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Eric Woodyard, ESPN
DETROIT — During a first half of the NFC Divisional Round against the Washington Commanders, Detroit Lions wide receiver Jameson Williams left his mark with a huge play in the second quarter, sprinting into the end zone after a late drive for a 61-yard touchdown with 4:01 left.
After Lions starting quarterback Jared Goff left to be evaluated for a concussion, his replacement, Teddy Bridgewater — who was coaching high school football two months ago — entered in his absence. Bridgewater handed the ball to Jahmyr Gibbs who threw it to Williams who did the rest.
Williams’ score is the fifth-longest touchdown in Lions playoff history, and the longest since Ron Rice blocked a 94-yard field goal return in the 1999 wild-card game at Washington, according to ESPN Research .
OH MY SAM!!#WASvsDET | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/zyqN8CGkDs
– Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 19, 2025
Earlier in the quarter, tight end Sam LaPorta helped Detroit regain the lead with an impressive one-handed touchdown run in the back of the end zone.
LaPorta’s 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Goff pushed the Lions ahead 14-10 with 7:44 left in the second quarter.
It was LaPorta’s first one-handed catch of his career and the first in the postseason by a player since Philadelphia’s Dallas Goedert made one in the 2022 Divisional Round against the New York Giants.
Give it to Gibbs 🙌#WASvsDET | 📺 FOX pic.twitter.com/aK6QIajUU0
– Detroit Lions (@Lions) January 19, 2025
Goff completed the passing touchdown against the Commanders blitz.
In the first quarter, Gibbs, the NFL’s regular-season touchdown leader, scored the game’s first touchdown on a goal-line run.
On the drive – which marked his first four touches of the game – Gibbs rushed 15 yards, caught a pass for 23 yards, rushed 9 yards around the right end then capped the drive with a touchdown.
Gibbs is now tied for the second-most touchdowns (35) by a player through his first two seasons in NFL history, including the playoffs, according to ESPN Research.
Gibbs now has four career playoff touchdowns and is up to 21 total touchdowns this season, both of which are the most in Lions history.
