The Washington Commanders’ incredible season remains alive after the team rolled past the top-seeded Detroit Lions by a score of 45-31 at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich. on Jan. 18.
Led by rookie sensation quarterback Jayden Daniels, the Commanders have shed themselves of a quarter-century of mediocrity and firmly reestablished themselves as a contender in the NFC.
After an influx of cash due to the team’s acquisition by billionaire Josh Harris and his ownership group, the Commanders have fundamentally remade themselves under first-year head coach Dan Quinn. However, the speed of the Commanders’ turnaround was largely unexpected, with much of the credit due to the excellence of Daniels, who is the surefire offensive rookie of the year.
For much of this century, both the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders have been confined to the bottom half of the NFL.
Washington and Detroit last faced off in the playoffs in the NFC Championship game in 1992, with Washington winning and going on to win the Super Bowl. Since then, Washington had not made it past the divisional round of the playoffs. Detroit returned to the NFC championship round last year, but lost to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Lions entered as substantial favorites, holding home-field advantage and coming off a first-round bye, but the game was anything but lopsided.
Detroit was the first to put together a solid drive, with quarterback Jared Goff finding receiver Jameson Williams and running back Jahmyr Gibbs in the open field for two huge gains. At the 1-yard line, Gibbs punched it in to open the scoring. Washington responded with a field goal — the only scoring in the first quarter, leaving the Commanders in a 7-3 hole.
The action picked up substantially in the next quarter. After trading touchdowns, Commanders defensive back Quan Martin intercepted an overthrown deep ball by Goff and returned it for a touchdown. At halftime, the Commanders led 31-21, and the team did not look back from there.
Detroit only mustered one more touchdown while throwing two additional interceptions — one by Goff and one by Williams on a failed trick play — eliminating any chance of a comeback. Washington settled into a game management pace, using long drives to run down the clock and slowly add to their lead. In perhaps the biggest upset of the divisional slate of games, the Commanders emerged from Ford Field with a 45-31 victory.
Daniels totaled 299 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns and 51 rushing yards, with zero turnovers. Commanders running back Brian Robinson Jr. also had a standout performance, rushing for 77 yards on 15 carries with 2 touchdowns. While Daniels did not light up the stat sheet, his performance demonstrated remarkable poise and composure for a rookie and put his team in an excellent position to take advantage of the Lions’ missteps.
Goff threw for 313 yards, 1 touchdown and 3 interceptions. Gibbs ran for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns, the highlight of the game on the Lions’ side. Defensively, the Commanders forced 5 turnovers — 4 interceptions and 1 fumble.
The Commanders look to continue their playoff journey next week, making the short journey up I-95 to face division rival Philadelphia Eagles, the favorite, in the NFC Championship game this Sunday.
This will be the third matchup this year between the two teams, with each team winning at home in regular season play.
In the City of Brotherly Love in Week 11, the Eagles shut down a red-hot Commanders team with a 20-point fourth quarter to take a 26-18 win. Back in Washington, D.C., in Week 16, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts exited in the first quarter with a concussion, and the Philadelphia offense did not look the same without him. Daniels led a last-minute comeback drive, giving the Commanders their first home win over the Eagles since 2020 by a 36-33 score.
In the playoffs, Philadelphia stands as a formidable opponent to any team.
Off-season signing running back Saquon Barkley — the consensus pick for offensive player of the year after tallying 2,005 regular season rushing yards — turned an Eagles offense loaded with talent at every position from great to historically dangerous. In his two games against the Commanders this year, he rushed for 146 and 150 yards, respectively. Washington has the third-worst rushing defense in the NFL and will be tested again by Barkley and Philadelphia’s strong offensive line. In the prior regular season matchups, Daniels has struggled to find his top wide receivers against the Eagles, who led the league in pass defense and who have prevented wide receiver Terry McLaurin from getting involved.
The NFC Championship is, of course, not just a regular season game nor a division matchup. It is the penultimate game of the season, with a trip to the Superdome in New Orleans, La., for the Super Bowl at stake. This weekend’s tilt, steeped in rivalry, will almost certainly be tightly fought.
The Commanders will look to extend their season on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 3 p.m. against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pa. The game will be broadcast live on FOX.
