Turnovers, leaky defense spell end to Lions' season

DETROIT — The Detroit Lions withstood one injury after another en route to their best season in franchise history.

But against the Washington Commanders at Ford Field, it was all simply too much.

The Lions lost cornerback Amik Robertson to a significant elbow injury early in the game and safety Ifeatu Melifonwu to a hamstring injury late in the third quarter, and the Lions simply couldn’t get enough stops against a dynamic Washington offense led by quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Quarterback Jared Goff threw three interceptions, including a pick-six, and a 15-win season ended in a flash with a 45-31 loss to Washington in the divisional round on Saturday night. The Lions end their season with a franchise-record 15 wins and absolutely nothing to show for it after a disastrous defensive showing in the season's biggest moment.

Just like that, they'll return to another offseason filled with questions about getting over the hump. It's a different type of pain, this one, compared to last season's NFC championship loss at Ford Field. For four months, the Lions were nearly flawless in their quest to set up an easy path to the Super Bowl. In the end, none of it mattered.

Daniels, who in a few weeks will likely be named Offensive Rookie of the Year, was unfazed by a raucous crowd inside Ford Field. He made one big throw after another, finishing 22-for-31 passing for 299 yards and two touchdowns. Former Michigan star and Commanders rookie Mike Sainristil intercepted two passes, with one coming from Lions receiver Jameson Williams on a trick play early in the fourth quarter.

The Lions’ patchwork defense looked like a completely different unit than the one that stifled quarterback Sam Darnold and the Minnesota Vikings just two weeks prior. Confusion ran rampant, including before a pivotal fourth-and-2 inside the 10-yard line early in the fourth quarter. Detroit was assessed a pre-snap penalty for too many men on the field, giving the Commanders a free first down before Washington took a 38-28 lead with Brian Robinson Jr.'s second touchdown of the night.

The Commanders went 3 for 4 on fourth down, 4 for 4 in the red zone and totaled 482 yards of offense.

The Lions gave away too many opportunities at points, given the game they were in. With the chance to take a 14-3 lead in the second quarter, offensive guard Graham Glasgow was beaten cleanly by Commanders defensive lineman Dorance Armstrong, who strip-sacked Goff to set up a go-ahead score with 10:55 left in the second quarter, Robinson's first touchdown of the game, 10-3.

After Commanders receiver Terry McLaurin burned the Detroit defense on a screen that went 59 yards to the house, Goff threw an interception from deep in his own territory and Quan Martin returned it 40 yards for the pick-six to put the Commanders up 24-14, grabbing a two-score lead that would hold for a majority of the game. Goff threw another interception — Sainristil's first — on the final possession of the first half, wasting another opportunity to put points on the board.

Fans headed for the exits with 7:31 to go in the fourth quarter when Washington extended its lead to 45-28 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Jeremy McNichols. It was a jarring end to a season that promised so much. The Lions, one win away from hosting the NFC championship, could only watch as the emptying sections at Ford Field were overcome with speckles of burgundy and gold.

Boos rained down from the remaining fans in attendance as Goff threw a pass into the ground while facing a 17-point deficit. He had one of his worst outings of the season in a game that could be his final with Ben Johnson as offensive coordinator. He finished 23-of-40 passing for 313 yards, a touchdown and three interceptions.

Running back Jahmyr Gibbs, the offensive hero of Detroit's Week 18 win over Minnesota, had 105 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries and caught six passes for 70 yards. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had eight catches for 137 yards.

The Lions wasted a gift on the opening possession, going three-and-out after Commanders kicker Zane Gonzalez booted the opening kickoff out of bounds. But Detroit's defense stood tall with a fourth-down stop on the other end, forcing a turnover on downs with a tackle-for-loss on backup quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Gibbs had 46 all-purpose yards on the Lions' second drive to set up a 1-yard rushing touchdown and put the Lions up, 7-0, with 7:36 left in the opening quarter.

The Commanders found themselves in Lions territory once again on their second drive, but cornerback Kindle Vildor — in for the injured Robertson, who exited early in the game due to an elbow injury — broke up a third-down throw to Dyami Brown, forcing a 47-yard field goal from Gonzalez that passed through the uprights and cut the Lions' lead to 7-3.

Washington caught its first big break when the Lions came up throwing in the red zone on third-and-1. Commanders lineman Dorance Armstrong beat Lions guard Graham Glasgow and strip-sacked Jared Goff, flipping the momentum with a recovery by Washington linebacker Frankie Luvu.

The Commanders capitalized on the turnover, taking its first lead of the game, 10-7, with 10:55 left in the second quarter. The Commanders converted a fourth-and-3 in Lions territory to keep the drive alive before Detroit safety Kerby Joseph was called for defensive pass interference on third down in the end zone, setting up a 1-yard rushing touchdown from Robinson.

Detroit regained the lead with a seven-play, 70-yard drive on its ensuing possession. Goff delivered a gutsy 34-yard throw to St. Brown on third-and-3 to keep the drive alive and later delivered a strike while falling to the ground that was caught with one hand by LaPorta.

The Commanders responded quickly, though. On the third play of their next drive, McLaurin took a screen 59 yards to the house to go back on top, 17-14, with 6:23 left in the second quarter. They extended the lead a few plays later as Goff overthrew Tim Patrick in the middle of the field, leading to an interception by Commanders defensive back Martin that was returned 40 yards for a touchdown and a two-score Washington lead.

Goff was popped on the return and briefly exited the game to be evaluated for a concussion. With Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback, the Lions popped an end-around to Williams for 61 yards and a touchdown to cut the deficit to 24-21.

The Commanders went back up by two scores with 1:46 left in the first half when Daniels completed a teardrop throw to Brown for 38 yards, setting up a 5-yard touchdown pass to tight end Zach Ertz on third-and-goal from the 5. Detroit marched back the other way, hoping to add points before halftime, but Goff's throw to Williams in the end zone was intercepted by Sainristil, sending the Lions into the locker room with a 31-21 deficit.

The Lions got a stop out of halftime and chipped into the Commanders' lead with an 11-play, 91-yard touchdown drive. Gibbs scored his second touchdown of the game with an 8-yard run to make it a 31-28 game with 6:57 to go in the third quarter.

The Lions added a field goal with 5:01 left in the fourth quarter, cutting their deficit to 45-28, but failed to get the onside kick and were up the creek without a paddle.