NFL Divisional Round 2025 Takeaways: What’s Next for Playoff Winners and Losers? | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Commanders Aren’t Experiencing the Start of Something Special, They’ve Already Arrived

The Commanders orchestrated an incredible turnaround in 2024, and several people deserve credit.

Head coach Dan Quinn had a franchise that went 4-13 in 2023 ready to win right away. General manager Adam Peters cobbled together a playoff-ready roster that looked very little like last year’s team. Rookie Jayden Daniels, the presumptive Offensive Rookie of the Year, has played like a top-five quarterback pretty much since Week 1.

Washington wasn’t expected to be this good, this quickly, but here they are. A week after besting the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a last-second field goal, the Commanders took it to the NFC’s top seed on the road.

Daniels was as poised as a quarterback could be, while Quinn’s aggressive play-calling kept pressure on the Lions. Washington’s defense secured five takeaways on the night, while offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury consistently conjured big plays.

What should concern the rest of the NFC is the fact that the Commanders could be even better next year. While several notable players—including Bobby Wagner, Zach Ertz, Dyami Brown and Olamide Zaccheaus—are impending free agents, Washington is projected to have $93 million in available 2025 cap space.

Of course, the Commanders aren’t thinking about next season, and they shouldn’t. They have the talent and the confidence needed to make a run all the way to Super Bowl LIX.

Washington will be on the road again next week. It also has a rookie quarterback and a defense that finished the regular season ranked 13th overall and 18th in points allowed. So what?

The stage isn’t too big for Daniels, and tough environments haven’t shaken the Commanders to this point. While the defense is vulnerable, especially against the run, it’s found a knack for forcing key stops and notching takeaways.

The Commanders have also learned to win close games late, though they didn’t need to on Saturday. Washington entered the divisional round with five straight wins decided in the final 10 seconds of the game. It hasn’t lost a game by more than one score since Week 1.

What once felt like a feel-good story for a long-suffering franchise is now much more. The future is bright in Washington, but the Commanders have every reason to believe they can win it all now.

Lions’ Ultimate “What-If” Campaign Leads to Pivotal Offseason

The Lions won 15 games and earned the NFC’s No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history. Yet, injuries headlined arguably the biggest storyline of their season. They were especially problematic on defense, and Detroit entered the postseason without key players like Aidan Hutchinson, Alim McNeill and Carlton Davis.

Cornerback Amik Robertson exited early in the game with what appeared to be a very significant elbow injury.

Unsurprisingly, the Lions struggled to contain Washington’s passing attack early. To make matters worse, three Jared Goff turnovers—including one returned by a touchdown by Quan Martin—left Detroit in a 10-point hole at halftime.

A fourth turnover—thrown by wide receiver Jameson Williams on a trick play—cost the Lions in the fourth quarter. Goff’s third interception ended Detroit’s comeback hopes.

Unfortunately, the injuries and the mistakes were too much for the Lions to overcome. It’ll leave the Lions and their fans wondering what 2024 might have been. How far might this team have gone with a healthy roster or with fewer miscues in the most important game of the season? We’ll never know.

If there’s a silver lining for Detroit, it’s that the team is well-positioned to reload and even improve in the offseason. It’s clear that the Lions need to improve the depth and talent of a defense that ranked 22nd in yards per carry allowed, 30th in passing yards allowed and 20th overall. Detroit has $67.9 million in projected cap space with which to do it.

Of course, nothing is guaranteed, something to which head coach Dan Campbell alluded after last year’s loss in the NFC Championship Game.

“I know how hard it is to get here. I’m well aware,” Campbell told reporters. “And it’s gonna be twice as hard to get back to this point next year than it was this year. That’s the reality.”

Finding the right players for the Lions won’t be as simple as handing out contract dollars. General manager Brad Holmes must find players that fit the culture and complement the talent the team already has.

There’s also a chance that offensive coordinator Ben Johnson or defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn will depart to fill one of the NFL’s head-coaching vacancies.

The Lions can be title contenders again in 2025. They didn’t win 15 games by accident. However, making it happen will require some offseason work and better fortunes than they experienced in 2024.