Near the end of the first quarter of the Detroit Lions’ home playoff game against the Washington Commanders on Saturday, rising rapper LiAngelo Ball performed his hit song “Tweaker” in front of those in attendance at Ford Field.
View this post on Instagram
But the final outcome of the game wasn’t one that Lions fans were hoping for. Detroit lost to a red-hot Commanders team by a final score of 45-31 after it allowed 28 points in the second quarter alone and 14 more in the final frame.
Former NBA guard Nate Robinson blamed Ball’s performance for the Lions’ disappointing playoff defeat.
Quarterback Jared Goff certainly didn’t play at the top of his game against Washington with Detroit’s season hanging in the balance. He threw for 313 yards but finished with only one touchdown compared to three interceptions.
He was outplayed by Commanders signal-caller Jayden Daniels, who has cemented himself as one of the better young players at his position in the NFL. The No. 2 overall pick of the 2024 NFL Draft totaled 299 passing yards and threw two touchdowns without racking up a single interception. He also ran for 51 yards.
The Lions headed into the playoffs hoping to win their first Super Bowl in franchise history after they enjoyed an incredibly successful 2024 regular season. Detroit finished its 17-game slate with a record of 15-2, which was tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for the best record in the league.
Part of what made Detroit’s regular season so impressive is that the squad didn’t lose a single road game all season. The Lions were the only team in football to accomplish such a feat.
However, now that the Lions have suffered an early playoff exit, their success during the regular season was arguably all for naught, and the team will enter the offseason with some question marks.
Whether or not the Lions will more or less run it back with the same group next season or go through some roster changes remains to be seen. They are clearly talented but have more work to do to get over the hump.
