The Washington Commanders are looking to snap their losing streak with a Week 10 win over the Detroit Lions. Here are three keys to pulling off an upset.

1. Establish a solid ground attack.

Although the Lions remain one of the league's most efficient teams, despite losing two of their coordinators last offseason, they aren't beating teams as handidly as they did in 2024 and do have some weaknesses. Last week, the Minnesota Vikings managed to find some success against the Lions on the ground, and that's something the Commanders could replicate on Sunday.

The Vikings set the tone with their opening drive by handing the ball to Aaron Jones, who cut through the Lions' defense with an 11-yard gain, on their first play from scrimmage. Jones also had a 31-yard run on third-and-9, helping set up a touchdown from T.J. Hockenson one play later. The Vikings finished the day rushing for 142 yards on 29 carries, more than half of which came from Jones and his 8.7 yards per carry.

The Commanders are in a different situation, thanks to their litany of injuries at wide receiver. The absences of Terry McLaurin and Noah Brown in previous weeks allowed defenses to stack the box and overcommit to the run, and the loss of Luke McCaffrey to a broken collarbone makes the group even thinner. The Commanders have rushed for over 100 yards in three of their last four losses, but many of those yards, particularly in losses to the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks, came when the score was already out of hand.

Still, the Commanders have the foundation to run the ball against a Lions defense that is 10th in rushing yards allowed per game. They're 11th in run-block win rate as a versatile backfield that includes Jacory Croskey-Merritt -- their leading rusher -- Jeremy McNichols, Chris Rodriguez, Marcus Mariota and Deebo Samuel. They'll likely need each of those players to contribute to get a win over Detroit.

2. Put pressure on Jared Goff.

The Lions have struggled to protect Goff over the last month, allowing him to take 14 sacks in their previous four games -- a stark contrast to the four combined sacks they allowed in their first four games. Although the Commanders' pass rush is also banged up, there will be opportunities to put Goff in difficult situations.

For starters, the Lions rank in the bottom third of the league (24th) in pass-block win rate, which has led to Goff being in the top 20 in terms of dropbacks under pressure. He's tied for the third most turnover-worthy plays when pressured with zero touchdowns and two interceptions.

Granted, the Commanders aren't as equipped to take advantage of that as they would like, with their top three options at defensive end on Injured Reserve. They've been forced to find alternate solutions, such as playing linebacker Frankie Luvu as more of a natural pass-rusher and putting Jacob Martin into a larger role up front. There have been moments where those adjustments have worked out, although the Commanders have generated just four sacks in the last three games.

So, the Commanders might have to manufacture more pressure to get to Goff. That's a bit of a gamble, considering all the explosive plays they have allowed in recent weeks. However, the Commanders won't be able to stop all the Lions' weapons, so it could be worth the risk to regularly bring five or even six defenders to crash the pocket.

3. Win special teams matchups.

Although injuries on both offense and defense have led to both the Commanders' units slipping in production, they still have one of the best special teams units in the league. They've allowed the second-fewest punt return yards and the fifth-lowest kickoff return average. They also have the sixth-most kickoff return yards with the most runs of 40-plus yards.

Conversely, the Lions are around the middle of the league in just about every special teams metric. The unit has been exploited at times, most recently on the opening kickoff of the Vikings game, as Myles Price burst through the Lions' coverage for a 61-yard return. Price finished with 164 yards on five returns.

It still won't be easy for the Commanders now that McCaffrey is possibly out for the rest of the season. McCaffrey had the second most kickoff return yards in the NFL with the best return average among players with at least 20 returns. Washington's backup options include Deebo Samuel, who started the year as the team's top kickoff return option, and rookie Jaylin Lane, who has the eighth-best punt return average and the fourth most punt return yards.

It will require a team effort for the Commanders to upset the Lions, and the special teams unit must do their part by giving their injury-riddled offense ideal field position.