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What the Commanders' Postseason Win Over the Lions Means for the 49ers

It will be tough for the 49ers to catch Washington.
Grant Cohn|
Jan 18, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) throws a pass during the first quarter against Detroit Lions in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images
Jan 18, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) throws a pass during the first quarter against Detroit Lions in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images | Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

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San Francisco 49ers

After the Washington Commanders surprisingly eliminated the Detroit Lions from the playoffs with a 45-31 win on Saturday, we have some good news and not so good news for the 49ers.

THE GOOD NEWS

The Lions may have missed their best opportunity to win a Super Bowl. All season, they looked like the team to beat in the NFC, but they probably will lose both of their coordinators this offseason plus a few key players as well. And their quarterback is Jared Goff, who doesn't scare anyone. At 30-years old, he's still one of the most frail quarterbacks in the NFL, which is hard to fathom. You'd think he'd be a bit stronger by now -- both physically and mentally. But he crumbles under pressure. So that's one fewer dominant team the 49ers could potentially face in the playoffs next season if they make it.

THE NOT SO GOOD NEWS

The Commanders might be the team to beat in the NFC for the next few seasons. Their quarterback, Jayden Daniels, already is the best dual-threat quarterback in the conference. His rookie season was awfully similar to Lamar Jackson's 2023 season in which he won the MVP. Keep in mind, the 49ers have never beaten Jackson, which means they'll have their hands full with Daniels.

In addition, the Commanders have an excellent general manager in Adam Peters, who came from the 49ers. Last year, Peters had an outstanding first offseason as a GM. In addition to drafting Daniels, he signed many quality starters, which is a big reason they went from a four-win team to a 12-win team in one year.

Meanwhile, 49ers general manager John Lynch didn't sign one free agent who made a difference.

Now, the Commanders will be able to add impact players this offseason while the 49ers will have to focus on re-signing their own veterans.

It will be tough for the 49ers to catch Washington.

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Grant Cohn
GRANT COHN

Grant Cohn has covered the San Francisco 49ers daily since 2011. He spent the first nine years of his career with the Santa Rosa Press Democrat where he wrote the Inside the 49ers blog and covered famous coaches and athletes such as Jim Harbaugh, Colin Kaepernick and Patrick Willis. In 2012, Inside the 49ers won Sports Blog of the Year from the Peninsula Press Club. In 2020, Cohn joined FanNation and began writing All49ers. In addition, he created a YouTube channel which has become the go-to place on YouTube to consume 49ers content. Cohn's channel typically generates roughly 3.5 million viewers per month, while the 49ers' official YouTube channel generates roughly 1.5 million viewers per month. Cohn live streams almost every day and posts videos hourly during the football season. Cohn is committed to asking the questions that 49ers fans want answered, and providing the most honest and interactive coverage in the country. His loyalty is to the reader and the viewer, not the team or any player or coach. Cohn is a new-age multimedia journalist with an old-school mentality, because his father is Lowell Cohn, the legendary sports columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle from 1979 to 1993. The two have a live podcast every Tuesday. Grant Cohn grew up in Oakland and studied English Literature at UCLA from 2006 to 2010. He currently lives in Oakland with his wife.

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