They are nicknamed the “Cardiac Commanders” for the way in which they won several games during the season, including the wild card playoff game against the Buccaneers in Tampa Bay. But on Saturday night, Washington didn’t need to take the game to the extreme, and with a resounding and surprising victory, they eliminated the Detroit Lions, the best team in the National Conference.
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Jayden Daniels, the rookie quarterback of the Commanders and a strong candidate to be the Offensive Rookie of the 2024, threw for two touchdowns in a flawless performance that was crucial for the 45-31 victory at Ford Field in Detroit.
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Washington reaches the first Conference final in 33 years
The Commanders, sixth-seeded (14-5), were underdogs by almost ten points against the Lions (15-3) according to the bookmakers. But they silenced critics, as they have done all season with a rookie quarterback, a new coach, and a recently appointed general manager.
"I always believed that we could achieve more than what people thought, without giving ourselves so much credit," Daniels said.
Mike Sainristil, a rookie from Washington, made two interceptions, including one on a trick play where receiver Jameson Williams threw between coverages after a reverse in the fourth quarter. And Quan Martin returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown.
Daniels finished with 299 passing yards and 51 rushing yards. Equally important, he did not turn the ball over.
Dan Quinn, in his first year as head coach of Washington, led the historic franchise to its first playoff victory in 19 years last week and on Saturday night he guided them to their first National Conference final since the 1991 season. Back then, they made it to the Super Bowl and defeated the Buffalo Bills 37-24, marking the last title for the franchise from the capital of the United States.
The Commanders will be visiting the Philadelphia Eagles or Los Angeles Rams, who will play their divisional round game this Sunday afternoon.
The mistakes ended the dream of the Detroit Lions.
Detroit ruined their chances by turning the ball over five times.
"It is not the time to talk about how great the year we had has been and all the victories," acknowledged Detroit's coach, Dan Campbell. "We are here to reach the main event and we fell short. This hurts."
Quarterback Jared Goff had three of his passes intercepted and also had a fumble.
The Lions were last NFL champions in 1957, but they have never made it to the Super Bowl, a game that has been played since 1967. It seemed that after their best season ever, with 15 wins in the regular season, they could fulfill the dream, but a long list of injuries, plus the great performance of the Commanders, became insurmountable.
Washington defeated Detroit 28-14 in the second quarter, the period with the most points in NFL playoffs history.