Commanders vs. Lions highlights: Washington pulls off stunner

 

The NFL playoffs continued Saturday night with one of the most stunning playoff upsets in recent memory. Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders pulled off a 45-31 win over the top-seeded Detroit Lions in the divisional round.

Next up in the NFC Championship Game, the Commanders will take on the winner of Sunday's Los Angeles Rams-Philadelphia Eagles matchup. Washington will have to travel again for the NFC title game, which will be on Sunday, Jan. 26 at 3 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app. 

Here are the highlights from Saturday night, with live analysis from FOX Sports' Carmen Vitali.

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11:51a ET

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DIV PLAYOFF

WashingtonCommanders

45

FINAL

31

DetroitLions

WAS +7.5 OVER 55.5

11:48a ET

Takeaways: Jayden Daniels is unflappable, Lions undone by turnovers

Carmen Vitali: Tip of the cap to rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, whose team followed up their first playoff win in two decades by beating the NFC's No. 1 seed in their house. Daniels was nearly perfect, completing 22 of 31 passes for 299 yards, two touchdowns and a 122.9 passer rating. 

The most impressive part? How Daniels fared against the blitz. With all the defensive injuries Detroit has suffered, the only thing left in Aaron Glenn's arsenal was the blitz, which had virtually no effect on Daniels. According to NGS, Daniels went 12-of-16 for 191 yards, a touchdown and a 135.2 rating vs. the blitz. 

Daniels' performance, coupled with a takeaway frenzy by the Washington defense that included four interceptions and a fumble recovery, lifted the Commanders to a franchise postseason record 45 points, besting the Lions' potent offensive by 14 points to advance to the NFC Championship.

As for the Lions, it had been in the back of everyone's minds: when were their defensive injuries going to catch up with them? Losing the league's best pass-rusher in Aidan Hutchinson in Week 6 was sure to sting. And it did. But defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn made it work, upping the Lions' blitz rate. 

They suffered multiple injuries across all three levels as the season went on, and still Detroit endured. Ironically, it took until the Lions secured the first-round bye and first-ever one seed for those injuries to prove too much to handle, despite players getting more rest than they'd had all season. Detroit gave up 481 yards and 45 points to the visiting Commanders, led by a rookie quarterback. 

Even so, the Lions have scored 50 on multiple occasions this season. They could have still outscored Washington, right? Well, they could have, except they gave away five offensive possessions to turnovers. Quarterback Jared Goff fumbled the ball early and threw three interceptions, including a pick-six. Wide receiver Jameson Williams threw another interception on a trick play. 

With limited chances to score, Detroit couldn't keep up and the best regular season in franchise history was seemingly for naught.

Live Coverage for this has ended

11:34a ET

Jared Goff throws third pick to seal win for Commanders

The Lions threatened to make it a one-score game in the final minute, getting down to the Commanders' 17-yard line. But with 31 seconds left, Jared Goff was picked off by Jeremy Chinn, sealing the Commanders' spot in the NFC Championship Game.

Carmen Vitali: Fitting it all ends on another interception of Jared Goff. The Lions were doomed by defensive injuries and offensive turnovers. Good on the Commanders for playing near-flawless football on the road.

11:20a ET

Commanders drain clock, but miss FG to give Lions some hope

The Commanders got into Lions territory again after recovering the onside kick. Facing a third-and-5 from their own 45-yard line with 4:08 remaining, Jayden Daniels threw a 20-yard completion to backup tight end John Bates. 

Washington was able to get down to Detroit's 26-yard line before facing a fourth-and-1. It opted not to go for it, which didn't pay off as Zane Gonzalez's 44-yard kick went wide left. But the drive brought the clock down to 2:31 left in the fourth quarter with the Commanders holding a 45-31 lead.

Carmen Vitali: I appreciate Washington keeping its foot on the gas with the big third-down gain on this possession. It's been in plenty of one-score/comeback games this season. It knows better than to let up at all.

I also want to shoutout Trent Scott who is listed as a backup tackle on Washington's depth chart. He came in for Sam Cosmi at right guard and this Commanders' offensive line has held up beautifully as Daniels hasn't been sacked at all. 

11:12a ET

Lions make it a two-score game, but are unable to get the onside kick

The Lions remained in the game after the Commanders extended their lead to 45-28. Detroit went on a 10-play, 60-yard drive that only took 2:30 minutes, but had to settle for a field goal to make it a 45-31 game with 5:01 remaining. 

Detroit opted to go for the onside kick following the score. It nearly got it, but Zach Ertz was able to track down the bouncing ball to come up with the recovery. 

11:01a ET

Commanders turn another 4th down conversion into a TD

The Commanders took advantage after forcing the Lions' fourth turnover of the game. On the first play after Jameson Williams' interception, Austin Ekeler rushed for a 35-yard gain to bring Washington into Detroit territory. But the Commandeers faced another fourth down a few plays later. They went for it on fourth-and-2, with Jayden Daniels throwing a completion to Terry McLaurin for a 12-yard gain that put the Commanders at the Lions 1-yard line. 

On the next play, Jeremy McNichols ran right up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown that gave the Commanders a 45-28 lead with 7:31 remaining, putting the Lions' season on the brink.

Carmen Vitali: Jayden Daniels has been completely unaffected by the blitz. He's 11-of-15 for 179 yards and a touchdown vs. the blitz, which has come on 52.8% of his dropbacks. He remained unfazed, too, helping the Commanders get their third fourth-down conversion.  
 

10:53a ET

Trick play goes wrong for Lions

Ben Johnson's trickery hurt the Lions after the Commanders took a 38-28 lead. Facing a first-and-10 from their own 46-yard line, the Lions ran a reverse play to Jameson Williams. The Lions' speedy receiver almost immediately began to look to throw the ball down the field. He did that, but his pass to Jahmyr Gibbs was intercepted by Mike Sainristil for his second of the game, giving him the Commanders the ball back at their 34-yard line with just over 12 minutes remaining. 

Carmen Vitali: When trickery goes wrong: Two players for the Lions have now thrown interceptions. You have to think Jameson Williams wasn't supposed to hold the ball that long and wanted to make something work, anyway. For a team that threw just seven interceptions all year, this Washington coverage unit has stepped up in a huge way.

 

10:45a ET

Commanders extend the lead back to 10 to start 4th quarter

After the Lions made it a one-score game, the Commanders went on a time-killing drive while adding a score in the process. The Commanders went on a 15-play, 70-yard touchdown drive that lasted nearly 8:30, carrying the possession into the early minutes of the fourth quarter.

Washington needed a fourth-down conversion before getting into the end zone. Jayden Daniels ran for a 3-yard gain on a fourth-and-2 play from the Lions 16-yard line. 

The Commanders faced another fourth-and-2 in the opening minute of the fourth quarter, but they got help from the Lions as they were penalized for too many men on the field. Detroit's sideline was seen frantically trying to get a player off or a timeout in, but it was unsuccessful. 

That play allowed the Commanders to score two plays later, with Brian Robinson Jr. rushing for a 1-yard touchdown to give them a 38-28 lead with 13:29 remaining. 

Carmen Vitali: Next Gen Stats' model recommended kicking the field goal on the fourth-and-2 play from the Lions 16-yard line. The Lions sold out on stopping the inside run with Washington bringing in an extra lineman, but Daniels ran it himself to the outside and easily got the conversion. It's so funny that Dan Campbell and the Lions have the reputation for being aggressive on fourth down and Dan Quinn is hardly a part of that conversation despite the Commanders' success rate.

To go back to that game against Houston again in Week 10 where Jared Goff threw those five interceptions, the Lions were down by double digits heading into the fourth quarter and ended up pulling out the win.

10:28a ET

Lions cut Commanders' lead to three points on first drive of second half

After forcing the Commanders to punt on the first drive of the second half, it appeared that the Lions were going to have the same fate on their opening drive. But the Commanders' third-down stop on a David Montgomery run was negated due to a questionable facemask penalty.

The Lions got an automatic first down from the play and methodically moved the ball down the field. One of their biggest plays of the drive came when Jared Goff pitched a ball back to Montgomery, who pitched it forward to Amon-Ra St. Brown for a 20-yard gain to get the ball to the Commanders 7-yard line. 

"What? I've never seen that in my life," Brady said on the call.

Two plays later, Jahmyr Gibbs rushed for an 8-yard touchdown that cut the Commanders' lead to 31-28 with 6:57 remaining in the third quarter. 

Carmen Vitali: Detroit got a make-good on a no-call for the hit to the head on Goff before halftime with a phantom facemask on David Montgomery that gives them a fresh set of downs and continues that drive.

Gibbs is so good at staying patient and waiting for his blocks. He grabbed the pass from Goff and then waited for his blocks to develop and ended up picking up the first down on a second-and-10 for an 11-yard gain. 

A lot of that patented Ben Johnson trickery was on display later in the drive — so much traffic in the middle of the formation with the toss to Montgomery and then pitch to St. Brown, which gave the Lions a 20-yard gain. 

That drive was exactly what Dan Campbell said they needed coming out of halftime. They stopped Washington's first possession, then took their time getting down the field and cap off a 12-play drive with a touchdown. It was Gibbs' second rushing touchdown of the night and pulled Detroit within three.

 

9:55a ET

Commanders intercept Jared Goff again to hold 10-point lead entering halftime

It appeared that the Lions were going to cut the Commanders' lead back to one score before halftime. They were able to get down to the Commanders' 29-yard line with a timeout in their pocket with 35 seconds remaining. But Jared Goff's end zone shot to Jameson Williams was intercepted by Mike Sainristil, who was back in the state where he became a college star. The interception allowed Washington to kneel out the clock and take a 31-21 lead going into halftime.

The 42 total points scored in the second quarter were the most ever scored in a quarter in postseason history. 

Carmen Vitali: Third turnover by Jared Goff in the first half ... and the Commanders are getting the ball back after halftime.

9:49a ET

Commanders respond again

The Commanders made sure not to give the Lions the ball back with the chance to take the lead before halftime. Right before the two-minute warning, Jayden Daniels connected with Dyami Brown for a 38-yard gain to move deep into Lions territory. 

Facing a third-and-goal three plays later, Daniels connected with Zach Ertz, who returned to the game earlier in the drive, for a 5-yard touchdown to give the Commanders a 31-21 lead with 1:46 remaining in the first half. 

Carmen Vitali: No moment is too big for Jayden Daniels. It's so impressive for a rookie. He finished the first half completing 14 of 21 passes for 242 yards and a 137.4 passer rating.

9:41a ET

No Goff? No problem. Lions score TD with stat QB on sideline

Jared Goff remained on the sideline after the pick-six to get evaluated, meaning the recently signed Teddy Bridgewater got snaps at quarterback for the Lions. Detroit was able to overcome it. On the third play of the drive, Jameson Williams got the ball on a pitch from Jahmyr Gibbs and ran 61 yards for a touchdown to cut the Commanders' lead to 24-21 with 4:01 remaining in the first half. It marked the fourth touchdown scored in less than four minutes of game time. 

"This is video game stuff right here," an exasperated Brady said of the play. 

Carmen Vitali: Do ... the Lions not even need a quarterback? Ben Johnson is like "ho hum let me tinker with my tablet nothing to see here" on the sideline right now. There were a lot of big fellas running in front of Williams on that touchdown run. 

9:34a ET

Jared Goff throws pick-six, takes hit that temporarily knocks him out of game

The Commanders defense got in on the scoring in the second quarter. Jared Goff overthrew his intended wide receiver and threw a pass straight to Washington's Quan Martin, who took it the distance. The Commanders went up 24-14 as Goff took a hard hit that caused him to miss the Lions' next drive.

Carmen Vitali: I would say this is looking bad for the Lions with that pick-six by Goff, but I'm old enough to remember when Goff threw five interceptions against the Texans and Detroit still won the game (it was Week 10). 

Oh man, though. Jared Goff is going into the injury tent to be checked out now. Seems like the refs missed a call on a hit to Goff's head following the interception. Teddy Bridgewater, fresh off winning a high school state championship as a coach in Florida, is now in the game.

9:27a ET

Terry McLaurin gives Commanders lead right back

The Commanders only needed three plays to regain the lead after the Lions took a 14-10 advantage. Jayden Daniels threw a screen pass to Terry McLaurin that the Commanders' wide receiver was able to take the distance for a 59-yard touchdown that gave the Commanders a 17-10 lead with 6:23 remaining in the half. 

Carmen Vitali: Selling out on the blitz is dangerous for that exact reason. Getting in a footrace with Terry McLaurin one-on-one is never a good idea as a defense.

Despite being in their nickel package, there were only three guys in coverage for Detroit on that play to McLaurin. Jayden Daniels' time to throw on that play was just 1.37 seconds to beat the incoming pressure. The expected yards after the catch on that play was 9.3. McLaurin had 62.5 yards after the catch, giving him 53.2 yards after the catch over expectation. 

9:20a ET

Sam LaPorta makes tough TD grab to give Lions lead back

Right after the Commanders took a 10-7 lead, the Lions responded with a touchdown drive of their own. After getting down to the Commanders 2-yard line, the Lions opted to play a heavy set. They had Dan Skipper line up as a tight end with three backs in the backfield. Jared Goff ran a play-action fake, holding the ball for a moment before finding Sam LaPorta in the back of the end zone. The Lions' tight end didn't make the cleanest grab, but he eventually secured a juggling reception in the back of the end zone to give Detroit a 14-10 lead with 7:44 remaining in the second quarter.

Carmen Vitali: Goff and LaPorta are doing their best Mahomes/Kelce impression from earlier. Goff delivers as he's being taken down and LaPorta snags it (one-handed too)!

That was technically 23 heavy as far as Lions personnel went. Dan Skipper had reported as eligible and they had three other tight ends on the field, limiting Goff's options. When the pressure got there anyway, that should have been a dead play. Incredible stuff. 

 

9:10a ET

Commanders get their first lead

The Commanders took the lead after the fumble recovery, and after going for it on fourth down deep in the red zone. Soon after, Brian Robinson Jr. ran in a 2-yard touchdown.

Carmen Vitali: The official Next Gen Stats model had fourth-and-3 at the Detroit 9 was a toss up. Given who Washington has been this year, Dan Quinn was absolutely going for it, despite not converting on fourth-and-1 earlier in the game. The Commanders get it with the help of who else but Zach Ertz.

Ertz has been Mr. Reliable on fourth down for them this season.

Instead of forcing another fourth down from the 3-yard line, Kerby Joseph gets called for DPI and the Commanders get a fresh set of downs at the goal line. Robinson now has Washington's first touchdown of the night. He's averaging 7 yards per carry so far.

The Commanders' offensive line has been the unsung heroes of this season. Guard Sam Cosmi going down could alter this game significantly, especially with how many stunts and blitzes Detroit has been throwing at them tonight. He was ruled as questionable to return after suffering an injury. 

8:57a ET

Kevin Durant, Commanders fan, is tired of Jahmyr Gibbs

Kevin Durant, a DC native and big-time Commanders fan, did not care for Jahmyr Gibbs doing his dance after scoring the first-quarter touchdown. 

"I'm already sick of [Gibbs]," Durant posted on social media. Of course, that might have something to do with Gibbs' stats: four carries for 58 yards and one catch for 23 yards so far.

8:51a ET

Commanders come up with a huge fumble recovery

The Lions were moving the ball again, thanks in large part to Jahmyr Gibbs' Sonic-like speed, but the Commanders strip-sacked Jared Goff and Frankie Luvu came up with the ball. 

Carmen Vitali: That's one way to limit the Lions — take possessions away from their potent offense. That's just the second takeaway for Washington's defense this postseason.

8:46a ET

The Commanders get on the board

The Commanders scored their first points with a Zane Gonzalez field goal, but they nearly got into the red zone. Instead, Dyami Brown couldn't corral a pass from Jayden Daniels on third down, which would've set them up inside the 20. 

Gonzalez's 47-yard try was good, cutting the Commanders' deficit to 7-3.

8:37a ET

Jahmyr Gibbs gives the Lions the lead

After the fourth-down stop, the Lions offense got to work. Jared Goff & Co. put together a smooth six-play, 71-yard drive, capped off by Jahmyr Gibbs taking the ball into the end zone for a 7-0 Detroit lead.

Lions force fourth down stop, leading to a Jahmyr Gibbs TD to take early lead. vs. Commanders | NFL Highlights

 

Carmen Vitali: Jahmyr Gibbs is so special (and crucial) to this offense. He had the third-most explosive runs of any player during the regular season, behind only Saquon Barkley and Derrick Henry, but did it with almost 100 fewer attempts than either of the other two. His explosive run percentage is 16% compared to Henry's 13.8% and Barkley's 13.1%, according to PFF.

One of the biggest mismatches I've talked about heading into this game was how good the Lions are at runs from under center and how bad the Commanders are at defending such runs. Detroit had the second-highest success rate on under-center designed runs (47%) while Washington is allowing the most yards before contact per carry (1.8) and highest success rate (47.0%) on such runs, per NGS.

All six of Detroit's rushing attempts have come from under center so far tonight.

8:27a ET

Lions get a big fourth-down stop

Carmen Vitali: Washington and Detroit are ranked No. 1 and 2 in fourth-down attempts this season. Coming into this game, the Commanders had an 87% success rate and a 9.9 yards per play average on fourth down. Whoever is more successful tonight on fourth down could very well determine the game and Detroit had a great stop just there on fourth-and-1. 

It likely won't prevent Dan Quinn from continuing to go for it on fourth down, but it was a nice start.

8:24a ET

Lions CB Amik Robertson leaves with an elbow injury

On the first drive for the Lions defense, cornerback Amik Robertson left with an elbow injury and is now questionable to return.

Carmen Vitali: He was so huge against Minnesota in shutting down Justin Jefferson one-on-one.

The Lions have been blitzing a ton to make up for the amount of defensive injuries they've had. They're forced into a lot more man coverage as a result. If it doesn't get home, like it didn't there with Austin Ekeler, there's not a whole lot in the backfield to limit the damage. So much hinges on pressure getting home.

They've blitzed 42.5% of the time since Week 7 after Aidan Hutchinson went down. That's the second-highest rate in the league in that span.

8:18a ET

Keep an eye on Detroit's OL

The Lions started with good field position, but the Commanders forced a rare three-and-out from the Detroit offense to start the game.

Carmen Vitali: Not having RG Kevin Zeitler is going to be something to watch all night for the Lions offense. OC Ben Johnson loves to manipulate the OL scheme, often adding extra linemen or presenting some fun post-snap pulls. He has the benefit of one of the most athletic offensive lines in the league. Having a backup, as good as Christian Mahogany can be, can mess with some of the chemistry for that unit.

7:33a ET

Pregame scenes: The stars are out in Detroit

The stars came out in Detroit to watch the highly anticipated showdown between the Lions and Commanders.

Michigan natives and diehard Lions fans Dax Shepard and Keegan-Michael Key were spotted before kickoff. 

Hall of Fame running back Barry Sanders showed up like the legend he is.

Tom Brady, who is on the call for FOX, greeted Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels before kickoff.

Live Coverage for this began on 11:54a ET