DETROIT — There were two very different scenes taking place simultaneously just before midnight on Saturday.
There was the joy and pure elation, of a season extended, from Washington’s side. The buzz of an overachieving team that wasn’t supposed to be here was palpable. Hugs and beaming smiles permeated the halls outside the Commanders’ locker room. And for good reason.
Then there was the other side. The losing side. Over there, devastation. Desolation. A numbness to it all. The few players remaining were left to describe what just happened, as the victors next door celebrated loud enough for them to hear.
Dan Campbell said weeks ago that nobody writes the story of his Detroit Lions team. In the end, this was its final chapter.
“It’ll probably bother me forever, honestly,” Lions left tackle Taylor Decker said of his team’s 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders. “I’m walking up here in the locker room and you gotta hear them cheer. And rightfully so for them. They deserve to cheer. We just have to sit here and listen to it.”
“It sucks,” lineman Dan Skipper said. “Last year it was seeing all the confetti, and this year it’s hearing this. It sucks.”
GO DEEPER
The Commanders are a win away from the Super Bowl. Let that marinate for a bit
A little less than 12 months ago, Dan Campbell and these Lions made it to the NFC Championship Game in their first postseason together and lost. They blew a 24-7 lead, making it even tougher to accept.
After the game, Campbell, having been in this league for 25 years as a player and coach, had seen too much to guarantee his players they would be back. He tried to contextualize the moment missed when addressing his team. He did it bluntly.
“Look, I told those guys this may have been our only shot,” Campbell said on Jan. 29, 2024. “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. That’s the reality.”
Even with another division title under their belts. Even with a first-round bye, a home game and a week off. Even after a 15-2 season and the most wins in franchise history, Campbell’s words ultimately proved true.
Going into the playoffs, it was obvious that this wasn’t the same Lions team that began the year. You have to mention the injuries this team suffered — with a few more sustained this evening. But even when the Lions were shorthanded, they still had an identity that took them far.
They kept their composure. They picked their spots. They played complementary football. They made timely plays. They outcoached their opponents. They forced teams to adjust to them. In their biggest game of the season, they did none of that.
It’s hard to get where the Lions were last year. But in this game, they made it harder on themselves.
“It just was one of those odd days,” Campbell said. “Things were a little bit off.”
Things started out fine enough. The Lions, up 7-3 in the first quarter, were moving the ball at will against the Commanders. Against a team like this, you want to set the tone — not let the opponent dictate the game in your building. The Lions have an offense capable of that. Taking a 14-3 lead in the second quarter would’ve gone a long way toward making that happen. They certainly had their chance.
On third-and-1 from the Washington 17, the Lions showed a look with David Montgomery next to Jared Goff in shotgun. We’ve seen Montgomery, who worked his way back from an MCL injury, convert on the ground in short-yardage situations like that throughout the season, behind one of the league’s better offensive lines. Instead, Montgomery split out wide. The Lions went empty.
Goff fumbled. The Commanders recovered, then took a 10-7 lead. An uncharacteristic call, leading to Detroit’s demise.
Commanders strip sack ‼️
📺: #WASvsDET on FOX
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/xl3a5B1Jsh— NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2025
If you believe in momentum, that qualifies as a seismic shift. Instead of a potential 11-point lead, the Lions trailed by 3.
The miscues continued. A couple of drives after that fumble, Goff sailed a pass intended for Tim Patrick for a Washington pick-6. With the ball at the Washington 30, trailing 10 before the half, Goff threw another interception to prevent the Lions from getting points. Five turnovers for Detroit — including four from Goff. A team won’t win too many games like that.
Detroit looked like a team that was pressing. The most obvious example came in the fourth quarter. With their season on the line, down 38-28, Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson called an end-around to wide receiver Jameson Williams. He had scored on one earlier in the game. But this time, the play called for him to pass. It was doomed from the start.
The Lions were flagged for an ineligible man downfield. Washington’s coverage on the play was strong. Instead of throwing the ball away or tucking and running, Williams threw it. The Commanders intercepted it, then scored to go up 17 — a lead that proved insurmountable.
Johnson likes to say the well is deep when asked about his bag of trick plays. That was one he should’ve kept at the bottom of it.
THAT’S 2 FOR @MikeSainristil❕
📺 #WASvsDET FOXpic.twitter.com/D8S9ddhdsi
— Washington Commanders (@Commanders) January 19, 2025
When trailing in games, Campbell preaches the importance of taking things one play at a time. However, tonight the Lions played like a team that wanted it all back in one play. They were doing too much, far too much.
On the Williams interception, the Lions were down 10 with 12:13 to go. The pressure was on, but it was manageable. There were checkdowns and underneath throws there for the taking all game long. They were running the ball efficiently, finishing with 201 yards. Putting the ball in the hands of Williams — a talented young player with questionable judgment and decision-making — and asking him to throw was one of the more baffling decisions of the season.
Complementary football escaped the Lions Saturday evening. When the defense needed the offense to get into a rhythm, a costly turnover set them back. When the offense needed a stop, the defense couldn’t get off the field.
Detroit spent the year living in man coverage with a heavy dose of the blitz — defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn’s preferred style. It led the league in man coverage rate and had the third-highest blitz rate in the regular season, per TruMedia. Daniels, meanwhile, is a quarterback capable of running when corners and linebackers turn their backs to him vs. man. And against the blitz, Daniels’ 0.31 EPA per dropback ranked second among qualified QBs in the regular season.
Something had to give. Detroit’s defense gave a lot.
Daniels was blitzed on 16 of his 31 pass attempts, per Next Gen Stats. He completed 12 of those 16 attempts for 191 of his 299 yards and a touchdown. When facing pressure, Daniels went 7-of-9 for 109 yards. He was sacked zero times. He added 51 yards on the ground.
Overall, the Lions’ defense allowed 481 yards on 6.6 yards per play and 38 points. They had no answers for Daniels — who doesn’t look like a rookie. Washington’s offense put itself in favorable positions throughout the game, setting up short, easy conversion attempts. The Lions were left watching an opponent beat them at their own game.
The Commanders had fourth-and-2 from the Detroit 16, up 31-28 late in the third quarter. The Lions were desperate for a stop, and if they got one, they’d be giving the ball back to their offense down three. But rookie corner Terrion Arnold was caught peeking in the backfield during the play. Daniels kept it on a bootleg to Arnold’s side of the field and picked up 3 yards and the first down.
Jayden picks up the first on 4th & 2!
📺: #WASvsDET on FOX
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/O7F8EQfia1— NFL (@NFL) January 19, 2025
The Commanders went 3-of-4 on fourth down, and seemed to wear on Detroit’s defense. There’s a mental component of being that aggressive. The Lions know it well. They just aren’t used to other teams doing it to them. It felt like it rattled them.
On that same drive, the Commanders had another fourth-and-2 attempt — this time from the Detroit 5, down 31-28. Before the ball was snapped, they were flagged for having 12 men on the field. Thanks to injuries suffered in the secondary, they were trotting out special teamers and end-of-the roster defensive backs. They were clearly confused. It’s a situation where the coaching staff should’ve taken over. Some defensive coaches on Detroit’s sideline were screaming over the error, begging for time to regroup.
But Campbell did not call a timeout. The Lions were penalized. Washington picked up the first down from the penalty yardage gained, then scored two plays later.
Maybe the Commanders would’ve ultimately picked it up. But Detroit didn’t have to serve it on a silver platter like that. Mistakes like this, more so than the fourth-down attempts that fail, are ones that Campbell simply needs to grow out of. It was a Year 1 slip-up in Year 4 with a contender. The Lions were simply out-coached.
“It was my fault,” Campbell said when asked about the penalty. “It’s my fault.”
After the game, Campbell was unable to put this year into perspective. A 15-2 season came to an abrupt end. The manner in which Detroit lost will undoubtedly affect how this season is looked back upon. This wasn’t them. And they know it.
Things could look different moving forward. The Lions could lose both coordinators — Johnson and Glenn. They’re two of the coaches Campbell built this thing with. Should they both depart, having to replace two key minds like that in one offseason is no small task. Making matters worse on paper, the Lions play a nine-game road schedule in 2025 and seven of those opponents — the Packers, Vikings, Chiefs, Ravens, Eagles, Rams and Commanders — made the playoffs in 2024.
Campbell’s biggest challenge yet as a head coach awaits him. How the Lions respond, and where they go from here, is all that matters now.
Their 2024 story has concluded.
“It’s not the time to talk about ‘What a great year,’ or how many wins,” Campbell said, still grappling with the loss. “Because at this moment, I don’t think any of us feel that way. The whole point of doing what you do is to get to the show, man. It’s why you play this game. And we fell short.”
(Photo: Lon Horwedel / Imagn Images)
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