Lions vs. Commanders final score, result: Jayden Daniels leads upset in Detroit to head to NFC championship game

Daniel Chavkin

Lions vs. Commanders final score, result: Jayden Daniels leads upset in Detroit to head to NFC championship game image

The Commanders’ dream season continued on Saturday night, as Jayden Daniels led Washington to a 45-31 win over the Lions.

Washington’s offense was dominant all game, as they scored on all but two possessions. Daniels threw for over 250 yards in the first half alone, ending the game with 299 passing yards, 52 rushing yards, and two total touchdowns, including a 58-yard catch-and-run by Terry McLaurin (4-87-1).

On defense, the Commanders made their mark with turnovers, as they produced five takeaways on the night. Lions quarterback Jared Goff (23-of-40, 313 yards, TD) accounted for three in the first half alone, including a pick-six and two turnovers in Washington territory.

With the win, the Commanders advance to their first NFC Championship game since 1991 and will play either the Eagles or Rams.

The Lions' offense had plenty of explosive plays, including a Jameson Williams 61-yard touchdown run. Jahmyr Gibbs (20 touches, 175 total yards, two TDs) was dominant on the ground, and Amon-Ra St. Brown (8-137) was as reliable as ever. However, it was hard for the Lions to overcome losing the turnover battle 5-0, which directly led to 21 Washington points.

For Detroit, the loss is a heartbreaking end to a 15-2 season, the team’s best regular season in franchise history. The Lions enter the offseason with the possibility of losing both of their coordinators.

Washington will now wait to see where it's headed next, as it will travel to the winner of the Rams-Eagles divisional round game in the NFC Championship game next Sunday.

The Sporting News tracked live updates and highlights from the NFC divisional-round matchup.

Lions vs. Commanders live score

 

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Lions vs. Commanders highlights from 2025 NFL playoff game

FINAL: Commanders 45, Lions 31

11:23 p.m.: INTERCEPTION! Goff is intercepted at the goal line to basically seasl the game for Washington.

11:21 p.m.: Detroit has 39 seconds left on the clock but are in the red zone, looking to make this a one-score game.

11:17 p.m.: The Lions are driving with under two minutes left in the game, but they need to score quick to have a chance.

11:13 p.m.: MISSED FIELD GOAL! The Commanders milk time off the clock but can't get any points. Detroit takes over with 2:26 left in the game.

11:09 p.m.: Daniels finds seldom used tight end John Bates for a first down that could be the dagger for the Lions.

11:05 p.m.: The Lions go for the onside kick, and they almost get it but Zach Ertz ends up with the ball for Washington.

Commanders 45, Lions 31

11:02 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! The Lions get within the red zone but can't cash in, so they settle for a field goal to make it a two-possession gam.

10:58 p.m.: Down 17, the Lions get their drive going with a first-down pass to Jahmyr Gibbs, then another first-down pass to St. Brown.

Commanders 45, Lions 28

10:53 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Jeremy McNichols stretches over the goal line for the score, and Washington has its biggest lead of the game.

10:52 p.m.: Washington faces another 4th-and-short, and Daniels converts to McLaurin who gets within the 5-yard line.

10:47 p.m.: Austin Ekeler gets the carry and runs for 35 yards to open the drive, getting Washington back into Detroit territory

10:45 p.m.: INTERCEPTION! Detroit calls one more trick play but it backfires, as Jameson Williams throws an interception to Sainristil. Washington gets the ball back.

10:43 p.m.: Goff opens the Lions' drive with a completion to Tim Patrick, who runs for 22 yards and a first down.

Commanders 38, Lions 31

10:38 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Robinson punches it into the end zone for his second of the game to cap off an eight-minute drive.

10:37 p.m.: On 4th-and-2, the Lions are called for too-many-men on the field and it results in a first-and-goal for Washington.

End of third quarter: Commanders 31, Lions 28

10:31 p.m.: As the Commanders go for it on 4th-and-2, Daniels runs for three years, extending the drive.

10:28 p.m.: Daniels completes to Brown again, who is just short of a first down in the red zone. Washington faces a 4th-and-short late in the third quarter.

10:26 p.m.: Washington is methodically moving the ball down the field as Robinson gets the offense within the 30.

10:24 p.m.: An unnecessary roughness penalty on the Lions defense gets Washington on the edge of field-goal range.

10:22 p.m.: Daniels avoids a blitzing Brian Branch to gain 14 yards and a first down to open the Commanders' drive.

Commanders 31, Lions 28

10:16 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Gibbs caps the drive off with a 10-yard score to get Detroit within one-score again.

10:15 p.m.: The trick-play Lions gain 20 yards when Goff pitches to Montgomery, who then pitches to St. Brown for the 20-yard gain.

10:12 p.m.: On a big third-and-long, Goff finds St. Brown for a 19-yard gain to get the Lions past midfield.

10:10 p.m.: The Commanders appear to stop the Lions on third down, but Washington is called for a facemask penalty to extend the drive. However, it appears that Detroit caught a break as there was no facemask on the play.

10:09 p.m.: David Montgomery gets the Lions' drive started with a 10-yard run.

10:05 p.m.: The Lions defense forces a much-needed stop by stopping Daniels on two scrambles and an incomplete pass.

10:03 p.m.: Robinson Jr. rushes for 14 yards to open the half for Washington.

10:01 p.m.: We are back from halftime! The Commanders will get the ball looking to add to their 10-point lead. 

Halftime: Commanders 31, Lions 21

9:46 p.m.: INTERCEPTION! Jared Goff throws his second interception of the game, this one to Mike Sainristil in the end zone, ending the half.

9:43 p.m.: Gibbs picks up a big third down on the ground to extend the Lions' drive with under a minute left in the game.

9:40 p.m.: Goff has returned to the game for Detroit, and he finds St. Brown and LaPorta to open the two-minute drive.

Commanders 31, Lions 21

9:38 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Daniels completes again to Ertz on third down to extend the lead back to 10.

9:32 p.m.: Daniels throws a dime to Dyami Brown deep down the field for 38 more yards, and Washington is back in the red zone.

9:31 p.m.: Now it's Daniels who runs for 15 yards and a first down to get to around midfield for the Commanders.

Commanders 24, Lions 21

9:27 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Jameson Williams takes an end around for 61 yards to the end zone. Detroit survives at least one drive without Goff so far.

9:25 p.m.: Jared Goff got hit hard on the return and needs to be evaluated by medical staff. Veteran Teddy Bridgewater is now in the game.

Commanders 24, Lions 14

9:22 p.m.: PICK-6! The Commanders defense forces Goff into a bad throw, as Quan Martin takes the interception for a touchdown and a 10-point lead.

Commanders 17, Lions 14

9:15 p.m. TOUCHDOWN! Terry McLaurin takes a screen pass 58 yards down the sidelines for a score as this game is turning into a track meet.

9:14 p.m.: Dyami Brown continues his strong postseason with a nine-yard catch for a first down to get the drive going.

Lions 14, Commanders 10

9:09 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Goff is about to get sacked, but gets a pass off to Sam LaPorta, who makes an incredible one-handed catch in the endzone.

9:08 p.m.: The Lions offense is humming as a Kalif Raymond receptions on a screen pass sets up 1st-and-goal.

9:07 p.m.: Amon-Ra St. Brown gets his first two catches of the game, the latter a 34-yard play deep into Commanders' territory. 

Commanders 10, Lions 7

8:59 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Brian Robinson Jr. finsihes the drive with a two-yard score, giving the Commanders their first lead of the game.

8:57 p.m.: On 3rd-and-goal, McLaurin draws a pass interference on Kerby Joseph to set up a new set of downs for Washington.

8:55 p.m.: On 4th-and-3, Daniels completes to tight end Zach Ertz within the 5-yard line, setting up a 1st-and-goal.

8:53 p.m.: Dyami Brown gets open to start the second quarter as Daniels finds him for a big gain to get into the red zone.

End of first quarter: Lions 7, Commanders 3

8:49 p.m.: Brian Robinson Jr. ends the quarter with a couple healthy runs, totaling 20 yards on two plays.

8:46 p.m.: FUMBLE! Washington's defense forces the first turnover of the game as Dorance Armstrong sacks Goff, who loses the ball. Frankie Luvu recovers for the Commanders.

8:44p.m.: Gibbs is on fire, as he runs for 33 yards on the Lions' second play of the possession. Detroit is back in Washington territory.

Lions 7, Commanders 3

8:38 p.m.: FIELD GOAL! The Commanders get into another 3rd-and-10, but Daniels and Dyami Brown can't connect. Zane Gonzales nails the field goal attempt for Washington's first points.

8:36 p.m.: Facing a 3rd-and-10, Daniels gets protection and completes to Crowder to extend the drive into Lions territory.

8:34 p.m.: Daniels opens his second drive with a scramble and a completion to McLaurin for another first down.

Lions 7, Commanders 0

8:29 p.m.: TOUCHDOWN! Gibbs caps off an impressive drive with a two-yard touchdown to open the scoring. The touchdown gives Gibbs four in his playoffs career, the most in Lions history.

8:27 p.m.: Jared Goff opens Detroit's next drive with a play-action completion to Jameson Williams for 19 yards and a first down. Then, Jahmyr Gibbs runs for 15 yards and catches a pass from Goff for 23 yards, as the Lions are already in the red zone.

8:23 p.m.: On 3rd-and-14, Daniels finds Jamison Crowder for 13.5 yards, setting up a 4th-and-short. However, the Lions defense stop backup QB Marcus Mariota who came in for the QB sneak.

8:19 p.m.: Daniels completes a pass in the flat to Austin Ekeler who runs for a big, 24-yard gain to get into Detroit territory.

8:15 p.m.: Jayden Daniels completes his first two passes for a first time, the latter a screen pass to Terry McLaurin for about six yards. Lions cornerback Amik Robertson is injured on the play.

8:14 p.m.: The Commanders defense comes out strong in a tough spot, forcing the Lions into a three-and-out to begin the game.

8:12 p.m.: We are underway from Detroit! The Lions will get the ball first from their own 40-yard line after Zane Gonzalez sent the kickoff out of bounds

7:57 p.m.: "Sonic and Knuckles" will reunite in the divisional round since Montgomery has returend from injury.

7:39 p.m.: Jayden Daniels and Tom Brady shared a conversation on the field before the game.

7:13 p.m.: Lions legend Barry Sanders is in attendance for one of the biggest games in franchise history.

6:53 p.m.: As for the Lions, running back David Montgomery is officially active after missing the end of the season, with a knee injury while starting guard Kevin Zeitler is inactive.

6:43 p.m.: The Commanders released their inactives for the game, and there are no surprises.

6:23 p.m.: Meanwhile, the Lions have their own hometowns star on their side with Devin Booker.

6:11 p.m.: Amon-Ra St. Brown arrives at Ford Field with his hair dyed blue for the playoffs.

5:50 p.m.: The Commanders, meanwhile, have a some stars on their side, including Kevin Durant and Alex Ovechkin.

5:35 p.m.: The Lions' dream season continues with their first postseason game tonight, as Detroit has home field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.

Lions vs. Commanders start time

  • Date: Saturday, January 18
  • Time: 8 p.m. ET

Detroit and Washington will face off in the second game of the weekend, as they get the primetime slot on Saturday night. Kickoff will be around 8 p.m. ET, following the first playoff game of the weekend between the Chiefs and Texans.

What channel is Lions vs. Commanders on today?

  • TV channel: Fox
  • Streaming: Fubo (U.S) | DAZN (Canada)

Fox will get the broadcast of this NFC divisional matchup over the weekend, meaning Kevin Burkhardt and Tom Brady are on the call, as this will be the lone game on Fox this weekend.

For those looking, Fubo is an option for U.S. viewers and is offering a free trial. Additionally, DAZN is a streaming option for Canadian viewers.

MORE 2025 NFL PLAYOFF NEWS:

NFL playoff schedule 2025

Divisional round

Saturday, Jan. 18

MatchupTime (ET)ChannelLive stream
Chiefs vs. Texans4:30 p.m.ESPNESPN+, Fubo
Lions vs. Commanders8:00 p.m.FoxFubo

Sunday, Jan. 19

MatchupTime (ET)ChannelLive stream
Eagles vs. Rams3:00 p.m.NBCPeacock, Fubo
Bills vs. Ravens6:30 p.m.CBSParamount+, Fubo

Conference championships

Sunday, Jan. 26

MatchupTime (ET)ChannelLive stream
NFC championship game3:00 p.m.FoxFubo
AFC championship game6:30 p.m.CBSParamount +, Fubo

Super Bowl 59

Sunday, Feb. 9

MatchupTime (ET)ChannelLive stream
TBD vs. TBD6:30 p.m.FoxFubo

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Daniel Chavkin

Daniel Chavkin is a Digital Content Producer for The Sporting News. A 2018 graduate from the University of Maryland, he has previously written for Sports Illustrated, NBC Sports and NFLTradeRumors.com.