How Commanders shocked Lions
Chiefs beat Texans but not without controversy
Divisional Saturday was witness to one of the greatest performances by a quarterback in recent NFL postseason history.
But that quarterback was not named Patrick Mahomes. Nor was that quarterback a seasoned vet, drawing on years of playoff-pressure moments to craft a masterpiece.
Washington’s rookie QB Jayden Daniels threw for 299 yards and two TDs and ran for 51 yards in the Commanders’ shocking 45-31 win over Detroit. The numbers, however, do not adequately capture his complete command of his surroundings and the moment — on the road, needing to outshoot the best offense in the NFL. Daniels not only adorned a night of mistake-free football with marvelous throws and key runs, he consistently made the right play at the right time, a performance one might expect from a Brady or a Montana — not from a rookie making just his second playoff start.
With the win, Washington plays the winner of the Eagles-Rams game tomorrow in Philadelphia.
In the AFC, the host Kansas City Chiefs toppled the Houston Texans, with the two-time defending champs making the championship plays when needed to advance to a remarkable seventh consecutive AFC title game. (Though some questionable calls played a big role in the Chiefs taking another step to an unprecedented three-peat.) Andy Reid’s team hosts the winner of the Ravens-Buffalo game tomorrow in Buffalo.
Let’s take a closer look at Saturday’s two Divisional Round results.
Kansas City 24, Houston 13
The Chiefs quest for a three-peat got off to a good start Saturday at cold Arrowhead. For Houston, any reflections on this loss by players and fans will likely generate a list of what-ifs.
Kansas City rode yet another strong postseason outing from its defense. Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo’s pressure packages harried Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud throughout most of the game, but, trying to protect a Chiefs eight-point lead in the final period, the defensive coordinator really found a groove, dialing up one exquisitely timed blitz after another. The Chiefs collected eight sacks on the day, and three of them in the fourth quarter — all three recorded by linebacker George Karlaftis.
Mahomes passed for 177 yards and threw a sprawling touchdown pass — Mahomes magic at its essence — to his favorite target early in the fourth to extend Kansas City’s lead to that eight-point advantage, 20-12. Tight end Travis Kelce padded his historically marvelous playoff numbers with seven catches for 117 yards and a score.
Houston allowed nine sacks and failed to cover Kelce in key situations, but they also outgained the Chiefs by 124 yards, had more first downs (18 to 14), averaged a full yard more per play on offense and converted 10-of-17 on third downs.
They even avoided committing a turnover. (So did the Chiefs. That both teams played clean football given the cold conditions is noteworthy.) It was those “what if” moments that kept Houston at arm’s length from a franchise-defining win.
A couple of controversial calls, both involving Mahomes, could have turned the tide. The first occurred in the opening quarter. With the game tied 3-3, Houston defensive end Will Anderson Jr. was called for a questionable roughing-the-passing penalty against Patrick Mahomes. The second questionable call came late in the third quarter, when Texans LB Henry To'oTo'o was flagged for a hit on a late-sliding Mahomes near midfield. The Chiefs converted these drive-sustaining penalties into points.
In defeat, the defense, especially Anderson, was a bright spot for Houston. The second-year DE notched two sacks and a tackle for loss. Houston sacked Mahomes three times in total and by and large shut down Andy Reid’s offense, holding it to 212 yards.
Then there was the ill-timed performance of Houston’s special teams. The coverage team allowed a 63-yard yard return by Kansas City’s Nikko Remigio on the opening kickoff. The Texan’s Chris Boyd then compounded things by drawing a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on the play. (At least Boyd got in a good shove of special teams coach Frank Ross to make amends for the lapse in judgment.)
Placekicker Ka’imi Fairbairn also struggled on the cold, windy day at Arrowhead. Making his first field goal attempt, Fairbairn later sliced a 55-yarder that seemed closer to the back pylon of the end zone than the uprights. In the third quarter, after a Joe Mixon TD made the score 13-12, Fairbairn pushed the game-tying extra point wide right, a miss that seemed to suck the warm air of momentum away from the frigid Houston sideline. And for good measure, Kansas City’s Leo Chenal blocked a Fairbairn 35-yard field goal attempt with under two minutes left that would have cut the Chiefs’ lead to six points.
As much that can be made about Houston squandering opportunities, the Chiefs once again showed the composure of a defending champion. They rest tomorrow and, as we all do, eagerly look forward to their next opponent, either the Ravens or the Bills.
Washington 45, Detroit 31
In what will go down as one of the most shocking outcomes in NFL playoff history, the upstart Commanders, led by the poised play of Daniels, ousted the decisively favored Lions in Detroit.
As is often the case in Divisional Round games, the heavily favored team, the Lions, came out a bit tight, going three-and-out on their opening possession. Meanwhile, the Wild Card-winning Commanders played loose from the get-go. Daniels and the offense moved the ball in the early minutes, their only glitch — pretty much for the whole night — was a failed 4th-and-1 gadget play that turned the ball over on downs in Lions territory.
Detroit promptly marched 71 yards in five plays to take a 7-0 lead. But, on the next Lions’ offensive possession, Goff committed the first of a trio of killer first-half giveaways, fumbling the ball after a hit by Dorance Armstrong. The big defensive play closed out an entertaining first quarter in which Detroit’s offense rocked the Commanders with some shots but failed to take early control of the game.
Then the second quarter happened. The two teams combined to score 42 points — six touchdowns — the most ever in a postseason quarter.
The Commanders capitalized on Goff’s fumble, marching 78 yards on 11 plays to take a 10-7 lead. The Lions answered with a 70-yard drive, capped by a spectacular one-handed diving catch by tight end Sam LaPorta.
Then big plays started carpet-bombing Ford Field. Commanders wideout Terry McLaurin took a wide receiver screen, split two tacklers and outran safety Cory Joseph to the end zone for a 59- yard TD. Two plays later, Quan Martin intercepted a Jared Goff overthrow and weaved his way 40 yards to give Washington a 24-14 advantage. Thoughts of a major upset grew when Goff took a shot to the head on the return and had to leave the game for a series.
The points kept pouring in — make that 21 of them in seven scrimmage plays after Detroit WR Jameson Williams took a reverse 61 yards for a score. A jaw-dropping Daniels pass to Dyami Brown set up a Daniels TD pass to Zach Ertz, and Washington was back up by 10 points.
As expected, the Lions pressed the issue before intermission. But rookie cornerback Mike Sainristil ended the scoring threat by picking off Goff in the end zone to record Washington’s third takeaway of the game.
The score at the half, 31-21, was as much the result of the score in turnovers committed: Detroit 3, Washington 0.
The third quarter was turnover-free. The Lions, however, were still unable to shut down a suddenly invincible-looking Washington attack that seemed to make Aaron Glenn’s unit pay each time it blitzed Daniels. Despite facing the constant blitzing, the Commanders’ offensive line did not allow a sack, and it consistently opened holes for backs Brian Robinson and Austin Ekeler. Robinson rushed for 77 yards (5.1 average) and two touchdowns.
Midway through the third quarter, an 11-play TD drive seemed to swing momentum back to the Lions, but the Commanders responded with a long drive of their own, hammering the Detroit defense with 15 plays and converting two fourth-and-shorts along the way.
Down 38-28, the Lions were on the march again. However, one of OC Ben Johnson’s usually reliable trick plays backfired when receiver Williams took a reverse and threw an interception, Sainristil again doing the honors, with 12 minutes remaining.
Whenever the Lions defense needed a stop, the depleted and backpedaling unit did not get one. Following Sainristil’s second pick, Daniels connected up with McLaurin in Detroit’s red zone to convert yet another key fourth down. A Jeremy McNichols one-yard TD run lifted Washington to an insurmountable 17-point advantage midway through the fourth, as oil and hope began leaking from the Lions and the once-frenzied Ford Field crowd.
Let’s tip our cap to an undeniably effective game plan by offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, executed to remarkable clarity by a quarterback whose performance has to rank as the greatest ever — seriously, no others immediately come to mind — by a rookie signal-caller.
No road environment seems to daunt Daniels, which makes Washington our favorite to take down either Philadelphia or Los Angeles in the NFC Championship Game. Call that recency bias, but it will take an especially decisive win in the Sunday games to move us off that pick.