Detroit Lions vs. Washington Commanders, Saturday, January 18

The Detroit Lions’ historic season is coming to a heartbreaking end.

The top-seeded Lions were upset by the No. 6-seeded Washington Commanders, 45-31, Saturday night at Ford Field in the divisional round of the playoffs, as their season ended on a low note. disappointment after a record 15-win regular season and their second straight NFC North title.

“They deserved this win and we didn’t,” an emotional Lions head coach Dan Campbell said after the game. “We just didn’t play well enough. Really, we never complemented each other. That’s how I felt before halftime and it really never got better.”

The Lions defense knew it had a tough job trying to limit Commanders rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who will likely be the Offensive Rookie of the Year, and the Lions had few answers defensively for Daniels and the Commanders’ fifth-ranked offense. all evening.

Daniels led three first-half touchdown drives as Washington racked up more than 300 offensive yards in the first 30 minutes and led 31-21 at halftime. The Commanders also got a 40-yard pick-six by safety Quan Martin on a tipped ball by quarterback Jared Goff intended for wide receiver Tim Patrick in the second quarter, which helped extend the lead to mid -double digit time.

The Lions gained 521 yards on offense, but ultimately couldn’t overcome five turnovers with three Goff interceptions, a Goff fumble and a Jameson Williams interception on a late-round pass.

“We turn the ball over five times, the (last) anything, so call it four, it’s just too many,” Campbell said. “It’s too hard against a team like that to come back. We tried, but we couldn’t overcome the obstacle.”

After Detroit cut the lead to 31-28 midway through the third quarter, Daniels led a 15-play, 70-yard drive that took eight and a half minutes late and culminated with Brian’s 1-yard touchdown run Robinson Jr. to push the lead back up to 10 to start the fourth quarter.

Washington essentially sealed the victory after Williams’ interception on Detroit’s next possession by turning it into a Jeremy McNichols 1-yard touchdown run and a 45-28 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Washington converted a 4th and 2 from the Detroit 13 yard line to the 1 yard line which proved to be the dagger in the score.

Daniels finished the game 22-of-31 passing for 299 yards with two touchdowns, no interceptions and a passer rating of 122.9. He also added 51 yards rushing.

Detroit’s injuries on defense finally seemed to catch up with them. Cornerback Amik Robertson left the game with an elbow injury on the second play of the game and did not return. The Lions entered the game with 13 defensive players on IR, including six starters. Washington finished the game with 481 total offensive yards and converted 3-for-4 on fourth down.

Goff finished the game completing 23 of 40 pass attempts for 313 yards with one touchdown. His three interceptions and one fumble were costly turnovers for the Lions as he finished with just a 59.7 passer rating. Goff fumbled at the Washington 25-yard line, which killed a scoring opportunity. He had pick six and also threw an interception in the Washington end zone late in the first half and one at the Washington 2-yard line late in the fourth quarter.

“It sucks. Worst part of this job,” Goff said after the game. “You hate it when you feel like you’re letting guys down. It’s hard to put into words. It just sucks.

“I wish I could have played a little better. I wish I could take care of the ball a little better. Pick six is ​​definitely the one I’d like to have back. It was just a bad decision on my part. It’s my fault. I need to take better care of it.

Detroit got touchdowns on a 1-yard run by Jahmyr Gibbs, a 2-yard catch by tight end Sam LaPorta, a 61-yard run by Williams and an 8-yard Gibbs run.

Gibbs finished the game with 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns with six receptions for 70 yards. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had eight receptions for 137 yards.