The Washington Commanders are the toast of the NFL after the three-headed monster of Dan Quinn, Kliff Kingsbury, and Jayden Daniels provided enough fireworks to upset the Detroit Lions as massive road underdogs. They've made the NFC Conference championship game for the first time in over 30 years.
Between Jared Goff turning the ball over four times, Detroit's defense surrendering 38 points of their own, and some tough late-game miscues from their coaching staff, the Lions' disappointment is immeasurable. Rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold tried to get it out of his system in a very cathartic fashion.
Arnold turned on Madden, put the game on the easiest difficulty setting possible, and set out to destroy the Washington defense. He put up 103 points for his Lions, while the Commanders were shut out.
Lions CB Terrion Arnold raging on Madden after Commanders' upset win
The Lions couldn't get it done on the field. Arnold needed to create a fake situation to make a world in which Washington's offense could be stopped. That wasn't the case in reality.
If Daniels continues to improve in the next few years, expect more and more of his opponents to take out their frustrations with him and his offense this way.
To be fair to Arnold, his defense was being held together by string and duct tape. Not only were almost half of the team's Week 1 starting unit on injured reserve but many of the top backups were hurt as well. Washington was not willing to give them any grace, as Daniels lit that secondary up.
Even with perhaps the NFC's best safety duo in Brian Branch and Kerby Joseph, Detroit had no answers for the Commanders They tried blitzing, but Daniels wasn't sacked once and posted exceptional efficiency numbers when the Lions did send extra men. That plan backfired, it seems.
Arnold's Lions may be in for a very difficult offseason. With both offensive coordinator Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn expected to take head coaching jobs elsewhere this cycle, Detroit may be unable to capture that same 15-2 magic they had this year.
Detroit's loss is Washington's gain. It took the Commanders all of one year to go from possibly the worst team in the league to one of the best. Arnold and the Lions may need to settle for virtual beatdowns over real-life ones unless head coach Dan Campbell gets it together without his two coordinators to depend upon.