Kevin Durant celebrates in Commanders locker room after playoff win over Lions
The celebration was on in the Commanders’ locker room after Washington defeated the Detroit Lions, 45-31, in Saturday’s NFC Divisional Round.
Washington even had a special guest in the visitor’s locker room at Ford Field, Phoenix Suns forward Kevin Durant. The two-time NBA champion is a Washington, D.C. native, and wasn’t going to miss out on being in attendance for the Commanders’ third playoff win this century.
The Commanders didn’t have high external expectations coming into the season. Coming off a season in which they secured the No. 2 overall pick with a 4-13 record, overhauled their entire coaching staff and went into 2024 with rookie signal-caller Jayden Daniels under center, it’s easy to understand why. Nobody expected Washington to be playing important games in January and yet here they are — one win away from its first Super Bowl appearance since the 1991 season.
Washington pulled off the upset of the No. 1 seeded Lions with a dominant performance on offense. In nine possessions: five touchdowns, one field goal, one missed field goal, one failed fourth-down attempt and one punt. That came after they didn’t punt once in the Wild Card Round win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Jayden Daniels leads Commanders to NFC Championship Game
Daniels threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 51 yards, continuing to build his case for the best rookie season in NFL history.
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“I always believe,” Daniels said after the game. “I always believe that we could achieve more than what people give us credit for, but you gotta go out there putting in work, you gotta go out there and work daily, get better each and every day. Just put your head down and grind, and by the time of the season, you look up and you might be in a position like this.”
The Commanders have an array of veterans such as receiver Terry McLaurin, linebacker Bobby Wagner, tight end Zach Ertz and defensive end Dorance Armstrong helping lead the way. But make no mistake, Daniels is and will continue to be, the ultimate difference maker.
“He just has a different poise about him than most and he’s a rare competitor,” head coach Dan Quinn said. “But in those moments — if he was a basketball player, he’d want the last shot. As a ballplayer, he wants the ball in his hands to make the difference, and he makes great decisions with the football. And that takes real mindfulness.”