Jayden Daniels was outstanding as he led the #Commanders to an unlikely playoff victory over the Detroit Lions. I broke down his performance including his poise, deciphering coverages and his ability to beat the blitz pic.twitter.com/Aev7rRc4Tr
— Mark Bullock (@MarkBullockNFL) January 20, 2025
“When they last met” is an ongoing series during the NFL season, recalling the preceding game between Washington and the next opponent on the Commanders’ schedule.
Washington 45, Detroit 31 Week 18, Jan. 5, 2024
The Commanders went to Detroit, 9.5-point underdogs, and shocked the NFL world and the Detroit Lions, coming away with a massive 45-31 upset win in the second round of the NFC Playoffs, played at Ford Field.
It was understandable why the Lions were so heavily favored. The Lions had finished the regular season with a very impressive 15-2 record, earning the home-field advantage for the second-round matchup. However, what no one saw coming was that, though the Commanders surrendered 521 total yards to the Detroit offense, they would then respond with five takeaways. Even more, the Commanders did not commit a turnover in the game, and thus came away with a huge 5-0 advantage in takeaways.
Early, Detroit led 7-3 and was gashing the Washington defense. With a third-and-1 from the Washington 17, Detroit offensive coordinator Ben Johnson chose to drop back Goff, but Washington’s Dorance Armstrong sacked him. Goff thus fumbled, and the Commanders’ Frankie Luvu recovered the ball.
Trailing Detroit 14-10, Washington was on their own 42 for a first-and-10. Jayden Daniels threw a wide receiver screen to Terry McLaurin. Olamide Zaccheaus and Dyami Brown both got good contact for blocks, springing McLaurin untouched into the secondary. He then used his speed to complete the play for a 58-yard touchdown, putting the Commanders back in front at 17-14 with 6:23 remaining in the half.
On the next Lions’ possession, leading 17-14, Washington safety Quan Martin intercepted a Jared Goff pass at the Lions 40, picked up some good blocks and returned the interception for a touchdown, providing the Commanders a 24-14 lead with 5:25 remaining in the first half.
When the Lions scored to cut the Commanders’ lead to 31-28, the Washington offense came through, driving 70 yards, then, on the next possession, another 66 yards for touchdowns, as Brian Robinson and Jeremy McNichols both scored on 1-yard runs, giving the Commanders a 45-28 lead.
Daniels finished his day completing 22 of 31 for 299 yards, two touchdown passes, no interceptions, and an additional 51 yards rushing. Robinson and Austin Ekeler rushed for 77 and 47 yards, respectively, with Ekeler adding 41 receiving yards. Brown added 98 receiving yards on six receptions, and McLaurin 87 yards on four receptions.
In addition to Martin’s interception, Mike Sainristill collected two interceptions and Jeremy Chinn a fourth. Sainristill also had two passes defended, and Armstrong finished with two sacks. For Detroit, Gibbs finished with 105 yards rushing and another 70 receiving. Amon-Ra St Brown had a big game with 137 receiving yards on eight receptions. Sam LaPorta contributed six receptions for 51 yards.