Another Rookie Was Hitting His Stride During Commanders' Win Over Lions

While the Washington Commanders had plenty of rookies making an impact, fans at home had another one stepping up for them.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is named Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game after defeating the Detroit Lions 45-31 in the NFL divisional round at Ford Field in Detroit, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. He is congratulated by rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil, who had two interceptions. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Washington Commanders' historic turnaround this season has been orchestrated by a rookie general manager in Adam Peters, who drafted fellow rookies quarterback Jayden Daniels, cornerback Mike Sainristil, and left tackle Brandon Coleman.

All four of those rookies had significant roles in the Commanders' success on the field–even if Peters isn't on it–throughout the year and especially Saturday night in a playoff win over the Detroit Lions.

If you were watching as Washington got its second postseason win of the year, however, you were impacted by another rookie. Fox Sports' rookie NFL Game Analyst, Tom Brady.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels is named Tom Brady’s LFG Player of the Game after defeating the Detroit Lions 45-31 in the NFL divisional round at Ford Field in Detroit, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025. He is congratulated by rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil, who had two interceptions. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"Tom Brady received praise on Saturday for his call during a crucial moment of the Washington Commanders’ NFC divisional round victory over the Detroit Lions," a Fox News article reported following the game.

The moment specified came in the fourth quarter, with the Commanders leading by three and threatening to extend the lead to two scores.

Facing 4th-and-2 near the goal line, Washington decided to go for the conversion instead of taking a field goal that would have kept the game within one score. But they'd never snap the ball.

When the two teams revealed their formations to each other it became evident quickly that Detroit had one-too-many players on the field. Nobody caught it faster, however than Brady.

From the broadcast booth Brady said during the call, "Need a timeout, 12 on the field, timeout...Timeout! Timeout! Nope. Nope. Oh no! What are they doing?"

Officials tend to allow defenses to have 12 men on the field for a short period as long as the mistake is noticed quickly and the extra man is making an attempt to get off the field. Oftentimes, if the player isn't going to make it off, the sideline calls a timeout to save the penalty, which usually gets called as the offense sets up and prepares to snap the ball.

In this case, there was clear confusion in the Lions' defense and there are even angles that show coaches and personnel trying to instruct one of the players to get off the field. Those attempts were not effective, however, and instead of taking a timeout, Detroit was flagged for the infraction.

That penalty gave Washington a first down without having to attempt the fourth-down play, and eventually, running back Brian Robinson Jr. punched it in from one yard out, and the Commanders took a 38-28 lead on what would end up be the game-winning score.

It turns out Daniels, Sainristil, and Coleman weren't the only rookies standing out and winning on Saturday night.

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