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Breaking down all 5 turnovers created by the Commanders defense in the playoff win over the Lions
For the Commanders to win this game, it was always going to require a shootout with the defense getting a few turnovers to give the offense an extra possession or two.
As it turns out, the Commanders defense managed five total turnovers. Those five turnovers were all hugely impactful and played just as big an impact in the game as Jayden Daniels. So I thought I would break down each turnover and highlight the key players involved.
Dorance Armstrong sack/fumble
The first turnover of the game came from defensive end Dorance Armstrong. On third and one in the red zone, the Lions looked set to score on consecutive drives, but Armstrong had other ideas. The Lions motion out to an empty set and run two slot fades on either side of the field. The outside receivers both run quick hitches to occupy the outside corners while the slot receivers run fades. To the right of the formation, the Lions have star slot receiver Amon-Ra St.Brown on a choice route. It’s a well designed play because the empty formation spreads the defense out and the slot fades take all the coverage away from the middle of the field. The Lions are hoping to isolate linebacker Bobby Wagner on St.Brown’s choice route, which is a huge mismatch.
The Lions get the exact look they want, but St.Brown slips as he goes to cut outside on his choice route. That slip causes him to stumble out of his break and make him no longer an option for quarterback Jared Goff. As a result, Goff is forced to hold onto the ball and look for another target, which is all the Commanders pass rush needs. From the end zone angle, you can see the Commanders rush five, with defensive end Dorance Armstrong shifting inside to work against the left guard while linebacker Frankie Luvu works on the edge against the left tackle. With five defenders rushing against an empty formation, the Lions offensive line essentially has five one-on-one matchups without any help.
Armstrong comes off the snap low, while the guard pops up fairly high. Armstrong uses that to his advantage as he swipes with both hands to clear the guard’s hands. The guard tries to hook him, but Armstrong stays low and that enables him to turn the corner and break free of that hook as he closes quickly on Goff. Armstrong does a great job attacking the ball, knocking it loose from Goff. Full credit to Luvu on the edge too. He saw Armstrong winning his rush inside and peeled off to work back inside and follow up the rush. Once Armstrong knocked the ball out, Luvu was...
