This is why they play the game. You just don’t know what can happen. Predictions don’t mean squat unless they come to fruition. At the end of the day, it didn’t matter to the Washington Commanders that they were playing the role of the underdog against the Detroit Lions in an NFC Divisional Playoff game.
It didn’t matter that the Commanders were going into this game with a rookie quarterback who would face off against a savvy veteran in Jared Goff.
It didn’t matter to Washington that this was supposed to be Detroit’s year to make it to the Big Dance after having squandered that opportunity in last season’s NFC Championship game against the San Francisco 49ers.

It did not amount to a hill of beans that Detroit went 11-1 against the NFC opponents during the regular season and posted a conference-best 15-2 record. That’s because the Commanders had Jayden Daniels, that rookie quarterback, on their side.
Daniels stared down improbability and guided Washington to a stunning 45-31 upset of the Lions on their home turf, and upending the NFL universe. This was not supposed to happen. Daniels and the Commanders clearly didn’t follow the script that they were given.
If there is a lesson to be learned from Washington’s monumental upset of the Lions is that in sports on any given day anything can happen. There’s nothing as unpredictable as a sporting event. You just never know. It would be a good guess that Detroit messed around and found out that truth hard way.
Like in life, nothing is given. Everything is earned.
Daniels and the Commanders have it two games in a row in the postseason. And they’ve won both of their contests on the road. Before pumping the brakes on Detroit’s Super Bowl dreams, Daniels and the Commanders came-from-behind to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
After beating the Lions, the Commanders are now in the NFC Championship game.
Washington’s presence in the NFC title game is almost as surreal as Daniel’s impressive journey in leading the Commanders. It was just last season that Daniels won the Heisman Trophy, the award given to the best player in college football.
Daniels became the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL Draft, going to the Commanders. But in some ways, Daniels and the Commanders had escaped the nation’s eyeballs or seemed to go under the media’s radar outside of the 495 area. That’s not the case anymore. After coming up victorious against the Lions, Daniels and the Commanders has everyone’s attention now.

In just his second playoff game, Daniels played like he had been there before. And he clearly outplayed Goff. Daniels completed 22 of 31 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns. Numbers, however, don’t tell the entire tale of the tape. When Washington needed a big play, Daniels led the way.
Washington exploded for 28 points in the second quarter to wrest control of the contest and silence Detroit’s fan base. Meanwhile, the Commanders forced Goff into four turnovers (one fumble, three interceptions).
As a team, Detroit had five turnovers in the game against Washington. Turnovers is the one thing that is hard to overcome in the postseason. With Goff and the Lions playing ball giveaway, Daniels and the Commanders took advantage of those miscues. And now they are on the brink of doing something truly special if they are able to notch one more victory.
Daniels has already cemented his status as the franchise quarterback in leading the Commanders to their first playoff wins since 2005. And it’s safe to say that Motown won’t be in the building when Super Bowl LIX comes around.
DETROIT, MI – JANUARY 18: Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) during the NFC Divisional Playoff game between the Detroit Lions and the Washington Commanders on Sunday January 18, 2025 at Ford Field in Detroit, MI. (Photo by Steven King/Icon Sportswire)

Dennis has covered and written about politics, crime, race, sports, and entertainment. Dennis currently covers the NFL, MLB, NBA, NCAA, and Olympic sports. Dennis is the editor of News4usonline.com and serves as the publisher of the Compton Bulletin newspaper. He earned a journalism degree from Howard University. Email Dennis at dfreeman@news4usonline.com
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