Commanders Beat Lions, Advance to NFC Championship

The Washington Commanders are in the NFC Championship for the first time in 33 years.

Jeremy Brener | Jan 18, 2025

Jan 18, 2025; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Washington Commanders corner back Mike Sainristil (0) celebrates an interception against Detroit Lions during the second quarter in a 2025 NFC divisional round game at Ford Field. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

In this story:

Washington Commanders

The Washington Commanders are heading to the NFC Championship after beating the Detroit Lions in a 45-31 upset victory on Saturday night at Ford Field.

The Commanders trailed 7-3 after the first quarter, but they made a statement and flipped the game on its head in the second quarter with four touchdowns. Brian Robinson Jr. ran the ball in for a touchdown, while Jayden Daniels threw touchdowns to Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz. Second-year defensive back Quan Martin even had a pick-six to make it a multi-score lead.

While the Lions answered with a touchdown of their own in the third quarter from Jahmyr Gibbs, the Commanders put an exclamation point on the win with two touchdown drives ending in one-yard runs from Robinson and Jeremy McNichols.

Once again, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels delivered with 299 yards on 22 of 31 passing, two touchdowns and 52 rushing yards. Daniels is now the fifth rookie quarterback in NFL history to make it to the conference championship. He joins an exclusive club with Ben Roethlisberger (2004, Pittsburgh Steelers), Joe Flacco (2008, Baltimore Ravens), Mark Sanchez (2009, New York Jets) and Brock Purdy (2022, San Francisco 49ers).

The Commanders will face the winner of the game between the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles, which takes place tomorrow at 3 p.m. ET.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

More Washington Commanders News

• Can a Rookie Win MVP? Commanders QB Makes a Strong Case

• Key Washington Commanders OL Leaves Lions Games With Injury

• Why Is Commanders' OC Kliff Kingsbury Holding Back on Head-Coaching Interviews?

• Lions Star Reveals Gameplan Facing Commanders QB Jayden Daniels

Published Jan 18, 2025

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.