Commanders finally break year-long curse and it was the driving force behind beating Lions in Motown
All year long, the Washington Commanders talked about the desire to get more takeaways on defense.That was one of the the biggest issues of the 2024 season. Washington tied for the seventh-fewest takeaways all year at 17 and just 8.8% of opposing drives ended in a takeaway, which tied for the ninth-lowest rate in the […]
All year long, the Washington Commanders talked about the desire to get more takeaways on defense.
That was one of the the biggest issues of the 2024 season. Washington tied for the seventh-fewest takeaways all year at 17 and just 8.8% of opposing drives ended in a takeaway, which tied for the ninth-lowest rate in the NFL. In all, the Commanders defense picked off seven passes and recovered 10 fumbles during the regular season and the unit recovered one fumble in the Wild Card win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Well, that completely changed on Saturday night against the Detroit Lions. The Commanders recorded not one, not two, not three, not four, but five takeaways on the night – three of which came in the first half, alone.
The Commanders defense didn't log a single game with three turnovers in 2024, let alone five. Hell, Dan Quinn's and Joe Whitt Jr.'s crew only came up with two turnovers in a single game just four times before the Divisional Round. And all five takeaways played huge roles in helping the Commanders advance to their first NFC Championship Game in over 30 years.
"We knew they had explosive players at a number of spots, and they made some plays, which we expected that to be, but the ball would be the difference in this game, and so for us to come out in the plus and the turnover margin, that was a big deal," Quinn told reporters after the game.
The Lions were responsible for four interceptions and a lost fumble. Goff threw three of the interceptions and lost said fumble. Wide receiver Jameson Williams was responsible for the other interception on an ill-advised trick play where he tried to hit a receiver down the field, but Mike Sainristil was there for the interception. It was the the rookie's second interception on the night and Jayden Daniels made the Lions instantly pay on the next drive with a touchdown that pushed the lead 1o 17-points in the fourth quarter.
The first three turnovers were so crucial because they were the catalysts that gave the Commanders the opportunity to build a 10-point lead. Two of said turnovers led to 14-points, with one being a pick-six and the third ended a promising end-of-half drive that saw the Lions drive into field goal range before throwing the interception. As mentioned earlier, the fourth takeaway led to seven-points, as well, and the final one closed out the game.
So, in totality, the five takeaways led to 21-points and closed out two end-of-half drives. One of which ended the game.
That's not a bad way to kill off a trend that needed to change. And if the Commanders can do it again in the NFC Championship, well, I think it's safe to say this team will playing for the Lombardi in New Orleans come February.
