Commanders upset Lions 45-31 to advance to NFC Championship: Highlights

The Washington Commanders pull off the upset of the playoffs so far, knocking out the No. 1 seed Detroit Lions.

An absolutely brutal loss for the Lions, who were in the NFC Championship Game a season ago. Now they fail to make it out of the Divisional Round. Detroit turned it over four times Saturday, and couldn’t overcome several injuries on defense.

Meanwhile, the Commanders storybook season continues. Led by rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels and an aggressive head coach in Dan Quinn, Washington will play in the conference title game for the first time since the 1991 season.

With 2:26 remaining in the fourth quarter, Washington's Zane Gonzalez pushed a 44-yard field goal attempt wide right, and the score remains Washington 45, Detroit 31. The drive didn't end in points but it did eat 2:35 of precious clock, leaving the Lions little time to mount a comeback.

Washington's lead is down to two touchdowns, at 45-31, after Detroit's Jake Bates kicks a 28-yard field goal with 5:01 remaining in the game. The Lions need a stop for any chance to still win this game, but the Commanders have scored on six of their eight full drives (excluding an end-of-half kneeldown).

The No. 1 seed in the NFC is just seven minutes away from being knocked out of the playoffs, after Washington added to its lead with a short rushing touchdown to take a 17-point lead. The Lions can't blame anyone but themselves for being in this position after turning the ball over four times and being largely unable to pressure Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Another red zone trip, another fourth-down conversion for the Commanders.

This one was the biggest of the game, as Washington pushed its lead to three scores one play later.

The Commanders are 3 of 4 on fourth downs tonight.

The fourth quarter has seen compounding self-inflicted wounds by Detroit. Following a penalty on the Lions' defense that set up Washington's most recent turnover, the Lions tried another trick play that ended in an interception by Washington, which wasn't fooled by the multiple-toss play.

Washington was facing fourth-and-2 at Detroit's 5-yard line with 14:15 remaining in the fourth quarter when the flags began flying. Detroit had an extra defender on the field and was penalized for it. The flag gave Washington an automatic first down at the 2-yard line, and one play later Brian Robinson ran in for a touchdown and 38-28 Commanders lead.

Lions coach Dan Campbell could be seen shaking his head after the penalty.

Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson dialed up a pretty unique play in the third quarter — a toss to running back David Montgomery that was actually a shovel pass to receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Where did that play come from? It turns out the Pittsburgh Steelers ran something similar in 2004, when Antwaan Randle El received a toss in the backfield only to quickly throw 10-yard touchdown pass.

Guess who Detroit’s receivers coach is? None other than...Antwaan Randle El!

As the third quarter comes to an end Washington is just five yards from another touchdown. The Commanders have 375 yards (6.8 per play) while the Lions are are 385 (8.8 per play). This has been a classic so far as we enter the final quarter.

We’re up to three fourth-down attempts! All have been by the Commanders, and they’ve converted two of them. The latest came inside the red zone.

The Lions aren't done yet. Not after a nearly 6-minute drive that methodically drove 91 yards before ending with Jahmyr Gibbs running eight yards through the middle of the offensive line for a touchdown that trims Washington's lead to a manageable field goal. With 6:57 left in the third quarter, this is still anyone's game to win.

For only the second time in this game, and for the first time since the opening drive, a team has punted. This matchup has been so full of offensive fireworks that the punt unit has barely seen the field. But after stiff defense by Detroit, Washington thought better of attempting a third fourth-down conversion and instead opted to punt back to Detroit.

Leading 31-21, Washington gets the ball first to start the third quarter. Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury's offense has averaged 7.9 yards per play thus far.

Lions quarterback Jared Goff had three turnovers in the first half — a fumble and two interceptions.

In three playoff games for Detroit last season, Goff didn’t throw a single pick. Nor did he in his two postseason appearances for the Los Angeles Rams after the 2020 season.

Goff’s last playoff interception came in 2018, when he threw one against the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl.

He’s going to need to have a cleaner second half if the Lions are going to mount a comeback.

Following one of the highest-scoring individual quarters in NFL postseason history, in which the Commanders and Lions combined for 42 points and scored five touchdowns in less than five minutes amid a relentless pace, we've reached halftime. Everyone, take a breath.

It's Washington 31, Lions 21.

For context, the Lions did not allow 31 points to an opponent in 14 of their 17 games this season. Washington scored that many in just two quarters while racking up 312 total yards. The Lions have 309.

In a second quarter that has seen 42 combined points scored, Washington added another touchdown to take a 31-21 lead with just under two minutes before halftime. This time, it's Jayden Daniels throwing a 5-yard pass to Zach Ertz on a slant route. The TD was set up by a difficult catch by Dyami Brown for 42 yards in which his eyes were covered as the ball was falling into his hands.

At this rate, how many more touchdowns are still coming before halftime hits?

Teddy Bridgewater is playing quarterback for the Lions in a playoff game even though he wasn’t on the team’s roster as recently as Christmas.

Bridgewater was the head coach of his high school alma mater during most of the NFL regular season, leading Miami Northwestern to a state championship. His most recent NFL appearance was in 2023 with Detroit, when he came into a game for a couple kneel downs.

He came out of retirement to sign with Detroit on Dec. 26, and now he’s being thrust into a major spot with Jared Goff potentially out.

While quarterback Jared Goff is being evaluated for an injury, the Lions put in backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and score on a 61-yard reverse to receiver Jameson Williams. This game has officially gone berserk, with three touchdowns scored in the last 2:22. With 4:01 left before halftime, it's Washington 24, Detroit 21.

Washington intercepts Jared Goff and returns it 40 yards for a touchdown. The Commanders lead 24-14 and oh, my -- the No. 1 seed is in trouble early.

Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin is a big play waiting to happen. Case in point, his 59-yard touchdown reception after McLaurin bolted up the left sideline before diving into the end zone for a 17-14 Washington lead, 6 minutes before halftime. If you're scoring at home, that is 59 yards of "yards after catch."

Jayden Daniels is up to 12-of-18 passing for 199 yards and hasn't been sacked once.

We now have not one but TWO diving throws by an almost-sacked quarterback to a tight end for a touchdown today.

Patrick Mahomes made this play during the Chiefs’ win over the Texans earlier Saturday:

And then Jared Goff and Sam LaPorta remixed it just now for a Lions score, with LaPorta styling with a one-handed grab:

Lions tight end Sam LaPorta just produced the best catch of the playoffs so far. LaPorta snared Jared Goff's pass while falling down one-handed and almost parallel to the turf for a touchdown. It's 14-10 Detroit with 7:44 left in the second quarter. What a game so far.

Washington takes the lead, 10-7, after a long and winding drive lasting 11 plays, 78 yards and full of drama.

Brian Robinson's 2-yard touchdown run ended a drive that included typically aggressive play-calling, including going for it on fourth-and-3 near the goal line and trusting rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels to complete a pass. Daniels did — for seven yards, showing the beyond-his-years composure that has made him the rookie record-holder for total yards.

A pass-interference penalty then afforded the Commanders a fresh first-and-goal and more opportunities to score. Eventually, Washington took advantage, but guard Sam Cosmi did injure himself on the play; he's currently being assessed.

The Commanders went for it on fourth down for the second time in the second quarter, converting a 4th-and-3 from the Lions’ 9-yard line to set up a goal-to-go situation.

Jayden Daniels went to one of his favorite targets on the play, tight end Zach Ertz.

Washington is now 1 of 2 on fourth-down attempts.

Jared Goff was too loose with the ball in the pocket and had it knocked out from behind for a lost fumble and a huge opportunity for Washington just before the end of the first quarter. Dorance Armstrong came off the edge for the strip sack.

The Commanders are on the board. They follow Detroit's touchdown drive with a 10-play, 41-yard march that ends with a 47-yard field goal from Zane Gonzalez to cut the Lions' lead to 7-3. Now 3:50 remains in the first quarter.

The Lions scored on their first red zone possession of the game, picking up where they left off in the regular season.

Detroit finished third in red zone touchdown percentage during the season.

The Commanders? They finished sixth.

If these teams get inside the 20, more likely than most they find a way into the end zone.

Jahmyr Gibbs runs a 1-yard touchdown for a 7-0 Lions lead with 7:36 left in the first quarter. It was appropriate he scored because Gibbs was so important the entire drive, starting with a run for 15 yards, and then a reception for 23 more on the next play. Those gains pushed Detroit into the red zone, setting up the score.

Fourth downs are going to be a big part of this game between the Commanders and Lions.

Both teams were among the most aggressive on fourth down during the regular season. In its first playoff game, Washington attempted five fourth-down conversions, and succeeded on three of them.

On their first try today, the Commanders seemingly tried to fake a quarterback sneak with Marcus Mariota, who looked like he was trying to hand or pitch the ball back, but it didn’t work. So not only are these teams going for it on fourth, they may try some tricks based off what they’ve already put on film.

Neither Detroit nor Washington are shy about going for fourth down, and the Lions stuff the Commanders on fourth-and-1 when backup quarterback Marcus Mariota was stopped on his QB keeper.

On the Commanders’ first drive of the game, Lions cornerback Amik Robertson had to head back to the locker room with an apparent left arm injury. We don’t want to speculate here but....it didn’t look good.

Detroit entered this week with 16 players on injured reserve, 13 of which were on the defensive side of the ball.

Playing on the road against the top seed, Washington’s defense forces a Detroit punt after three meek plays that actually went backward three yards.

Washington kicks off to open this divisional-round playoff game. Detroit will open from their own 40 yard line.  

The Commanders haven’t been to the NFC title game since 1991 against the same Lions they’ll face Saturday, though Chris Simms and Mike Florio expect the drought to continue given that Detroit has too many advantages.

Fresh off a road win against Tampa Bay last weekend, Daniels can become the fourth rookie quarterback ever to win multiple playoff games in NFL history. The only others? Joe Flacco (2008 with Baltimore), Brock Purdy (2022 with San Francisco) and Mark Sanchez (2009 with the New York Jets).

I will have my eye on the fourth-down attempts between the Lions and Commanders because I believe the aggressive nature of both teams is going to play a massive role in their Saturday tilt. Washington went for it on fourth down five times against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while Detroit has been the face of fourth-down aggression since Dan Campbell took over in 2021. Will either of these coaches blink in a big moment? Could the game turn on a failed fourth-down attempt? That will be the game-within-the-game when these teams face off, and it should add a decent dose of drama.

With the ninth playoff game of Travis Kelce's career with 100-plus receiving yards, the Chiefs tight end has broken Jerry Rice's all-time record.

In the same game, Kelce also surpassed 2,000 career receiving yards in the postseason. (He had entered Saturday with 1,903 postseason receiving yards.) That makes Kelce and Rice the only pass-catchers in NFL history to surpass the 2,000-yard threshold. Rice has 2,245 yards, if you're counting down toward the next Kelce record.

Good fight by the Texans, but it wasn’t enough to beat the Chiefs in the Divisional Round.

Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City will advance to the AFC Championship Game for the seventh straight season. They will await the winner of the Ravens and Bills, who face off Sunday.

Since 2018, Kansas City is 6-0 in divisional-round playoff games by protecting the ball, with just four turnovers combined in those six victories. Tonight against Houston, the Chiefs are on their way to a seventh consecutive divisional win by once again limiting their own mistakes. The Chiefs have yet to turn the ball over even though Houston's defense this season had a track record of making several of the league's most prolific quarterbacks look mortal. If the Chiefs stay turnover-free, it will be their eighth consecutive game without a turnover.

The Chiefs took advantage of a short field and after a seven-play, 36-yard drive Harrison Butker came on to kick a 27-yard field goal.

Kansas City now leads 23-12 with only 4:38 to go. Not sure if the Texans have enough time to mount a comeback.

Terrible time for the Texans to go three-and-out for the first time all day.

Houston picked up only four yards on a drive that started inside the 10. The Chiefs now have the ball back on the Texans’ 45.

Kansas City leads 20-12 with 7:35 to go.

That could be a dagger.

The Texans tried to convert a 4th-and-10 from the Kansas City 40, but C.J. Stroud was sacked for a whopping 16-yard loss on the play. Houston had a nice drive going until three straight blitzes by the Chiefs stymied Stroud, who threw incomplete twice before the sack.

Kansas City now has the ball on the Texans 44 with a 20-12 lead. There’s 9:59 left in the fourth quarter.

Remember how much hand-wringing there was early in the season concerning Travis Kelce's lack of production? Now that the playoffs are here, the future Hall of Fame tight end and quarterback Patrick Mahomes have established their unguardable connection yet again.

Kelce, who averaged a career-low 51.4 receiving yards per game this season, has caught five passes for a season-high 113 yards and a touchdown. That receiving total includes a 49-yard reception, his longest of the season.

Mahomes magic!

What a play by Patrick Mahomes, who threw a pass while being tackled on 3rd-and-goal, finding an open Travis Kelce in the end zone for a touchdown. The play was the capper on 13-play, 81-yard drive that took over seven minutes off the clock.

We’ve only had two drives in the second half! The Chiefs now lead 20-12.

The Texans took over 10 minutes off the clock with their lone drive in the third quarter, but now the Chiefs are putting together their own long possession.

Kansas City will have a 4th-and-very-short with the fourth quarter begins. The Chiefs are on the Houston 37 after seven plays and 44 yards. The drive was aided by yet another controversial penalty for a hit on Patrick Mahomes.

Both defenses have been stingy so far. Let’s see which offense can make more plays down the stretch.

Pop superstar Taylor Swift and WNBA rookie of the year Caitlin Clark are sitting next to one another at Arrowhead Stadium.

It turns out that Kansas City's long opening kickoff return was a bad omen for the Texans special teams unit. Since that return — which also saw Kris Boyd draw an unsportsmanlike penalty and push Houston special teams coordinator Frank Ross on the sideline — the Texans have left four points on the board, after Ka'imi Fairbairn missed a 55-yard field goal, then a point-after attempt that would have tied the game in the third quarter. Fairbairn was perfect on PATs this season through 14 games, but in his last four games, including today, has missed three PATs.

That is EXACTLY the kind of drive you want to have against the Chiefs, especially in the playoffs.

The Texans went 82 yards in 15 plays — taking over 10 minutes off the clock — capped off by a 13-yard touchdown run by Joe Mixon. The possession included multiple third-down conversions, with Houston having to overcome a few penalties as well.

The only issue? Ka'imi Fairbairn missed the extra point. So the Chiefs still lead 13-12.

Because the majority of Kansas City's starters hadn't played in nearly three weeks, given how early the Chiefs had wrapped up the AFC's top playoff seed, the assumption entering today was that Houston's opportunity to grab hold of the game would be in the first half as the Chiefs got back into rhythm.

Instead at times the Texans looked out of sync, no bigger than in the final minute before halftime when a penalty and sack on consecutive plays cost them 18 yards. With wideouts Tank Dell and Stefon Diggs injured and unavailable, can Houston find ways to get top receiver Nico Collins open and create lanes for running back Joe Mixon? At the half, Mixon has 46 yards on 11 carries and Collins has been targeted three times, with two catches for 27 yards.

After a nine-play, 41-yard drive, Texans kicker Ka'imi Fairbairn hit a 48-yard field goal to cut into Chiefs’ lead with 20 seconds left in the second quarter.

That was a nice drive by Houston, which also killed enough clock to prevent Patrick Mahomes from trying to answer with a score.

It’s now a 13-6 game at half, and the Texans will receive to open the third.

We have our first touchdown of the day.

Five plays after the Texans missed a field goal, the Chiefs got in the end zone courtesy of a one-yard run by Kareem Hunt. Kansas City was set up inside the 10 after a 49-yard pass to Travis Kelce.

Hunt then finally punched it in on 3rd-and-goal.

The Chiefs now lead 13-3.

Houston's kicker, who just missed a 55-yard field goal in the second quarter, had made 13 of his 16 attempts between 50-59 yards this season. Those 13 makes tied for the league lead during the regular season.

Bad to worse for the Texans.

First C.J. Stroud was sacked on third down. (He also fumbled, but the ball was recovered by offensive lineman Shaq Mason.)

The sack-and-fumble then pushed Houston back to a 55-yard field goal attempt, and Ka'imi Fairbairn was wiiiiiiiiide right on his kick. Emphasis on wiiiiiiiiide.

The Chiefs will now have the ball on their own 45 with a 6-3 lead to start their next drive.

Similar to the Texans last drive, the Chiefs made it over midfield before a third-down sack ended their drive.

Will Anderson Jr., who was flagged earlier on a controversial roughing-the-passer call, this time got home on Patrick Mahomes with no issues. The eight-yard sack forced Kansas City to punt it away.

Houston will now take over on its own 20 trailing 6-3.

It’s been a defensive battle in frigid Kansas City so far.

The offenses have been stopped in the red zone on three separate occasions. And both pass rushes have seemed to make the quarterbacks a little uncomfortable.

The Chiefs will have a 3rd-and-7 from their own 23 when the second quarter begins.

The Texans made it over midfield and were getting close to field-goal range, but on 3rd-and-8 C.J. Stroud was sacked by Chris Jones to end the drive.

Houston punted — the first punt for either side today — and now the Chiefs will take over on their own 20 with a 6-3 lead.

The Chiefs were stopped on third down from their own 33 until a controversial roughing-the-passer call kept the drive alive. Will Anderson just barely hit Patrick Mahomes in the upper body and yet he was flagged for the play.

Kansas City followed up the penalty with a couple big passes — a 23-yarder to Travis Kelce and a 21-yarder to Xavier Worthy — but once again the Texans held up in the red zone. The Chiefs had a 1st-and-goal from the 8 only to go backward 10 yards.

Harrison Butker then hit a 36-yard field goal to give Kansas City a 6-3 lead. Houston has a right to be miffed, however.

Houston ended its first drive with a field goal, but also a limping quarterback. C.J. Stroud did not appear comfortable leaving the field and sitting on the sideline.

The Texans had a nice drive that got all the way to the Chiefs’ 14-yard line, but it stalled there. C.J. Stroud threw incomplete on 2nd-and-9 and then scrambled for only two yards on third down.

Ultimately, after 10 plays and 68 yards, Ka'imi Fairbairn came on for a 30-yard field goal to tie the game. It’s now knotted up at 3.

Houston's Kris Boyd forced a fumble on the Chiefs' opening kickoff, but then drew an unsportsmanlike penalty that gifted Kansas City 13 extra yards when he threw his helmet off on the field. When he got back to the sideline, cameras caught Boyd as he shoved special teams coach Frank Ross.

That first drive is a win for the Texans.

A 63-yard return by Nikko Remigio — plus a personal foul penalty — set the Chiefs up only 13 yards away from the end zone on their opening drive. But the Houston defense held strong, moving Kansas City back one yard over three plays.

The Chiefs kicked a field goal to take a 3-0 lead. Houston will live with that after the opening kick.

Exciting to start to the Divisional Round, as the Chiefs got a big return on the opening kickoff by Semaje Perine. He actually fumbled at the end of the return but he managed to recover the ball as well.

An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Texans gives Kansas City the ball on the Houston 13 to start.

Is it even a Chiefs home game if Taylor Swift isn't there?

She arrived to Arrowhead ahead of the Divisional Round matchup against the Houston Texans in a black mini dress paired with tights and boots, and accessorized with a Chanel belt adorned with pearls.

It's chilly in Kansas City, and Swift dressed for the weather, finishing off her fit with a a plaid coat and black leather gloves.

Surely Swift will be able to enchant the Chiefs, hopefully propelling them another round closer to a three-peat Super Bowl win.

Chris Simms and Mike Florio assess if the Texans can replicate their performance against the Chargers in the divisional matchup with the Chiefs and the “test” Kansas City faces in what could be another close game.

When Houston faces Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, can its defense make life miserable for yet? another top quarterback? Already this season the Texans‘ scheme has led Buffalo’s Josh Allen to post a career-worst completion percentage; Detroit’s Jared Goff to throw five interceptions; and Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa to throw three interceptions and lose a fumble.

The latest data point came in Houston’s wild-card playoff victory last week against the Chargers, when Justin Herbert was intercepted four times — the same Herbert who had thrown three interceptions in his previous 17 games.

Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce has the most receptions (165) and second-most receiving yards (1,903) and touchdown receptions (19) among all players in postseason history. He trails only Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice (2,245 receiving yards, 22 touchdown receptions) for most all-time.

Kelce has 14 consecutive playoff games with at least five receptions and 13 consecutive postseason games with at least 70 receiving yards, both the longest such streaks in NFL playoff history.

Look, the Texans didn’t exactly wow anyone in the wild-card round when they won a wacky game against the Los Angeles Chargers. But Houston’s defense is absolutely ferocious, with a defensive line and a secondary that wreaks havoc on opposing offenses. Several quarterbacks have looked awful against the Texans this year. And C.J. Stroud, despite his so-so sophomore year, is still proving to be a game changer at the position. Add all this to the Chiefs’ very long layoff and their own offensive malaise this season, and I’m at least expecting a tight game because of Houston’s defense.

The Chiefs QB, with a win against Houston today, can tie Hall of Famer Joe Montana with 16 postseason victories. Only Tom Brady (35 postseason wins) has more.

Mahomes also has 5,135 postseason passing yards. This weekend he could surpass Drew Brees (5,366) for seventh-most ever for a playoff career.

You would think the two-time defending Super Bowl champions’ beginning their quest for a three-peat as 15-2 home favorites would be the storyline of the divisional round. Alas, the Chiefs find themselves well behind the Bills and Ravens’ “Game of the Century” and the Lions’ hunt for the first Super Bowl title in franchise history. So I’ll ask: Can the Chiefs win convincingly after an anything but convincing 2024? 

Because let’s be real: The Chiefs are going to win. The only question is if they will do so in a fashion that actually makes them favorites for the AFC championship game. You can lean on your “championship pedigree” when you are grinding out regular season victories over the Chargers and the Steelers. The same is true for the Texans in the divisional round. But Baltimore or Buffalo with the Lamar Hunt Trophy on the line? We are going to need to see some proof it’s possible this Saturday.