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Liverpool may have kept Real Madrid out in the Champions League during the week, but this represents just one of four clean sheets they’ve managed to keep across their 16 matches in all competitions. Manchester City have scored more goals than any other side at home in the Premier League (13) and also sat top of the home scoring rankings last season (43).

This would suggest that Liverpool will be forced into a higher scoring affair with their backline unable to be trusted at the moment. City have failed to keep a clean sheet in four of their last five matches across all competitions, so Pep Guardiola’s side aren’t the most solid at the back right now either, which can lead to chances for both sides throughout this contest.

BTTS has landed in each of City’s last three matches against Swansea, Bournemouth, and Dortmund. City won all of these games comfortably, but the odd goal they concede will encourage Liverpool, as there are still slight cracks in the City side, left behind by the continued absence of Rodri, who is struggling for consistent minutes since his injury last season.

Liverpool’s five away games in the Premier League have produced 17 goals (3.4 per game), with BTTS landing in four of these matches with the exception of Liverpool’s 1-0 win over Burnley. Liverpool also scored more goals than any other side on the road in the Premier League last season, with 44 across their 19 matches (2.31 per game).

Liverpool have picked up 19 yellow cards in the Premier League this season (1.9 per game), with 2+ cards landing in eight of their 10 matches - and all five of their away games this term.

Liverpool are quite an aggressive side off the ball, but that pressing structure has faltered this season with the changes made to the Liverpool squad in the summer, which can result in frustration for the Reds here. City will be able to dominate the ball as they’ve wrestled back control of matches at the Etihad again after their worst-ever home form during the 24/25 campaign under Guardiola.

Manchester City have drawn 2+ cards from their opponents in six of their 10 Premier League matches this season. The referee for this game is Chris Kavanagh, who has handed out 3.71 cards per game across his 14 appointments in all competitions. His all-time Premier League average sits at 3.51 cards per game, but he could be tempted into a higher card count here with the magnitude of the fixture.

Szoboszlai has committed a foul in four of his last five Premier League appearances this season and has been one of Liverpool’s key players so far this term. He’s committed 10 fouls across his 10 Premier League appearances overall this season, working out to an average of exactly 1.00 fouls committed per 90.

Szoboszlai is also averaging 2.30 tackles per 90 in the Premier League this season, which highlights just how involved he is off the ball for Liverpool. Liverpool’s press is relentless when Szoboszlai plays. He covers more ground than any other Liverpool player and will find himself up against a midfield trio of Reijnders, Foden, and Gonzalez here:

• Foden - 1.30 fouls won p/90

• Gonzalez - 1.29 fouls won p/90

• Reijnders - 0.83 fouls won p/90

City have notably had less of the ball this season, with their 57.3% share ranking fourth in the Premier League, which highlights the shift that has occurred with this Manchester City side in terms of being more direct and physical, which can contribute to the overall intensity of this game, which Liverpool should be able to match.

Szoboszlai committed two fouls in this fixture last season, and also committed a foul in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Manchester City at the Etihad.

Pep Guardiola confidently announced that Phil Foden was ‘back’ following the 25-year-old’s brace against Dortmund in the Champions League during the week. Foden’s confidence will have been boosted further by his inclusion in Thomas Tuchel’s latest England squad. Those two goals take Foden’s tally for the season to seven, moving him to within three of his 10-goal haul from last campaign.

Foden will be aiming to build on the two goals he netted against Dortmund during the week here, having also registered an assist against Bournemouth in Manchester City’s most recent Premier League assignment. Foden only had one shot in that game, but he should be encouraged by his midweek performance in which he found the target on four occasions.

It’s worth noting that all four of those attempts for Foden came from outside of the area, so it may be worth exploiting markets for Foden to have a few shots from outside the box, or to find the target from outside the box. Foden’s shot on target record in the Premier League isn’t particularly standout (0.43 per 90), but he can improve on this record quickly as City’s biggest goal threat outside of Erling Haaland.

Haaland has dominated the scoring charts for City this season, with his 13 goals representing 65% of the total goals that City have scored this season. I’d argue that Foden is the next biggest goal threat in this City side, even if his current shot record doesn’t quite reflect that. Foden averaged 0.81 shots on target per 90 across his 28 Premier League appearances last season, and should be able to better that record this term now that he has confidence back.

Although Bournemouth started the campaign looking very assured defensively, there are some signs the defence is beginning to look more exposed. Bournemouth have now conceded eight goals across their last three away games. 

The shot data across those away games is rather alarming. Bournemouth conceded eight shots on target against Man City, seven against Palace, and eight against Leeds. Those kinds of numbers aren’t particularly sustainable and will always leave you vulnerable to conceding goals. 

As touched upon earlier, Villa have certain weapons which are very capable of outmanoeuvring the intense pressing of Bournemouth, and they should get space in attacking areas to hurt the Bournemouth defence.  Aside from their 2-0 defeat to Liverpool last week, Villa had scored a goal in their previous nine games consecutively, finding the net is clearly no longer an issue for them, in relative contrast to the start of the campaign.

Although Villa fielded a heavily rotated team against Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League, there were still some regulars present; fatigue could be a slight issue. That fatigue may alter the game plan slightly and afford Bournemouth a greater level of territory. 

Bournemouth are a front-footed side, they are averaging a rather healthy 5.6 corners in away games. Bournemouth have managed over 3.5 corners in every single away game this season. The visitors have played some very capable teams on the road, and these numbers are still holding up. 

Villa are conceding an average of five corners in home games this season, the only occasion below 3.5 was a 3-0 defeat to Crystal Palace. Gamestate was understandably a major factor here, though, with the visitors leading the game from the 20th minute and only managing one corner.

While Semenyo’s shot averages might be down on last season, averaging just 2.2 shots per 90, his efficiency with finding the target has been really strong. Semenyo is averaging 1.3 shots on target per 90. He’s found the target in each of his last five games. 

From the evidence of watching Semenyo over the last couple of years, he’s arguably two-footed. This has been a huge advantage and a nightmare for defenders; he’s fantastic at creating half a yard and shifting the ball onto either foot. 

Knowing Unai Emery, there should be periods where Villa sit deep and invite pressure; this may give Semenyo a few opportunities to be proactive and open up space to unleash from distance. Given Semenyo’s shooting data this season, it definitely feels like there’s more value backing the shot on target, rather than over 1.5 shots at 1.33.

Watkins is currently going at 1.6 shots per 90, but this is a great spot for him to improve on that. 

Bournemouth like to go man-for-man, and this leaves them very vulnerable when the press doesn’t work. Morgan Rogers is a master at taking the ball on the half turn and leaving opposition players in his wake. This should ultimately open up the space in the final third to service Watkins. 

Bournemouth have now conceded a whopping 19 shots against opposition strikers in their last three games, most notably Jean-Philippe Mateta racking up 11 and Erling Haaland six. There’s clearly a tendency for opposition strikers to get into shooting positions against Bournemouth, and that’s been exemplified by some of the recent data over the last couple of weeks.

Brentford have been priced up as underdogs for this match, and whilst I wouldn't go so far as to suggest that the Bees should be favourites, I feel that, with home advantage baked into the price, there should be less distance between the prices.

Being able to take the draw here as well is clearly a boost to this bet, too. If Eddie Howe is able to revert his team to the tight 0-0 team of the early-season away matches, then we are able to still collect here, but leaning towards Brentford supplies the value here.

Brentford have been a strong home team throughout their stay in the Premier League. This bet would've collected in four of their five home Premier League games so far this season, and they have played Liverpool, Chelsea, Man Utd, Aston Villa, and Man City (their only defeat) already. Last season, this would've won in 13 out of 19 home games as well.

Newcastle are yet to win in the Premier League away from home, meaning that this bet would've collected in all of their prior away matches.

Newcastle started the season with a run of 0-0 away draws, but since then have had BTTS defeats at Brighton and West Ham, where they really didn't look secure defensively.

Both Brentford and Newcastle are averaging over 1 xG for and against in the Premier League this season, with Brentford in particular hovering more around the 1.5 xG mark in both directions, which suggests that they are quite an open team at this stage. Newcastle, concerningly, conceded over 2.5 xG in their last away game to West Ham.

Generally, Brentford v Newcastle matches have a goalsy touch to them as well. They have met eight times in the Premier League, and six of them have seen BTTS collect, and there is also an EFL Cup match, which ended 3-1 to throw in there as well. The last three meetings at Brentford have all been BTTS as well.

Brentford at the Gtech this season aren't quite as full of goals as last season, but the entertainment value is still high. Three out of five matches have been BTTS, and that is despite a tough set of home fixtures, a 3-2 win over Liverpool, 3-1 vs Man Utd, and 2-2 vs Chelsea are not only good results but demonstrate well why I like this angle for this match.

I like the price on Dango Ouattara to be fouled here.

His price is slightly bigger than teammate Kevin Schade for this market, and yet when you look into the data, Ouattara has been fouled almost twice as often as Schade, so he is definitely the value selection here.

Indeed, Ouattara is Brentford's most frequently fouled player, coming a cropper an average of 1.95 times per 90 minutes.

Ouattara has started six Premier League matches this season, including each of the last three, and he has been fouled at least once in each of those six. Indeed, he has been fouled three times, twice, and once, on exactly two occasions each.

He is likely to be up against Dan Burn, who is 1.2 to commit a foul, and has an average of 1.6 fouls per 90 this season. Burn has also committed fouls in 12 of his 15 starts, mostly multiple fouls in a single match as well.

There is something about a central defender playing at left-back, marauding forward, that is good for the soul. Fans of this rather odd and specific tactic should be delighted by this match, with Dan Burn and Kristoffer Ajer both fulfilling that role here.

Whilst Burn did have two shots, one a beautiful curling header from range that found the net, in their last match, his shot returns have been inconsistent. Ajer, on the other hand, seems to relish the opportunity to get forward and threaten the goal on a consistent basis. He also has the benefit of being a potential set-piece target as well, of course.

In the Brentford match I watched recently, it was often the case that Ajer would underlay, or make central runs, either with or without the ball. This obviously meant that he often ended up in decent shooting positions, rather than stuck out wide for a pass or cross.

He is averaging an impressive 1.62 shots per 90 in the Premier League this season, albeit from a small sample size because he has only started the last four. However, in those four matches, he has taken five shots, including at least one in his last three in a row.

This fixture has matured into what is known as the M23 derby. It’s probably the softest ‘derby’ in the Premier League, maybe even Europe, but it has thrown up some entertaining matches in recent seasons as the current crop of players take the rivalry quite seriously.

There were three goals in this fixture last season as Palace ran out 2-1 winners over Brighton in a game that saw three red cards, in an example of how tensions can boil over in this clash. Four of the last five head-to-head meetings between these sides have seen 2+ goals.

Brighton have seen 2+ goals in each of their last five matches across all competitions and have seen 17 goals across their five away games this term (3.4 per game). Palace can be a bit more moderate when it comes to over-goal tallies, but they’ve seen 2+ goals in each of their last three matches, with their five matches at Selhurst Park producing 13 goals (2.6 per game).

Corners have become a centre piece in the majority of Premier League matches as sides start to treat set pieces as their main opportunities to score in a match. This is certainly true for Palace, who can struggle from open play at times with the lack of a creative core since Eze left the club in the summer.

Palace scored more goals from corners than any other side in the Premier League last season (11). They’ve already scored five goals from set-piece situations this season, representing 35% of their total goal share. Crystal Palace’s matches in the Premier League are averaging 9.50 corners per game, with their matches at Selhurst Park seeing 8.40 corners per game.

Brighton could be a bit vulnerable from Palace set pieces, as they are far from being the biggest side in the league, though they do have threats to benefit from corners themselves, with Lewis Dunk being the main aerial threat.

It may also be worth looking into the shot markets for the aerial threats available here. The likes of Dunk, Guehi, Lacroix, and Richards have all been effective from corner situations so far this season.

Mateta has continued to be effective for Crystal Palace this season and has had a shot on target in four of his last five Premier League starts, with each of these appearances seeing the Palace striker have multiple attempts on target.

He’s scored six Premier League goals this season across his 10 appearances, with only Erling Haaland (13) netting more in the top flight so far this term. He’s had 31 attempts across these appearances (3.20 per 90) with 18 of these efforts finding the target (1.86 per 90). He recently had three shots in Palace’s 3-1 win over Alkmaar in the Conference League, with one of these attempts finding the target.

An interesting statistic when it comes to Mateta is how much more effective he is at home for Crystal Palace. Five of Mateta’s eight goals across all competitions this season have come at Selhurst Park, offering a strong personal record to back him for a shot on target here. Mateta scored against Brighton in this fixture last season and can extend his strong record when it comes to finding the target here.

Minteh has been one of Brighton’s most effective players so far this season, with four goal contributions across his 10 Premier League appearances. He’s won 10 fouls across these matches (1.05 per 90) and is at a decent price to win a foul here in what should be a hotly contested affair.

Minteh can play on both wings and even moves between positions during the game. So we can expect him to be up against Tyrick Mitchell and Daniel Munoz at points during the game. Munoz is more likely to bring him down, having committed 14 fouls across his 10 Premier League appearances this term, with at least one foul in seven of these games, with six matches seeing Munoz commit multiple fouls.

Minteh will also brush shoulders with Yeremy Pino as the first line of defence before engaging with the wingback. Pino has committed 10 fouls across his eight Premier League appearances this season (1.76 per 90).

Forest conceded just three shots against Sturm Graz in midweek, with one of those being a hopeful 93rd-minute effort from beyond the halfway line. Prior to that, in the Europa League, an in-form Porto side managed just 10 shots worth 0.6 xG to highlight their defensive improvements.

Dyche does seem to have the backing of the home fans, and is undefeated in his two games on home turf so far, with a 2-0 win over Porto in his first game, and a 2-2 draw against Man United last weekend.

Meanwhile, Leeds are dancing dangerously close to the relegation zone, having lost five of their 10 league games so far. Four of those defeats have come on their travels, highlighting a vulnerability that doesn’t bode well for them here. They did pull off one victory, but that was against basement-dwellers Wolves, who are the only side in the division yet to win a game.

Based on that, Forest will fancy their chances of getting a positive result on Sunday afternoon, although it is unlikely to be one-way traffic. Dyche was able to afford some rest to key players, namely Elliot Anderson, who didn’t travel, but there will be an element of fatigue to consider for the hosts here, after a tough away day in Austria on Thursday night.

Matz Sels was also another player to sit out, with John Victor deputising between the sticks. Despite Forest’s dominance, the Brazilian was still forced into two saves.

Sels himself has been kept busy this season, and this selection has landed in all 10 Premier League matches so far. The Belgian ranks 2nd among all goalkeepers in the English top-flight for total saves made, which should give Leeds some confidence that they will get chances.

With Ola Aina and Oleksandr Zinchenko currently occupying the treatment room, Dyche has a selection headache at full back. Both Neco Williams and Nicolo Savona retained their spot in the starting lineup in midweek, with limited senior options available on the bench.

Savona had an average of 0.68 fouls per 90 for Juventus last season in the Italian top-flight, but that has risen notably to 1.06 fouls per 90 this term in the Premier League. In fact, the Italian has landed this bet in all four starts for his new club, including multiple fouls in two of those matches.

The 19-year-old has taken some time to adjust to the physicality of the Premier League, and will have a tough test against Noah Okafor. The Leeds winger is averaging 1.4 fouls drawn per 90 in all competitions this term, and his dribbling prowess has proven to be difficult to deal with for opposing full-backs.

Ethan Ampadu has been the destroyer in Leeds’ midfield, tasked with being aggressive in his duels and shutting down opposition attacks. In his last six starts, he has racked up a total of 12 fouls, while also picking up three bookings.

Last season, he had an average of 1.41 fouls per 90 despite featuring as a centre back for large parts of the campaign. Having been shifted forward into a more natural holding midfield spot, Ampadu has seen his foul count rise, averaging 1.67 fouls per 90 this term.

The Welshman will be up against Elliot Anderson in the Forest midfield, who is averaging 3.08 fouls won per 90 this season in all competitions, rising to 3.43 when playing at the City Ground. Anderson has drawn the 3rd-most fouls of any Premier League player this term, so it’s an ideal matchup to back Ampadu infringements.

Inter have won seven of their 10 games in Serie A this season and look to be a really complete side under Chivu, with the new coach building on the ideas of Simone Inzaghi who was really successful with Inter, winning every domestic competition on offer.

Inter have won four of their five home matches this season, netting 15 goals across these games which is the most of any side in Serie A. Inter Milan also rank top in Serie A for possession, shots on target and xG, so we could be seeing the origins of a potential title charge here from Inter Milan as they aim to reclaim the Scudetto from Napoli.

Lazio have really struggled on the road so far this season, winning just one of their five matches. I think they’ll struggle to live with the scoring power of Inter, with Sarri’s side only scoring three goals across their five away games so far - only three sides have scored fewer goals on their travels than Lazio in Serie A this season.

Lazio haven't beaten Inter since 2022 and that’s unlikely to change here with the dominance that Inter are showing in various aspects of their game so far this term.

Inter Milan are averaging 7.70 corners per game across their 10 matches in Serie A this term, the most of any side in the Italian top-flight. This average increases further to an incredible 9.40 corners per game when looking at their home matches, which is another metric that Inter rank top for in Serie A this season.

Lazio have struggled to keep the corner count down on the road this season, averaging 5.00 corners conceded per game on their travels. Maurizio Sarri’s side have conceded 4+ corners in four of their five away games this season, they’ve conceded 4+ corners in eight of their 10 games overall this term.

Inter Milan have seen 4+ corners in all 10 of their matches in Serie A this season. Eight of these matches have seen Inter Milan have more than four corners. 5+ should be achievable for them given those recent numbers.

Martinez netted his 9th goal of the season across 17 appearances for Inter Milan last season against Kairat Almaty last time out. His shot volume is really promising when backing him for a shot on target here with Martinez having 31 shots across his 10 appearances in Serie A so far this term (3.71 per 90).

Seven of those attempts have found the target (0.84 per 90) which is a record that Martinez will be looking to improve on, as that only represents a shot accuracy of 23%, which is well below the level of clinical finishing he is capable of. Martinez maintained a 33% shot accuracy in Serie A last season, with 34 of his 102 attempts finding the target (1.19 per 90).

Inter are currently the best side in Serie A as shown by quite a few metrics. They’ve scored more goals than any other side (24), as well as sitting top of the xG table (19.1) and boasting the highest shots on target average per game of any team in Serie A this term (5.70 per game).

Cataldi sits at the heart of Lazio’s midfield which means he’ll have the almost impossible assignment of attempting to track the movement of Inter Milan’s midfield three. The rotations of the Inter Milan midfield were perfected by Simone Inzaghi and have been continued by Chivu with a technical trio of Nicolo Barella, Davide Frattesi and Piotr Zielinski expected to line up here.

This trio are averaging 3.44 fouls won per 90 between them in Serie A this season and we can expect them to cause Cataldi real problems. The most likely direct opponent for Cataldi is Frattesi with the Italian midfielder the most likely to break into the final third for Inter Milan. He’s averaging 1.90 fouls won per 90 in Serie A this term, the healthiest average of the three Inter Milan midfielders expected to line up here. 

Cataldi has committed 11 fouls across his nine appearances in Serie A this term (1.41 per 90) so his foul record matches up quite well with the intelligent movement of the Inter Milan midfield.

Barcelona have faltered a little in recent weeks by their lofty standards, with a defeat in the El Clásico and a 3-3 draw against Club Brugge in the Champions League just bringing into question the sustainability of Barcelona’s approach with their extraordinarily high line.

I do think Barcelona will be able to get back to winning ways, but I think it’ll be a hectic game with the form that Celta Vigo carry into the contest and the high scoring games between these sides last season. Barcelona have won three of their six away games this season, and it is this record that has opened up a five-point gap between Barcelona and Real Madrid after 10 games of the campaign.

Celta Vigo may come into this game with recent momentum, but their overall performances in LaLiga at home this season have been poor. Celta Vigo are yet to win a game at home from six matches, having drawn five of these games. I find it hard to see how Celta Vigo live with the scoring power of Barcelona, seeing as they’ve only netted five goals across their home matches this term.

Barcelona have seen 3+ goals in 14 of their 15 competitive games this season, with the exception being a 1-1 draw against Rayo Vallecano. One of the main reasons why Barcelona have had such a high goal count since the start of the season is due to their inability to keep sides out.

Celta Vigo come into this game with strong form, having won each of their last five matches across all competitions, so we can expect them to contribute to the goal tally here. Celta Vigo have seen 3+ goals in four of their last five matches across all competitions.

Over 2.5 goals landed in both head-to-head clashes between these sides last season. Barcelona ran out 4-3 winners in the clash where they were the home side, while Celta Vigo managed to hold them to a 2-2 draw in this fixture last season. That 2-2 draw saw a combined xG of 4.2, which is really promising when looking to back goals in this latest meeting.

Rashford has settled into life really well at Barcelona with six goal contributions across his 11 appearances in LaLiga this term, with only eight of these being starts. He’s had 35 shots across these appearances (4.39 per 90), which is a shot volume that confirms that Rashford is back operating at his best in this Barcelona side.

13 of Rashford’s shots in LaLiga this season have found the target (1.63 per 90). Barcelona are the best attacking side in Europe, and have the metrics to back that up with Hansi Flick’s side currently averaging 8.00 shots on target per game in LaLiga, the most of any side in the division.

Barcelona had 10 shots on target across their two meetings with Celta Vigo last season, with at least four in each encounter. Rashford should be able to contribute to Barcelona’s shot on target tally here with his strong record since joining the Spanish side on loan from Manchester United during the summer.

Casado is the designated destroyer in this Barcelona side, having committed 11 fouls across his eight LaLiga appearances (2.49 per 90). To play in the style that Hansi Flick does, you need a player of the profile of Casado, whose defensive strengths allow Barcelona’s most talented players to be platformed in the final third.

Casado filled in the same role for Barcelona last season, committing 26 fouls across his 23 appearances (1.45 per 90). Casado committed six fouls in Barcelona’s 3-1 win over Elche in their most recent LaLiga assignment, which shows just how much of his instructions are to do with breaking up play and giving away tactical fouls. Barcelona’s high line needs a player who can stop these transitions at source, as they are currently being exposed too easily.

Casado lined up in the same role in this fixture last season and committed three fouls from 13 duels. He was sent off in the game late on after picking up two yellow cards for reckless challenges. Casado is likely to be in the spotlight again here as one of the few defensive-minded players in Barcelona’s setup.

Jared Goff has been one of the most consistent performers in the NFL at the quarterback position for years. He’s gone over 4,400 passing yards in each of his last three seasons, and has missed the 200-yard mark only once this year. He has also reached 225 yards in five of eight games this season, coming up short noticeably against the tough defences of Cleveland and Kansas City.

The Commanders' pass defence has been incredibly soft this year. They’ve given up 2,417 passing yards, which is the second most in the entire NFL, behind only the Dallas Cowboys. Arguably, Washington’s best defensive back, Marshon Lattimore, is also out for the season, so there’s little to fear for Jared Goff and the Lions' passing game. This is a great bounce-back spot for the veteran quarterback.

Fresh off a 1,400-yard rushing season last year, Jahmyr Gibbs has seen a little more inconsistency seep into his game this season. However, given he’s amongst the most elite running back names in the NFL, inconsistency for him means going under 60 rushing yards just three times in eight games.

Gibbs is in a supreme bounce-back spot this week as the Commanders' run defence has left a lot to be desired this season. They’ve allowed 1,118 rushing yards this year, which is the eighth most in the NFL. Washington also hasn’t faced a running back of Gibbs’ caliber since week four, when they gave up 181 scrimmage yards to Bijan Robinson. Gibbs has been outpacing fellow running back David Montgomery in snap shares all season, so there’s little reason to think Gibbs can’t have a monster day here.

Amon-Ra St. Brown has continued his great form from the past few seasons in 2025, remaining as quarterback Jared Goff’s go-to receiver in the Lions' passing game. St. Brown has a whopping 74 targets in eight games this season, catching 59 of those passes and getting in the endzone seven times. He’s been one of the most consistent receivers in the league when it comes to touchdowns, hitting double digits in each of the last two seasons in Detroit.

Now the superstar wide receiver gets a chance to carve up a Commanders pass defence that has given up 19 passing touchdowns this year. That’s tied for fourth most in the NFL. Washington also lost star defensive back Marshon Lattimore to a torn ACL, so this defence is about to look even more enticing for St. Brown.

The Washington Commanders might be without their superstar young quarterback Jayden Daniels, but they do a great job of keeping their offence rolling whenever backup Marcus Mariota steps in. The veteran has started three games this season and has gone over 200 passing yards in two of those games, only failing to reach 175 yards against an Atlanta Falcons pass defence that has given up the fewest passing yards in the league.

The Lions are tenth on that list by comparison, having allowed 1,773 passing yards this season. The appeal of taking Mariota’s passing yards number is that the Commanders are likely to be playing catch-up, forcing the veteran to throw the ball, particularly considering the Lions have given up the eighth-fewest rushing yards this season. Mariota has only reached 30 pass attempts once in three starts, but he’ll likely need to do that against the Lions if Washington wants to keep pace with their explosive offence.