After a magical regular-season run, the top-seeded Lions suffered a 45-31 upset loss to the Washington Commanders behind a five-turnover performance in the NFC divisional round matchup.
Coach Dan Campbell got emotional afterward while trying to discuss what the record-setting 15-win season and the players meant to him following the Lions' playoff elimination.
It was difficult for him to put the loss into words. The Lions became the first team in NFL history to lose a playoff game when having 300-plus pass and 200-plus rushing yards. "We just didn't play great, and I mentioned we didn't complement each other and that's the same thing. At the end of the day, I didn't have them ready," Campbell said. "It's hard to look at it."
After Lions All-Pro receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown completed his postgame interviews, veteran quarterback Jared Goff sat beside him at his locker before putting his face in his hands. Goff also received a hug from safety Kerby Joseph. His teammates supported him after a tough game where he threw three interceptions and lost a fumble. He finished 23-for-40 for 313 yards with a touchdown, but also briefly exited the game in the second quarter to be evaluated for a concussion after absorbing a big hit during Commanders safety Quan Martin's pick-six.
"I'm still kind of processing this. I'm going to have some hard nights coming up unfortunately. It's hard. I wish I could give you guys a better answer right now," Goff said. "It's disappointing. It's hard. We had everything we wanted. Home field advantage, the fans were incredible and unfortunately, we just let it slip out of our hands."
In a back-and-forth first-half battle, the Lions trailed by 10 at halftime. With 52 points combined, it matched the highest scoring first half in any game since the 2019 divisional playoffs between the Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans, according to ESPN Research.
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