The Washington Commanders' feel-good story will continue for another week after Dan Quinn's team upset the Detroit Lions at Ford Field 45-31 to book their spot in the NFC Championship Game.
Going into hostile territory, not many gave Washington a chance against what some called the best team in football, but led by Jayden Daniels who finished his night’s work going 22 for 31 with 299 passing yards and two touchdowns, the Commanders didn’t just hang with the NFC heavyweight, they pushed them around.
Washington racked up 481 total yards, averaged 6.6 yards per play, only punted once, had the ball for seven minutes more than the Lions, and Joe Whitt’s defense forced five turnovers.
That equals an outstanding win, and it's one that receiver Terry McLaurin is lapping up.
"We're extremely excited for this win, but we're not done yet," McLaurin said. "We're not satisfied, but we're definitely going to enjoy this one, get a good day off, and then get ready for whoever we play next week."
Washington will now rest up and see which team out of the Philadelphia Eagles or Los Angeles Rams they will face in the NFC Championship Game.
Given that the Commanders are into the title game, it is something that a month ago seemed unfathomable, but Quinn has this team playing at a high level, and of course, it helps when you have a rookie quarterback whose pulse doesn't go over 50 in crunch situations.
The Commanders are no longer the underdog in this Super Bowl fight, and as McLaurin stated, they aren’t done yet with one more game guaranteed; you can bet they’ll leave it all on the line in the conference championship.
