BY: VINCENT MENDOZA / STAFF WRITER
The Washington Commanders pulled off a historic upset on Saturday night, defeating the top-seeded Detroit Lions, 45-31, and secured their spot in the NFC Championship game for the first time since their Super Bowl XXVI victory 33 years ago.
Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, the front-runner to win Offensive Rookie of the Year and a 2025 Pro-Bowl selection, led the sixth-seed Commanders with a masterful performance, throwing for 299 yards and two touchdowns, while racking up 51 yards on the ground. Daniels’ poise and ability to convert on third and fourth down time and time again while also minimizing turnovers were major factors in Washington’s success last night.
The Commanders’ receiving core showed up and showed out, making timely plays the entire night. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin continued his Pro-Bowl-awarded season as he made four catches for 87 yards, including a 58-yard touchdown off of a Jayden Daniels screen pass. Dyami Brown erupted for 6 receptions and 98 yards on the night, and veteran TE Zach Ertz finished with 28 yards and a TD.
Coming into Saturday night’s matchup, analysts and fans alike knew the Commanders’ passing game would take advantage of Detroit's below-average secondary. However, the Commanders’ run game wasn’t necessarily firing on all cylinders in recent weeks, especially Brian Robinson Jr. Prior to last night’s victory, Robinson Jr. hadn’t recorded more than 24 yards in his last three contests, despite having double-digit carries in two of those matches.
Two of the Commanders’ last three matchups were top 10 run defenses in the NFL during the regular season, with the Eagles, who were atop the pack, and the Buccaneers. Robinson held his own against the fifth-ranked run defense in Detroit.
Although running backs posted great games against the Lions, such as James Cook and Josh Jacobs, many believed the Lions’ defense could control the run game outside of Jayden Daniels. This ended up being far from the truth.
Robinson Jr. rushed for 77 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. The other backs for Washington also made significant contributions. Veteran back Austin Ekeler rushed for 47 yards on just six carries, and Jeremy McNichols extended for a TD after Washington converted on fourth down, giving the Commanders a commanding 45-28 lead with 7:31 left in the fourth quarter.
The second quarter of Saturday night’s contest was the highest-scoring quarter in NFL Playoff history. The two teams combined for 42 points. The Commanders doubled the Lions’ offensive output, 28-14.
In a game where Detroit had 12 defensive players on injured reserve, including young star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, veteran cornerback Carlton Davis and defensive tackle Alim McNeill, it was imperative that the Lions offense balled out while making little to no mistakes. Detroit was able to put up big numbers, but made crucial errors and costly reads that ended up costing them the game.
Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff threw for 313 passing yards, and just one touchdown. Goff also threw away three interceptions and lost a fumble. Wide receiver Jameson Williams also threw an interception on a failed trick play when Detroit was down by 10 early in the fourth quarter.
Lions’ Pro-Bowl running back Jahmyr Gibbs finished with 14 carries for 105 yards and two rushing touchdowns, and added six receptions for 70 yards. Back-to-back All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown put up eight receptions and 137 yards, and tight end Sam LaPorta added six receptions for 51 yards, including an amazing one-handed left hand grab in the back of the endzone.
The Commanders’ secondary had a field day against Goff and company. Mike Sainristil tied his regular season total for interceptions with two, picking off both Goff and Williams, including a red zone pick-six intended for Williams. Quan Martin recorded a 40-yd pick-six in the second quarter to extend Washington’s lead to 10, and Jeremy Chinn made the game-sealing grab with 32 seconds left in the game.
This loss for Detroit stings for many reasons. For one, the Lions earned the one seed and home-field advantage throughout the NFC bracket for the first time in franchise history, and were unable to make it to the NFC Championship game – a game they had played in just last season. To make matters even worse, this very well could’ve been Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn’s last games as offensive and defensive coordinators for the Lions, as both are seen as highly-touted head coaching candidates.
Even though Lions fans and the organization can look back on the regular season and celebrate how special and historic it was, in a Super Bowl or bust year, going out in the divisional round of the playoffs ultimately made this season as a whole a failure.
On the flip side, the Washington Commanders went from being one of the most frowned upon organizations in sports just a few seasons ago, to making it to the NFC Championship game and possessing one of the best young rosters in the conference, a position Detroit was in just last season. The organization’s turnaround can largely be attributed to Daniels.
Daniels is the only quarterback drafted as a top three pick in the common draft era to make a conference championship game as a rookie. Daniels is also the third QB in NFL history to have multiple games in a postseason with at least 250 passing yards, 25 rushing yards, and two or more touchdown passes. Daniels is joining elite company, in MVP-frontrunner Josh Allen and Super Bowl-favorite Patrick Mahomes.
Even as double-digit underdogs heading into the Lions’ Den, the second pick of the 2024 NFL Draft out of LSU proved once again that he’s built for the big moments and will be one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL for the foreseeable future. Daniels’ historic rookie campaign has at least one more game, as he and the Commanders will play the divisional rival Philadelphia Eagles for a chance to play in Super Bowl LIX.
Commentaires