What might have been for the Detroit Lions.

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What might have been for the Detroit Lions.

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After a regular-season filled with team records and league-leading accomplishments, hopes for the club’s first-ever Super Bowl appearance slipped away on Saturday.

“It’s just disappointing, it’s hard, we had everything we wanted – home-field advantage, fans were incredible – unfortunately, we just let it slip out of our hands,” Lions’ quarterback Jared Goff said.

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Plagued by five turnovers, the top-seeded Lions fell 45-31 to the fifth-seeded Washington Commanders in the NFC Division round before 64,744 at Ford Field.

“The whole point of doing what you do is to get to the show man, it’s why you play the game and we fell short,” Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell said. “It hurts to lose man and I don’t care if you’re a seven seed, six seed, five seed, one seed because I’ve lost at all of them (darn) near and it stings and it hurts. So, that hurts.”

In a season marred by injuries, the Detroit Lions lost cornerback Amik Robertson #21 early in Saturday's game after he suffered an elbow injury.
In a season marred by injuries, the Detroit Lions lost cornerback Amik Robertson #21 early in Saturday’s game after he suffered an elbow injury. Photo by Nic Antaya /Getty Images

Early on, the Lions looked like a team ready to head back to the NFC championship game. Jahmyr Gibbs scored on a one-yard touchdown run and, after holding Washington to a field goal, the Lions were driving again when Goff was sacked at the Commanders’ 25-yard line and fumbled the ball.

“It was just one of those days,” Campbell said. “Things were a little bit off. I mean look, the first (turnover) we had, we’re going to Saint (receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown) and Saint just kind of trips a little bit and then Goff has got to move back in the pocket and reset and then he ends up getting sacked and the ball gets knocked out and they recover it.

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“It was just a chain reaction. It’s a ripple effect of things happening all in one play and so it’s not just one thing and that was kind of how the day was a little bit.”

Rather than opening an 11-point lead, Washington immediately drove the field to score and retake the lead. Detroit countered with a score, but the Commanders’ offence got rolling.

A mixup on defence turned into a 58-yard touchdown pass and then Goff was picked off and Washington returned it 40 yards for a score to take a 28-10 lead.

“Worst part of this job and you hate it when you feel like you let guys down and you want to win these type of games at home,” Goff said. “Just hard to put in words.”

With Goff being examined after taking a hit the helmet after the interception, Teddy Bridgewater led the Lions on a 78-yard scoring drive, but the Commanders answered again and Goff was picked off in the end zone and led 31-21 at the half.

“It’s a humbling game, it’s a humbling sport and we were on top of the world after that Minnesota game,” Goff said in reference to winning the final regular-season game to get the NFC top seed. “It’s hard standing her right now and trying to process it all.”

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The Lions got an eight-yard touchdown run from Gibbs to make it a one-score game in the third quarter, but could never retake the lead as the club failed in any way rattle Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels, who did not turn the ball over in the game or get sacked while throwing for 299 yards and two touchdowns and running for another 51 yards.

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell talks to the media after Saturday's season-ending loss.
Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell talks to the media after Saturday’s season-ending loss. Photo by Mike Mulholland /THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

“We knew we were gong to have our hands full,” Campbell said of Daniels, who engineered four touchdown drives of 70 yards or more. “That’s a good player.”

A too man men on the field call against Detroit allowed Washington to convert a fourth down and keep a drive alive and pave the way for a fourth-quarter score. Jameson Williams was then interception on a trick play that killed another drive by the Lions and was answered by another long Washington touchdown drive and Detroit simply ran out of time.

“They came out and they beat us and they played well and we didn’t and that’s the bottom line,” Goff said. “Again, I know I’m repeating myself at this point, but had I played better, do we win? Possibly and that’s the part that’ll eat me apart for the whole off-season.”

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