The most noteworthy season in Detroit Lions history went extinct Saturday night, and with almost 100% certainty, things will not be the same next year.
Rookie sensation Jayden Daniels played the quarterback position flawlessly, throwing for 299 yards and two touchdowns and added another 51 yards rushing as the sixth-seeded Washington Commanders upset the top-seeded Lions on the road in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs, 45-31, at Ford Field.
“It’s a surreal moment,” Daniels said.
The Commanders were aggressive throughout the game, converting four fourth downs to extend touchdown drives, including one when the Lions were flagged for 12 men on the field in the fourth quarter, and answered a third-quarter Lions touchdown march with a 15-play, 70-yard scoring drive of their own that bled 8 minutes and 28 seconds off the clock.
Quarterback Jared Goff had three crucial first-half turnovers, a fumble in Washington territory that led to a Commanders touchdown and two picks, including one that was returned to the house for a touchdown; he threw a third and final interception with 25 seconds to play, and receiver Jameson Williams threw an interception on a poorly executed trick play with 12:04 to play on an ill-advised end-around receiver pass.
The Commanders scored an impressive 21 points off the Lions turnovers and did not commit any of their own. That is how you take advantage of mistakes by your opponents.
Daniels, the runaway favorite NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, completed 22 of 31 passes and for the most part had his way with a Lions defense that came into Saturday without five starters and lost two replacement starters, Amik Robertson (elbow) and Ifeatu Melifonwu (hamstring), to injuries during the game.
Daniels finished with 299 yards through the air and 51 yards rushing, and even more importantly, played a clean game.
“He has a different poise,” coach Dan Quinn said. “He’s a rare competitor.”
The Lions won a franchise-record 15 games this season to earn a coveted first-round playoff bye but were torn apart at the seams Saturday by turnovers and their lackluster defense.
Embed from Getty ImagesThey forced one Washington punt, on the opening drive of the second half, and surrendered 182 yards on the ground.
Running back David Montgomery got the start in his first game back from a knee injury, but Jahmyr Gibbs stole the show for the Lions, claiming this is his backfield going forward.
Gibbs had 96 yards on nine carries and another 38 yards receiving in the first half, scored two rushing touchdowns and was a lightning rod for the offense early in the game after a three-and-out start. Amon-Ra St. Brown had eight receptions for 137 yards.
Montgomery understandably got off to a slow start. He finished with 28 yards on seven carries, though he did have a couple tackle-breaking runs in the second half. But the story is more about Gibbs’ superstar potential than anything Montgomery did or did not do against the Commanders.
Gibbs’ allusiveness and game-breaking ability puts him in an elite tier of three running backs along with Saquon Barkley of the Philadelphia Eagles and the Baltimore Ravens Derrick Henry. He is a dynamo with the ball in his hands, a threat to score on every carry. And the Lions are at their best when he is on the field.
“This isn’t the time to talk about what a great year we had and all the wins,” Lions coach Dan Campbell said. “We’re here to get to the show and we fell short. That hurts.”
While the Lions will bring back most of the core of this year’s team, they could lose both coordinators to head coaching jobs in the coming days.
Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson interviewed with a handful of teams during the Lions’ bye week and is considered a strong candidate for jobs with the Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears and Jacksonville Jaguars. Defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn had four interviews and is a front-runner for jobs with the New Orleans Saints and New York Jets, who he played for during his time in the league.
Dan Campbell’s postgame comments from the 2023 NFC championship game loss to the San Francisco 49ers never rang truer than they did Saturday.
Campbell warned his team after that game, “This may have been our only shot.”
“Do I think that? No,” he said at the time. “Do I believe that? No. However, I know how hard it is to get here. I’m well aware, and it’s going to be twice as hard to get back to this point next year than it was this year, that’s the reality.”
The Lions did everything right this year. They had arguably the best and deepest roster in the NFL. They benefitted greatly from continuity on their coaching staff. They had homefield advantage throughout the playoffs. But it still was not enough to win even a single postseason game.
The Lions will enter next season as one of the NFC Super Bowl favorites, and their defense should be better with the return of Aidan Hutchinson, who was seriously hurt in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys and Alim McNeill. But it is not easy to win in the playoffs, and their schedule gets much more difficult with road trips to Kansas City, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Washington and Philadelphia.
Washington (14-5) moves onto the NFC championship game next Sunday for the first time since 1991, at either the Philadelphia Eagles or Los Angeles Rams.
