It’s time to stop calling Jayden Daniels a rookie because he delivered a superstar performance to send his Washington Commanders to the NFC Championship Game.
Seven months after becoming the second overall pick in the NFL draft, Daniels led five touchdowns in the divisional round of the playoffs to outscore the NFL’s number one offense, leading the Commanders to a shocking score. 45-31 road victory against the Detroit Lions.
Daniels’ poise showed on clutch fourth-down conversions and sensational drives downfield. But the Commanders defense also did its part, forcing Lions quarterback Jared Goff into four turnovers, allowing Daniels to build a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter.
It was a disappointing performance from the NFC’s No. 1 seed, especially on the defensive end. They will now be able to watch Daniels and the Commanders in the NFC title game while awaiting the winner of Sunday’s game between the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles. Washington advanced to the NFC title game for the first time since 1991.
Here are the key points that decided the outcome of the match.
Daniels could do nothing wrong in punishing the Lions defense for four quarters. After gaining momentum during a chaotic second quarter, Daniels and his offense stood out midway through the quarter by troubling a short-handed Lions defense with a productive running game and dynamic passing attack. Daniels was 22 of 31 for 299 yards and two touchdowns, and had 15 carries for 52 yards. More importantly, the Commanders had no turnovers while the Lions had five.
It was a complete performance from Daniels’ offense, which many believed didn’t have enough talent to keep pace with Goff’s many weapons. Terry McLaurin (four catches, 87 yards, TD), Dyami Brown (six catches, 98 yards) and Zach Ertz (five catches, 28 yards, TD) stepped up the passing game, and the duo of Austin Ekeler (88 yards total) and Brian Robinson Jr. (15 carries, 77 yards, two touchdowns) did their part on the ground. Add in Daniels’ athleticism, and the Lions couldn’t do anything about the $40 hamburger thrown at them in front of Detroit fans at Ford Field.
It was one of the biggest playoff upsets in recent memory, giving Daniels an early defining moment of his young career.
The Commanders are much more than Daniels and McLaurin.
Coach Dan Quinn’s defense played fast and made several smart plays to limit Goff’s options in the passing game, forcing Detroit into the aforementioned five turnovers. Dorance Armstrong and Frankie Luvu teamed up for an early fumble by Goff, one of several plays by the veteran defenders that allowed Daniels’ offense to take a double-digit lead. Second-year safety Quan Martin had a pick-six, All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner was quick to read plays and cornerback Marshon Lattimore hooked up with Amon-Ra St. Brown.
Dante Fowler Jr. nearly made a game-winning tackle on running back David Montgomery on third-and-2, but officials overturned it due to a phantom mask call…feel free to decide for yourself. The Lions took advantage of the second opportunity after Jahmyr Gibbs scored an eight-yard rushing touchdown to cut Detroit’s deficit to 31-28 with 6:57 left in the third quarter. But the Commanders, who played complementary football most of the night, improved their defense with a 15-play, 70-yard touchdown drive in the fourth quarter to extend the advantage to 10 points.
The Lions generated a quieter total of 521 yards due to the five takeaways from Washington’s defense.
The Commanders losing 31 points in the first half served as a reminder that the Lions defense had real concerns after their 48-42 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 15.
At the time, the Lions looked vulnerable as it appeared their shorthanded defense wouldn’t be able to generate enough stops in the playoffs. But the concerns faded after defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn produced a masterful game plan to shut down the Minnesota Vikings’ offense in Week 18 and clinch the NFC’s No. 1 seed. But there was no master plan Saturday as the Lions defense desperately needed injured stars Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill and a few other defenders.
It also didn’t help that cornerback Amik Robertson was ruled out early with an elbow injury. Robertson’s sensational performance against Vikings receiver Justin Jefferson allowed Glenn to turn up the pressure against Sam Darnold. Glenn didn’t have that luxury against Daniels, who wasn’t sacked once in the game and didn’t take a hit in the first half.
Goff’s turnovers didn’t help, but the Lions defense failed to make a stop after the offense produced touchdowns to stay within striking distance of Daniels’ red-hot offense. Detroit allowed 481 total yards and forced just one punt.
There was so much action in a crazy second quarter that it was easy to forget that Teddy Bridgewater played the entirety of a three-play touchdown drive.
Six touchdowns were scored, three of which were over 40 yards. After the teams traded two touchdowns at normal pace, the explosive plays resumed after McLaurin broke free for a 58-yard touchdown near the left sideline to give Washington a 17-14 advantage. Late, Martin returned a Goff interception 40 yards to extend the lead to 10 points with 5:25 left in the second quarter. Goff left the field to be evaluated for a possible concussion after taking a hit to the helmet on the intercepted pass.
It was a brutal first half for Goff, who had two interceptions, a lost fumble and a 31-21 deficit before heading into the locker room. But the damage would have been worse without Jameson Williams’ 61-yard touchdown run on final play it started with Bridgewater, who coached high-level football not too long ago, handing the ball to Gibbs before it got to the dynamic receiver.
Also lost amid the scoring explosion was a beautiful dime from Daniels to Brown before the rookie quarterback hit Ertz for a five-yard touchdown to answer Williams’ touchdown.
There’s nothing prettier on a football field than watching Gibbs accelerate after hassling defenders.
Gibbs’ ability to combine speed and elite vision to generate yards helped ignite the Lions’ offense after a rare slow start and keep them in the game during the shootout that took place in the second quarter. The sophomore running back finished with 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns, and added six catches for 70 yards.
At one point, Gibbs averaged 11.7 yards after gaining 70 yards on six carries. Gibbs, who had 134 total yards at halftime, accounted for 48 of the Lions’ 71 yards on the six-play touchdown drive that gave Detroit a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
Maybe the Lions should have given Gibbs more carries instead of putting that ball in Goff’s hands during a shaky performance. Additionally, the Lions struggled to get Montgomery going again in his first game since suffering a knee injury in Week 15.
As it turned out, Daniels had plenty of weapons to make a deep playoff run, while Goff’s struggles turned the high-scoring Lions offense into a one-man show, Gibbs doing his best to keep up before Washington retreats.
