It is difficult to say if the illegal hit rattled Goff or not, but he was not his usual crisp self even before the hit. The Lions chose the worst possible time to earn their third loss of the season. Earn is the key word here, since Detroit was just as damaging to themselves as the Commanders were. This loss is on the Lions, plain and simple. They were a Super Bowl-caliber team and they lost against a team that, frankly, is not.
Washington's 45-31 win over top-seeded Detroit is built on a sizzling offense and an opportunistic defense. Now, the team is one win from the Super Bowl. Daniels will be the sixth rookie QB since the 1970 merger to start a conference championship game. He has a chance to become the first to win it.
In the first half alone Saturday, the Commanders amassed 31 points as Daniels had 242 passing yards, two passing touchdowns and 29 rushing yards. He finished with 299 passing yards, completing 22 of 31 attempts for a 122.9 passer rating. He also had 51 rushing yards.
Washington's defense set the tone on the opening series to force a three-and-out and kept the pressure on throughout, forcing five turnovers to turn Detroit's prolific offense into a middling operation.
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