Turnovers and depleted defense contribute to top-seeded Lions’ quick playoff exit

DETROIT—The Detroit Lions had everything set up the way they wanted this time.

After losing last season’s NFC championship game at San Francisco, they went 15-2 to earn the NFC’s top seed. They enjoyed a first-round playoff bye and knew they wouldn’t have to play anywhere but Ford Field until the Super Bowl.

It didn’t matter.

The Lions self-destructed against the Washington Commanders, turning the ball over five times in a 45-31 loss on Saturday night that ended another chance at the franchise’s first Super Bowl.

“We just didn’t complement each other,” said coach Dan Campbell, who nearly came to tears during his postgame news conference. “We didn’t get a stop when we needed one, and when we got a stop, we turned the ball over. With five turnovers—even if one was at the end and it was really four, that’s too much.”

Jared Goff took most of the blame—he threw three interceptions and lost his first fumble of the season. One of the picks was returned 40 yards for a touchdown by Quan Martin to give the Commanders a 24-14 lead.

“If I play better, do we win? Quite possibly,” Goff said. “I cost us points by not taking care of the ball, and that’s something that’s going to hurt for a long time.”

Goff didn’t have a great night, but he wasn’t playing defense. Washington rookie Jayden Daniels played a lot like Goff at his best—completing passes that gave his receivers a chance to run. Of his 299 passing yards, 188 came after the catch.

“We knew what the tape said about him,” Campbell said. “We knew we were going to have our hands full and we didn’t handle it as well as we wanted.”

That wasn’t the only problem, though. Detroit’s injury-riddled defense gave up 481 yards—its third most this season—including 182 on the ground. Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler combined for 124 yards on 21 carries and Daniels added 51 more.

Detroit didn’t sack Daniels—a problem it has had since losing Aidan Hutchinson to a broken leg in October. Hutchinson had been aiming to return in time for the Super Bowl.

The Lions also lost cornerback Amik Robertson to a broken arm early in the game—yet another major injury for a depleted unit.

“That hurt us a bit, but (Kindle Vildor) came in and played well,” Campbell said. “He competed for us.”

The injuries didn’t explain the mental mistakes, though. Detroit was within 31-28 early in the fourth quarter and had the Commanders facing fourth-and-2 from the Lions 5. A stop could have changed the game—but the Lions were called for 12 men on the field. Two plays later, Robinson scored to make it 38-28.

Campbell took the blame for the play, but there was still time to rally until an inexplicable decision to have Jameson Williams throw a pass to Jahmyr Gibbs. Williams looked tentative as he rolled right and threw into coverage. Rookie Mike Sainristil grabbed his second interception of the night and Washington ran 4:33 off the clock before scoring another touchdown that made it 45-28.

“Obviously, I wish he had run the ball,” Campbell said.

Last year, Campbell talked at length about how hard it is to get into position to win a Super Bowl, and how the 49ers loss might have cost the Lions their best chance.

This time, he couldn’t even address that topic.

“This isn’t the time—this hurts too much,” he said. “This isn’t the time to talk about our great season and all our wins. The whole point of playing is to get to the biggest game and we didn’t make it.”

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