Pride of Detroit
The Detroit Lions coaching staff and Jared Goff were big letdowns in the Lions’ playoff loss to the Commanders. Handing out grades for them and the rest of the team.
After avoiding them all season, the Detroit Lions had their biggest let-down game at the worst possible time. Let’s dive into their season-ending, 45-31 loss to the Washington Commanders with our final report card of the season.
Jared Goff’s recklessness with the football is a huge reason they lost the game. Whether it was his carelessness on the early third-and-1 fumble that prevented Detroit from building a two score lead or the couple of tight-window throws he forced that were picked off, Goff’s four turnovers were death blows to the Lions’ season.
What’s most frustrating about his performance, is that he was perfectly fine—if not great—outside of those turnover plays. Detroit moved the ball with relative ease all evening, but Goff’s mistakes erased several opportunities for Detroit to either extend their lead or draw closer.
What a phenomenal end to the season for Jahmyr Gibbs. It’s fair to wonder if he’s established himself as a top three back in the league after this final stretch. Against the Commanders, Gibbs produced 175 scrimmage yards on just 20 touches. Combine this game with the last three of the regular season, and Gibbs produced 662 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns. He’s one reason to be very excited for the future.
David Montgomery wasn’t quite as electric in his return, but even he seemed to pick up some steam as the game went on.
Sam LaPorta’s one-handed touchdown catch may have been the biggest jaw-dropping moment in a night filled with them. He finished the day with six catches for 51 yards. He finished the season with 50 yards in five of his last six games after doing so just three times the rest of the season. Like Gibbs, he was another guy who was trending in the right direction at the right time.
Jameson Williams has to get dinged in this section for his ill-advised pass when he should have just tucked it and ran. The play wasn’t there, and it was first-and-10—you have to live to see another down. It doesn’t matter how infrequently you get opportunities like that. You have to be smart there.
That said, Williams did provide an electric 61-yard rushing touchdown, Amon-Ra St. Brown was his typical reliable self, hauling in eight catches for 137 yards, and Kalif Raymond even had a couple of big plays.
The Commanders were credited with seven quarterback hits, which is a bit higher than it felt—but one of their two sacks resulted in a turnover, after Graham Glasgow blew his block.
Still, it felt like Goff mostly had ample time all game, and the rushing lanes were there for most of the game. The Lions finished with 201 rushing yards and 8.7...
