Commanders losing streak reaches 5 in blowout loss to Lions

The Commanders’ losing streak reached five games on Sunday as the visiting Detroit Lions embarrassed Washington in a 44-22 rout. 

The defeat marked the Commanders’ fourth straight loss by at least 21 points, a new low for a team that reached the NFC championship game last season.

Washington was clearly outclassed as the franchise tries to find its footing while quarterback Jayden Daniels recovers from a dislocated elbow. 

Detroit quarterback Jared Goff couldn’t miss as his potent group of weapons routinely found the holes in a porous Washington defense. Commanders defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. moved from the booth to the sideline for Sunday’s game in an effort to energize his struggling group.

It didn’t work. 

The Lions scored on each of their nine possessions, never recording a punt or a turnover. 

Goff completed 25 of 33 passes for 320 yards with three touchdowns. He sliced and diced the Commanders’ secondary, constantly gaining chunk plays to keep Detroit’s offense moving throughout the lopsided affair.

The ground game was similarly dominant for the Lions. Running back Jahmyr Gibbs torched the Commanders, gaining 142 yards at a hyper-efficient rate of 9.2 yards per carry. He scored three touchdowns, two as a runner and one as a receiver.

An awful game kept getting worse for the Commanders. 

On Gibbs’ second-quarter touchdown run, Washington lost linebacker Frankie Luvu and cornerback Trey Amos to injury. Luvu eventually returned, but Amos was sidelined with an ankle injury for the remainder. 

The Commanders’ simmering frustration grew alongside the Lions’ lead.

On the same play, defensive tackle Daron Payne threw a seemingly unprompted right hook at Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown. The swing was egregious enough for officials to eject Payne from the game. 

Fellow defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for shoving an official on the following two-point attempt, which the Lions converted to crack open a 22-3 lead. 

The Commanders temporarily kept the game competitive with a Chris Rodriguez rushing touchdown to narrow the lead to 12 points, though the Lions added another field goal before the end of the first half. 

Washington’s offense tried, unsuccessfully, to keep up. 

After the Lions added another Gibbs touchdown to open the second half, backup quarterback Marcus Mariota led the Commanders down the field with a 38-yard pass to receiver Treylon Burks. 

Mariota then found leading receiver Deebo Samuel in the end zone for a four-yard touchdown to trim the lead to 16.

The Commanders’ journeyman signal-caller completed 16 of 22 pass attempts for 213 yards and two touchdowns in a respectable performance that was still leagues behind the efficiency of Goff’s Lions. 

Detroit gained eight yards per play, ending the game with 546 total yards of offense.

Washington never mounted a serious comeback attempt, trailing by at least two possessions for the final three quarters.

By the end of the game, visiting Detroit fans outnumbered the Washington faithful as a sea of “Honolulu Blue” jerseys dotted the stands. 

The Commanders, now 3-7, would need a miracle to make the playoffs for a second consecutive season. Washington travels to Madrid to face the Miami Dolphins next Sunday. 

The 6-3 Lions are firmly in playoff contention and will face the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles next weekend.