DETROIT – What a surprise!

Jayden Daniels continues to impress in his remarkable rookie season. The standout quarterback for the Washington Commanders has received tremendous support from his teammates.

Now, they’re heading to the NFC Championship Game.

Daniels played exceptionally well, leading the Commanders to an unexpected 45-31 victory over the top-seeded Detroit Lions in an NFC divisional playoff at Ford Field on Saturday night.

Delivering another outstanding performance, Daniels threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns, ran for 52 yards, and did not turn the ball over. He completed 22 of 31 passes with a passer rating of 122.9.

He was calm, efficient, and exactly what he’s been all season long.

Washington (14-5) will face the winner of Sunday’s other NFC divisional playoff game, where the Philadelphia Eagles take on the Los Angeles Rams.

As for the other quarterback?

Jared Goff had a challenging night.

He suffered four turnovers, including three in the first half—two interceptions and a fumble—that contributed to the Lions’ shocking defeat, ending their Super Bowl aspirations. This loss adds another disappointment to last year’s heartbreaking playoff elimination in the NFC title game against San Francisco for the Lions (15-3).

The game will be remembered for its chaotic second quarter. The Commanders scored four touchdowns in a surge of momentum, leading to a total of 42 points scored by both teams—a record in NFL playoff history for a single quarter.

More points could have been added if Goff hadn’t thrown a late interception in the end zone to Mike Sainristil right before halftime. Goff’s pass intended for Jameson Williams was slightly late and underthrown. Although Williams got the step on the defender while running his route, Sainristil was in the perfect position to make the catch.

It was that kind of night for Goff. Late in the first quarter, while the Lions were driving inside the Commanders’ 20-yard line, Goff fumbled the ball after being hit hard by Dorance Armstrong. Frankie Luvu recovered the fumble, and it wasted a promising opportunity for Detroit.

On the flip side, the Lions’ defense struggled to contain big plays in the first half. Dyami Brown made a fantastic 42-yard catch from Daniels, setting up Washington’s first touchdown—a rush by Brian Robinson Jr. for eight yards.

Then, Terry McLaurin scored on a 59-yard play from a simple screen pass, evading tackles and balancing down the sideline, giving Washington a 17-14 lead after Zane Gonzalez’s extra point.

The Commanders quickly extended their lead. Goff’s pass to Tim Patrick was overthrown but fell right into the arms of Quan Martin, who ran it back for 41 yards, pushing the lead to 24-14—too much for Detroit to overcome.

Although Williams managed a 61-yard touchdown on an end around to narrow the gap to three points, Washington answered with a swift 70-yard scoring drive led by a 38-yard completion from Daniels.

Normally, the high-scoring Lions force their opponents to keep up, but this time, they found themselves chasing after the Commanders.