The Washington Commanders upset the Detroit Lions in a 45-31 victory earning a spot in the NFC championship game. The Lions who were favored to win this game started off the game in control with a Jahmyr Gibbs one yard rushing touchdown giving the Lions an early seven-zero lead. The Commanders clapped back with a 47 yard field goal from Zane Gonzalez ending the first quarter down three-seven. This was short lived however, as a strong defensive performance led to the Commanders getting the ball back. They capitalized off this with a two yard rushing touchdown from Brian Robinson Jr giving the Commander the lead for the first time this game. The Lions responded with a two yard passing touchdown to Sam Laporta upping the pressure and the score to 14-10. The Commanders did not let their foot off the gas, and a 58 yard passing touchdown to Terry McLaurin gave them back control of the game.
With four minutes left in the first half, Quan Martin picked off the ball, returning it 40 yards for a pick six. Just when all hope was lost for the Lions, Jameson Williams broke away for a 61 yard rushing touchdown putting the Lions back in the game. The Commanders capped off the first half with a five yard passing touchdown to Zach Ertz giving them a 31-21 lead going into halftime. The first half of this game was a shootout with both teams finding the endzone multiple times. The Lions tried to reestablish control with a eight yard Jahmyr Gibbs rushing touchdown cutting the deficit to 28-31. This was short lived however as Brian Robinson Jr rushed one yard for a touchdown giving the Commanders a 28-38 lead. Then with a little under eight minutes left in the 4th quarter in a crucial moment Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw an interception. This resulted in the Commanders scoring again thanks to a one yard rushing touchdown from Jeremy McNichols. This increased the score to 45-28 and effectively crushed the Lions spirits. Jake Bates would kick a 28 yard field goal but it wouldn’t be enough and the Lions lost 31-45 at home. The Lions had the potential to win this game but quarterback Jared Goff got in his own head leading to four interceptions. Some key players for the Commanders side include rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels who threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns with a 70% completion rate. Daniels was ecstatic in his post game interview exclaming, “it was awesome to go out there and put up 38 points and the defense scored 7 to.” The Commanders will now move on to the NFC championship game where they will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on the road at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia.
The Eagles are favored to win in this matchup and have a -283 money line meaning you bet $283 to win $100. The Commanders are not intimidated though and are ready to go out there and prove to everyone that they are the next up. This game will make history no matter which way it goes with rookie QB Jayden Daniels being the 6th quarterback in history to start in a conference championship.
Make sure to load up on your favorite game day snacks and prepare to be glued to the screen all afternoon.
