Commanders vs. Lions scores, live updates: Detroit hosts Washington in first-round divisional game at No. 1 seed in team history

On By Littum

The Detroit Lions breathed a sigh of relief after winning in Week 18 to earn a first-round bye, and after the Los Angeles Rams’ emphatic win over the Vikings, head coach Dan Campbell and staff aren’t just happy about the extra rest.

Avoiding an early bump in the road is usually an advantage, and the Lions will look to take advantage of that against the new Washington Commanders. Washington entered the season with low expectations, but now arrives in the divisional round with the presumptive NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in Jayden Daniels and coming off a road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the wild card round – the only road team to win in the first weekend of the playoffs.

For Detroit, David Montgomery is back in the lineup after missing the last three regular-season games with a knee injury — he returned to practice Tuesday. Montgomery rushed for 775 yards and 12 touchdowns in his 14 games this season and would reunite the “Sonic and Knuckles” tandem with Jahmyr Gibbs in the Detroit backfield. That duo led the Lions to finish sixth in the NFL in rushing this season and second in the league in rushing touchdowns.

With a win, Washington would reach the NFC Championship Game for the first time since their Super Bowl victory at the end of the 1991 season.

Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Ford Field | Detroit
TV channel: Fox
Streaming: Fox Sports App, Fubo

Live66 updates

  • Good news for the Lions: Jared Goff is back.

  • Jayden Daniels is 14-of-21 for 242 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, no sacks and a 137.4 passer rating, plus 30 rushing yards. On the road. In the playoffs. Against the No. 1 seed. As a rookie.

    We might be seeing one of the best playoff performances of all time.

  • TOUCHDOWN: Jayden Daniels continues ridiculous half

    On 3rd-and-goal, against the top third-down defense in the NFL, Jayden Daniels finds Zach Ertz to put the Commanders up 31-21 with 1:46 left in the first half.

  • THIS GAME. On 2nd and 8, Jayden Daniels gets it to Dyami Brown for a 39-yard gain. Washington is in the red zone at the two-minute warning. Brown has 96 receiving yards.

  • The TB12 captures the moment, as always.

  • The Lions are averaging 10.3 yards per carry. game. They lose.

  • TOUCHDOWN: Lions answer with a trick play to Jameson Williams

    Starting QB or not, this game is still on. Jameson Williams gets the ball on a trick play and takes it to the house. We still have four minutes left in this half.

  • Important to note: Teddy Bridgewater was coaching high school football a month or two ago. Now a no. 1-seed playoff hopes riding on him. Soccer.

  • Teddy Bridgewater enters the game at QB for the Lions. Jared Goff is being evaluated for a concussion after hitting the helmet on the pick-six return. This became a brewing disaster for the Lions very quickly.

  • TOUCHDOWN: Quan Martin gets a pick-six

    Ford Field just got a little quiet. Jared Goff knocks it into the hands of Quan Martin to give the Commanders a 24-14 lead. Goff was also wrecked on the return.

  • It’s in situations like this that we have to remember that the Commanders needed the miracle of all miracles to beat the Bears in the regular season.

  • The Commanders are averaging 7.8 yards per carry. game. The Lions have an average of 9.0. Ben Johnson and Kliff Kingsbury are doing their job tonight.

  • TOUCHDOWN: Terry McLaurin to the house

    The commanders react quickly. A couple of blocks open up a screen pass for Terry McLaurin, who runs it all the way in from 58 yards out. We have a football match here.

  • It’s a fun pick-me-up from the Fox broadcast. Lions tackle Dan Skipper reported as eligible and ran a route. The commanders chose to double-hold him.