, some, through the rehab and today’s practice, he looks strong.”