The Washington Commanders defeated the 15-2 Detroit Lions 45-31 to advance to the NFC Championship Game, ending a 33-year drought for the Commanders, who last made the conference championship game in 1992.
There was no shortage of offense in this one as these squads combined for 1,002 total yards of offense and 76 points. However, the Lions had no answer for the Commanders’ offense, which accumulated 481 total yards of offense (299 passing yards and 182 rushing yards). Detroit also hurt itself with five turnovers, including a pick-six.
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 19, 2025
The game worked perfectly in Washington’s favor to start, but they came away with nothing to show for it. After forcing a three-and-out on the opening possession, the Commanders marched 56 yards down the field to Detroit’s 28 yard line. Instead of electing to kick a field goal, Washington failed to convert a 4th and 1, giving the Lions the ball back. Detroit then promptly gained 71 yards in six plays to score a touchdown and take a 7-0 lead. Electrifying running back Jahmyr Gibbs had 48 total yards and a touchdown on that drive.
Washington quarterback and rookie phenom Jayden Daniels started the game a crisp ten for 16 with 132 passing yards and ten rushing yards. He picked up 41 yards on the second series, leading to a 47-yard field goal to make it a 7-3 game.
An incredibly promising series that saw the Lions make it to Washington’s 17 was cut short by a Jared Goff sack and fumble recovered by linebacker Frankie Luvu. This marked the second straight game that Detroit has turned the ball over.
Commanders wide receiver Dyami Brown continued to build on his excellent Wild Card Round performance by making six catches for a team-leading 98 yards in this game. His 42-yard reception to start the second quarter set up Washington with another fourth-down attempt from the red zone. This time, the Commanders converted that play for a first down. Though Detroit’s defense held Washington on the next third down, First-Team All-Pro defensive back Kerby Joseph was flagged for pass interference, giving the Commanders a fresh set of downs from the one. That resulted in a touchdown two plays later to give Washington a 10-7 advantage.
Besides the fumble, Jared Goff had a good start to the day, completing eight of his first ten passes for 120 yards and connecting with tight end Sam LaPorta for a sensational two-yard touchdown to reclaim the lead 14-10.
OH MY SAM!!#WASvsDET | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/zyqN8CGkDs
— Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 19, 2025
Washington wideout Terry McLaurin dazzled with four catches for 87 yards and a touchdown. He took his third catch of the game 59 yards to the house to put Washington back up 17-14. That was McLaurin’s sixth touchdown reception in his last six games.
Disaster struck Detroit on the ensuing drive when Jared Goff overthrew a receiver to give Washington an interception that was returned 40 yards for a touchdown and a 24-14 lead for the Commanders. If that wasn’t bad enough, Goff took a huge hit from a Washington blocker on the interception, which led to him being injured and replaced by former high school football coach Teddy Bridgewater on the next play.
Bridgewater wouldn’t have to do much, though. Thankfully for him, wide receiver Jameson Williams took an end-around reverse 61 yards to the end zone for a touchdown to cut the lead to 24-21. That was Williams’ fourth career rushing TD and his second ground touchdown since Week 17.
Jayden Daniels finished the day with 350 total yards and two touchdowns. Daniels linked up with tight end Zach Ertz for his second touchdown of the contest to add to their lead 31-21 with under two minutes to go in the first half. With his performance, Daniels became the first rookie ever to have 300+ yards in two postseason games.
Jared Goff did return the game on Detroit’s final drive before the break. Despite getting to Washington’s 29 yard line, Goff committed his third turnover of the half by throwing an interception to rookie defensive back Mike Sainristil. That was Sainristil’s third career INT.
PICK FREAKIN’ 6
📺 #WASvsDET FOX pic.twitter.com/K8PTcDMpVC
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 19, 2025
If you’re a fan of offense, then you definitely loved the first half. The Commanders and Lions combined for 621 total yards and 52 points in the first two quarters of this game, the first playoff matchup with 600+ first-half yards since Super Bowl LII. Both teams combined for 42 points in the second quarter, the most in playoff history.
After Detroit forced the game’s second punt on the opening drive of the third quarter, an improperly called facemask penalty kept the Lions’ drive alive after they were stopped on third down. That possession was capped off with an eight-yard touchdown by Jahmyr Gibbs, his second TD of the evening to make the score 31-28. Gibbs finished the game with 175 total yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Early in the fourth quarter, third-year Washington running back Brian Robinson Jr. barreled his way into the end zone for his second touchdown of the night and a 38-28 lead. Robinson Jr. had a team-high 77 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns in the game. That series also signified the third scoring drive of ten plays or more for the Commanders.
Detroit’s fourth turnover of the contest was arguably the team’s most costly. The Lions called for a wide receiver pass which was intercepted by Mike Sainristil for his first career multi-interception game. On the next play, running back Austin Ekler broke off a 35-yard run, which led to another fourth-down conversion in the red zone by Terry McLaurin. That led to the Commanders scoring a touchdown from one yard out to go up 45-28 with a little over half the fourth quarter left.
J-MAC FINDS THE END ZONE @JeremyMcNichols
📺 #WASvsDET FOXpic.twitter.com/ZiVgIuddfC
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 19, 2025
The Lions refused to go away, though. They orchestrated a ten-play, 60-yard field goal drive to chip away at the lead and make the deficit 45-31 with 5:01 left in the game. Detroit did almost pull off a miraculous onside kick, but Zach Ertz made his second big grab of the night on the attempt to give the Commanders possession on their own 40.
After a missed field goal, the Lions got the ball back and made it to Washington’s 17, but Jared Goff threw his third interception of the night, securing the win for the Commanders.
Next weekend, the Commanders will go on the road to face either the Los Angeles Rams or Philadelphia Eagles depending on who ends up winning that matchup.
Meanwhile, Detroit’s best season in team history ends in absolute heartbreak. After winning the division in Week 18 and securing the franchise’s first number-one seed in playoff history, they were defeated in their first playoff game. With that loss in the books, the NFC North’s three playoff teams, which combined for a record of 40-11, ended the 2024-25 campaign 0-3 in the postseason.
