DETROIT (AP) — Jayden Daniels threw two touchdowns as Washington’s impressive rookie excelled flawlessly, and the Commanders pulled off a shocking upset over the Detroit Lions 45-31 on Saturday night, advancing their team to its first NFC championship game since the Super Bowl victory 33 years ago.
The sixth seeded Commanders have a 14-5 record, and were slight underdogs against the top-ranked Lions with a 15-3 record, despite consistently overcoming challenges all season with a new quarterback and coaching staff, including a general manager.
Detroit, the number one seed in the NFC for the first time, hurt its chances by committing five turnovers.
Washington rookie Mike Sainristil picked off two passes, including one on a trick play in the fourth quarter where Washington receiver Jameson Williams threw into coverage from behind on a reverse, and Quan Martin turned one of those interceptions 40 yards into a touchdown.
Jared Goff threw three interceptions and lost a fumble, resulting in a total of four turnovers in the disappointing first half.
Daniels completed the game with 299 passing yards and 51 rushing yards, an accomplishment he would’ve scored even more impressive had he not fumbled or lost the ball.
CHIEFS 23, TEXANS 14
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Patrick Mahomes threw a touchdown pass and 177 yards of passes, with most of the yards going to teammate Travis Kelce, as Kansas City won and moved on to the AFC championship game for the seventh year in a row.
Seated alongside WNBA star Caitlin Clark , Kelce caught seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown, enabling the Chiefs (16-2) to stay in contention for a third straight Super Bowl championship, a perfect three-peat.
In an attempt to dethrone the reigning champions.
Mahomes’ postseason record improved to 16-3, matching Joe Montana for the second-most wins in NFL history, just behind Tom Brady, and he is 7-0 in the divisional round of the playoffs. Mahomes also helped coach Andy Reid become the fourth NFL head coach to win 300 career games.
Meanwhile, the Texans (11-8) have still not managed to win in their six divisional matches. They have lost to the Kansas City team not once, but twice.
