In one of the most shocking upsets in recent NFL playoff history, the sixth-seeded Washington Commanders stunned the top-seeded Detroit Lions 45-31 on Saturday night to reach the NFC Championship Game for the first time in 33 years. Led by dazzling rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who threw for 299 yards and 2 touchdowns in a flawless performance, the Commanders overwhelmed the heavily favored Lions and silenced the raucous crowd at Ford Field in Detroit.
The Lions, making their first appearance as the NFC’s #1 seed, saw their dream season come crashing down as they turned the ball over a catastrophic 5 times. Lions QB Jared Goff threw 3 interceptions and lost a fumble, sealing Detroit’s fate. Commanders DB Mike Sainristil picked off two passes, including one on a trick play, while Quan Martin returned an INT 40 yards for a touchdown.
Commanders Dominate Second Quarter
Washington took complete control of the game with a historic second quarter performance, outscoring Detroit 28-14 in the highest-scoring quarter in NFL playoff history. The 28-point explosion, fueled by Daniels’ precision passing and timely Lions turnovers, gave the Commanders a commanding 31-21 halftime lead from which the shellshocked Lions never recovered.
This is a dream come true. Nobody believed in us, but we believed in ourselves. We shocked the world tonight!
– Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders QB
Cinderella Story Continues for Washington
Under first-year head coach Dan Quinn, Washington has authored one of the most surprising Cinderella stories in recent memory. The Commanders, who squeaked into the playoffs as a Wild Card team, have now won six straight games with a flair for the dramatic. Last week, they rallied to stun Tom Brady and the Buccaneers on a game-winning play as time expired.
- Six straight wins to close the season
- Five game-winning scores on final play
- First road playoff win since 1992
With the impressive road win in Detroit, Washington advances to host the winner of Sunday’s Rams-Eagles matchup in next week’s NFC Championship Game. Just one win away from a most improbable Super Bowl appearance, Jayden Daniels and the cardiac Commanders are determined to keep their magical run going.
Chiefs Also Advance
In the AFC, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs had no trouble dispatching the Houston Texans to reach their seventh consecutive AFC Championship Game. The Chiefs will host the winner of the Bills-Bengals divisional round clash, as they look to get back to the Super Bowl and avenge last year’s loss to New Orleans.
But on this night, the story was the Washington Commanders and their unbelievable, odds-defying upset of the heavily favored Lions. In a season where crypto winter has cast a chill over the digital asset space, Jayden Daniels and company provided a much-needed shot of excitement, energy and hope. Their Cinderella story is precisely the type of against-all-odds triumph that crypto enthusiasts live for. Can the Commanders author a storybook ending and bring an NFL title back to the nation’s capital for the first time in over three decades? Seeing will be believing.
