Detroit Lions
Face of the Franchise
8 winners, 3 losers from the Detroit Lions’ win over the Washington Commanders
Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/detr...roit-lions-win-over-the-washington-commanders
The best cure for a blowout is to deliver one yourself.
The Detroit Lions held no quarter against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, blowing out the home team 44-22. The game was never close, with Detroit taking the lead early and running away with it. Even on the odd occasion when Washington scored, the Lions would answer right back—they finished the day having scored points on every full drive.
Such an offensive turnaround will help silence the voices of concern after a rough loss to the Minnesota Vikings the week prior. However, how the Lions turned around their offense could be a hot topic for the coming week. With coach Dan Campbell calling the shots in more ways than one, are the Lions back on track? The Philadelphia Eagles are due up next, so they will need to be in peak form against the former champions.
Who emerged as a winner or loser from the Lions’ rout of the Commanders?
Winner: Jameson Williams, WR
Out of the bye week, the Lions made it a mission to get Williams involved more often. The speedster had a great 66-yard, one-touchdown performance against the Vikings last week, but there was a caveat: most of his production came late in the game when the Lions were airing it out. Going into a favorable matchup against the Commanders, could the Lions get Williams rolling from the start?
The answer to that question was a firm yes. Williams was involved early and often against Washington, totaling six catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. Williams’ longest catch of the day was 41 yards, but it came on a mere shallow crossing route. This highlights how his role on the offense has evolved from a pure deep threat to a more versatile weapon. It makes plenty of sense, too, given his game-breaking speed. The Commanders’ Mike Sainristil, in particular, learned how fast Williams can be, getting burnt on a pair of intermediate routes. This was arguably Williams’ most complete game as a professional.
Loser: John Morton, play caller
Following a sloppy loss to the Vikings, the Lions needed to shake something up. Not only did they change their pants (welcome back silver!), but so too did they change their play caller. Much like during the 2021 campaign, it was head coach Dan Campbell taking up the mantle of play calling away from his offensive coordinator. With the Lions scoring 44 points in one of their best offensive showings of the year, it begs the question of what happens with John Morton going forward.
Will this be a situation akin to Anthony Lynn back in 2021? Per quarterback Jared Goff, no:
I will not pretend to know what happens behind closed doors in Allen Park, but despite the demotion from play caller, Morton was most certainly still involved in the game plan this week. Campbell deserves credit for calling a good game, but unless we hear about Morton getting phased out of the coaching staff entirely, he should still garner some credit as well.
That being said, the grass certainly looks greener without Morton at the helm calling plays. If I have to question whether the offensive coordinator is coordinating the offense, then I have to give Morton a negative for today’s game.
Winner: Brian Branch, S
It’s rare that a team’s best pass rusher is a safety, but Branch is something special. The star safety was a menace around the line of scrimmage. Not only did he rack up a total of seven tackles (falling just short of tackling machine Jack Campbell for the team lead), but he also recorded two sacks of Marcus Mariota, including this impressive rush:
The Lions have had to weather the multi-week injury to Kerby Joseph, but having another elite safety in Branch helps provide some relief and stability.
Additionally, a tip of the hat to Thomas Harper for playing well in relief—the Lions were lacking a trustworthy backup safety entering the season, but Harper has stepped up when called upon.
Winner: Kalif Raymond, WR
The Lions have had almost zero production from their depth receivers in 2025, with neither Raymond nor Isaac TeSlaa standing out besides a sparse few plays. While Raymond’s output on Sunday was not earthshattering (49 yards on four receptions), it was by far his biggest offensive contribution of the season and a firm reminder that he can be a contributor beyond special teams.
Raymond is still one of the faster players on the team, and he is worthy of more than a few gimmicky plays per game. He will never be the target hog he was for the Lions in 2021, but he can still provide a spark now and then.
Winner: Jared Goff, QB
When two receivers have season-best days, the quarterback typically deserves some credit. When two receivers have season-best days and neither of those players were Amon-Ra St. Brown or Sam LaPorta, the quarterback deserves a heap of praise.
Goff was under constant pressure against the Vikings last week, and the Lions’ offense suffered as a result. It was a complete 180 against Washington on Sunday. Goff threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns in a rout of the Commanders’ defense. Washington brought limited pressure throughout the game, and Goff capitalized on it. He had time to find his usual targets like St. Brown (58 yards and one touchdown) and LaPorta (53 yards), but the breakout of Williams and Raymond shows how comfortable Goff was on Sunday.
Winners: Penei Sewell and Kayode Awosika, OL
The offensive line, in particular, looked much improved against Washington, but I want to highlight two players.
Sewell has been a stalwart tackle since day one, but this game showcased how truly special he is. Not only was Sewell dominant in run blocking (his usual bread and butter), his pass protection gave Goff an easy, stress-free day from the pocket (just one pressure allowed per PFF’s live-game stats). A great game from Sewell is not uncommon, but he also did this while banged up. He had already suffered a shoulder injury last week that forced him to miss Wednesday’s practice. While he entered today’s game without an injury designation, he had an injury scare when defensive tackle Johnny Newton rolled up on his leg. Such a play would cause a common man like me to question my career choice, but Sewell only missed a handful of snaps. He returned and looked largely unbothered throughout the game. The man is simply a machine.
Speaking of injuries, Awosika stepped up in a big way. The run game in particular was humming (225 rushing yards on 32 carries), largely due to some stout blocking from Awosika and the interior. When Christian Mahogany was placed on Injured Reserve, there were questions about what the Lions would do to replace him. Trystan Colon was an option, as was a potential deadline trade. Instead, the Lions went with a player they felt comfortable with, and Awosika delivered.
Loser: Alim McNeill, DT
It is difficult to single out a loser when the Lions played such a complete game, but McNeill left me somewhat disappointed. In the run game, he got washed out on a few occasions, including the Chris Rodriguez touchdown run in the second quarter. The Commanders’ rushing totals were subpar (27 carries for 97 yards and the touchdown), but aside from one run stuff, McNeill was largely unnoticed. As a pass rusher, meanwhile, he was not collapsing the pocket like his usual self. Is this a byproduct of playing a scrambling quarterback like Marcus Mariota? Hard to say. Roy Lopez, inversely, stole the spotlight among the defensive tackles, notching a sack (tag-teamed with Branch) and multiple tackles for loss.
I still think McNeill is one of the Lions’ most important defenders, but he has been fairly quiet since his stellar debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Winner: Terrion Arnold, CB
If this article had been posted at halftime, Arnold would have been first on my list of Winners. Arnold was lights out in coverage against Washington, recording a pass defended and close coverage on a consistent basis. Arnold now has back-to-back outings with excellent coverage reps, a much-needed turnaround after a rough start to his season. While Arnold struggled in run defense against the Vikings last week, he shined in that regard this week. He demonstrated his ability to read and tackle on a Deebo Samuel end-around, saving a sure-fire touchdown.
Unfortunately for Arnold, it was just a phenomenal half of football. Arnold was ruled out with a concussion before the opening drive of the second half, ending what was a strong performance for the cornerback. His status will be worth monitoring going forward, a shame since his play has turned around of late.
Losers: Washington Commanders defense
Normally, I try to keep Winners/Losers focused solely on the Detroit Lions, but the Commanders’ defense exemplified the loser mentality.
Late in the second quarter, the Lions were driving on offense—as was the case throughout the entire game. Kinlaw was penalized for offside, giving the Lions a second-and-5 at the Washington 13. Despite the penalty (and the 14-3 scoreboard), Kinlaw was clapping and chirping in Jared Goff’s face. The Lions had the last laugh, as they scored on the very next play, bringing the score to 20-3 with a point after pending.
That it when things got spicy. On the way back to the huddle, Payne blatantly sucker punched Amon-Ra St. Brown in the face. Payne was immediately ejected, and the Lions were awarded free yards on their extra point; as a result, they converted a two-point conversion to bring the score to 22-3. After the conversion, Kinlaw was again sparring on the field, this time contacting an official and drawing a flag (but no ejection). This gave the Lions even more yards, allowing them to pin Washington deep on the ensuing kickoff.
Washington scored a touchdown despite the long field, which would normally help calm down a heated roster. Instead, the discipline continued to spiral for the Commanders. After Detroit kicked a field goal to close out the first half, safety Quan Martin was penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct after taunting offensive line Dan Skipper while he was on the ground. As the score ran away from them, the Commanders finally piped down.
It was a poor outing for the Washington defense in general, but to lose their cool that early into a football game—a football game still within reach—was downright pathetic.
Winner: Jack Fox, P
Fox got paid for barely doing anything today, the working man’s dream.
FOX Source: https://www.prideofdetroit.com/detr...roit-lions-win-over-the-washington-commanders
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