Lions Outcoached, Outplayed in Crushing Playoff Loss

The Detroit Lions’ dream season is no more. 

The Lions saved their ugliest performance of the 2024 season for their most consequential game of the campaign: Saturday night's divisional-round playoff clash with the Washington Commanders. Dan Campbell's squad committed five turnovers (four of which were the byproduct of Jared Goff) and allowed 45 points, the polar opposite of winning football. The Lions’ season subsequently ended in devastating defeat at the hands of the Commanders, a much earlier exit than expected for Campbell & Co.

It was a tough pill to swallow for a Lions team which achieved a variety of franchise-firsts in 2024, including winning a single-season-best 15 games and clinching the NFC's No. 1 seed and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs.

In the immediate aftermath of the game, a visibly emotional Campbell found it hard to put the stunning loss into words.

“It's hard when you lose, and you lose these games, man,” the fourth-year head coach expressed. “It’s like the players, what they put into it. A lot of people don’t know what they go through. You have to get up, body’s beat to s**t, mentally stay locked in and do those things. So, (it's a) long season.”

Everything was set up for Campbell & Co. to make a run to the Super Bowl for the very first time. With home field and a raucous Ford Field crowd on their side, it appeared that nothing could get in the way of the Lions making franchise history. However, the injury bug – which had reared its ugly head many times before during the regular season – and the Commanders had their own plans for Detroit.

In fact, less than two minutes into the divisional-round playoff tilt, the Lions lost yet another valuable member of their defense: cornerback Amik Robertson (arm injury).

Robertson suffered the ailment on the Commanders’ second offensive snap of the night. On the play, the veteran defensive back collided with linebacker Jack Campbell while recording a tackle of Washington wide receiver Terry McLaurin. 

Robertson failed to play another down Saturday night, and it cost Aaron Glenn's defense dearly.

With Robertson sidelined, McLaurin proceeded to burn the Lions’ secondary, to the tune of four catches, 87 yards and a touchdown. Additionally, fellow Commanders receiver Dyami Brown produced a strong effort, amassing a team-high six catches for 98 yards.

It was all part of an impressive display by Dan Quinn's offense, which totaled 481 yards and five touchdowns (a sixth TD came via an interception return by Washington safety Quan Martin). 

And none of it would have been possible without the standout performance of rookie phenom passer Jayden Daniels. Daniels picked apart Detroit's secondary all night long, throwing for 299 yards and two touchdowns on an efficient 22-of-31 passing. He also accounted for a noteworthy 91.8 QBR and a crisp 122.9 passer rating.

The Lions failed to record a single sack of the elusive Daniels, who was consistently afforded an ample amount of time to survey the field and go through his progressions. And in the few instances where Detroit was able to drum up pressure, the dual-threat quarterback found a way to evade Lions defenders and make a play with his legs.

No ifs, ands, or buts about it, Glenn's gameplan to limit Daniels – and his unit's execution of it – failed miserably.

The unit’s undisciplined play also did Glenn no favors. Most egregiously, the defense, while backed up on its own 5-yard line, lined up with 12 men on a crucial fourth-and-2 play early in the fourth quarter. The ensuing penalty put the Commanders on Detroit’s 2-yard line, and two plays later, Washington cashed in on a 1-yard touchdown run by Brian Robinson Jr. It extended the Commanders’ lead to 10, 38-28. 

The score proved to be the back-breaker for the Lions, which failed to get within less than 10 points the remainder of the contest.

It'd be an unfortunate way for Detroit fans to remember the defensive coordinator, who's emerged as a viable candidate for several head coaching vacancies this hiring cycle.

Daniels also clearly outplayed Lions signal-caller Jared Goff. Based on the play of the two quarterbacks Saturday, you would've thought that Daniels – not Goff – was the passer who has played in a Super Bowl and has nine years of NFL experience on his side. 

The first-year pro showed poise and moxie all game long, en route to notching his second consecutive playoff victory. Meanwhile, Goff, rather uncharacteristically, played undisciplined and coughed up the football four times (three interceptions and one fumble). Those turnovers, including a pick-six in the second quarter, resulted in a staggering 21 points for the Commanders, which the Lions weren't able to overcome.

Goff took the loss on the chin after the game, accepting accountability for the disappointing defeat.

“I wish I played a little bit better, wish I could have taken care of the ball a little bit better,” Goff told reporters in the postgame. “Obviously, the pick-6 is really the one I’d really like back – that was just a poor decision by me. The other ones were just sometimes part of the game, but yeah, it’s on me. I got to take care of it better, and (I) certainly would have given ourselves a better chance to win had I done that.”

Goff & Co. did not play a winning brand of football vs. Washington. And by the time the game clock hit 0:00, the Commanders – not the Lions – were undeniably the team deserving of a spot in next Sunday's NFC Championship Game.

It's a stark reminder of the fact that, as cliche as it may sound, the playoffs are a completely separate season from the regular season. Every organization reverts to being 0-0 at the start of the postseason, and unlike during the regular season, you're going to get a team's very best shot every week.

Consequently, regular season dominance is far from a reliable predictor of success in the postseason. The Lions and their fans found that out the hard way Saturday night.

It brings back to light Campbell’s message for his players after their heartbreaking defeat at the hands of the 49ers in last year's NFC title game.

“I told those guys, this may have been our only shot,” Campbell told reporters after the Lions' heart-wrenching loss to San Francisco. “Do I think that? No. Do I believe that? No. However, I know how hard it is to get here. I’m well aware. And it’s gonna be twice as hard to get back to this point next year than it was this year. That’s the reality. And, if we don’t have the same hunger and the same work — which is a whole ‘nother thing once we get to the offseason — then we got no shot of getting back here.”

Those words sound pretty prophetic right now.

With injuries being a constant and rosters frequently changing, success is hardly guaranteed for any NFL team year-to-year. It's why when you have the chance to make a run to the Super Bowl, you want to take full advantage of it. You never know when such a great opportunity – no matter how talented your roster is – is going to emerge once again. 

It's what makes this loss to Washington Saturday all the more crushing. And unfortunately, it's likely a defeat that will stick with the Lions and their fans for years to come.