It was third-and-goal at the Detroit Lions' 5-yard line with thousands of Detroit Lions fans breathing down Jayden Daniels' neck. As usual, the roars and cheers didn't bother the rookie quarterback. He just did what he's done for most of the season: win.

Daniels took the snaps and backed up, surveyed his option in a clean pocket and flicked the ball to Zach Ertz in the end zone. The veteran -- and former Lion for about two weeks -- made the catch with ease, putting the Commanders up 31-21 with less than two minutes to go in the first half.

It might sound unbelievable that a team that won four games in 2023 managed to go up 10 points against arguably the best team in the NFL on the road. It's almost as improbable as that same team winning 12 regular-season games in the first year with a new coaching staff at the helm. But perhaps it's time for people to start believing; the Commanders are for real, and they proved once again -- this time with a 45-31 win -- they can beat anyone.

Washington is headed to the NFC Championship for the first time in 33 years. They will play the winner of Sunday's game between the Philadelphia Eagles and Los Angeles Rams.

All season long, head coach Dan Quinn and his staff preached the importance of playing complementary football. There were moments when the message stuck, at least temporarily, but it seems to have finally clicked at the right moment.

With two of the league's best offenses squaring off, it was expected to be a night for both offenses to shine. In that regard, it lived up to the hype. The two units combined for 1,002 yards of offense, 57 first downs and 76 points on 141 plays. Most of that came in the first half, marking the first time two teams combined for at least 600 yards in two quarters since Super Bowl LII.

What wasn't expected was for Washington's defense to swing the momentum in Washington's favor not just once but several times. They forced Jared Goff to commit four turnovers, including a fumble and an interception returned for a touchdown and grabbed another pass from Jameson Williams on a trick play. Washington scored points off three of those turnovers.

However, Daniels remained the star for the Commanders as he has been all season. He completed 70% of his passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns with 51 yards on 16 carries. He added a couple more records to his already stacked case to be named the Offensive Rookie of the Year. With his 350 total yards, he has the most total yardage by a rookie in a single season, including the playoffs, in NFL history. He now has 14 wins, which ties Ben Roethlisberger for the most by a rookie in NFL history.

The Lions and defensive coordinator Aaron Glen tried to make the rookie look human, but they failed in that endeavor like so many before them. Daniels was 12-of-16 against the blitz with 191 yards and a touchdown. Despite bringing 20 blitzes on Daniels, the Lions failed to record a sack as the rookie evaded their attempts, weaved around the backfield and made them pay.

Also, as expected, punt yardage was in short supply, with both teams only doing so once. They stayed true to their aggressive reputation, as they combined for six fourth-down attempts. The Commanders were 3-of-4 for the night, but the first didn't go well. Marcus Mariota was tackled behind the line of scrimmage on a fourth-and-1, and the Lions responded by going 71 yards on six plays. Jahmyr Gibbs, who finished the night with 175 total yards, was heavily featured on the drive with 48 yards and the one-yard touchdown to go up 7-0.

The Commanders didn't let the error deter them. They scored 10 unanswered points with two drives of 10 and 11 plays. Brian Robinson Jr. had a 14-yard run to set up a 47-yard field goal from Zane Gonzalez. After Dorance Armstrong and Frankie Luvu combined for a strip-sack and fumble recovery on Goff, Daniels connected with Dyami Brown on a 42-yard completion that brought the Commanders to the 16-yard line. Robinson went on to cap off the 78-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run.

That score came at the top of the second quarter, starting what ended up being the highest-scoring 15 minutes of football in NFL history. The Lions responded with a 70-yard touchdown drive, highlighted by the two-yard throw to Sam LaPorta while falling down. That lead change lasted 81 seconds; McLaurin outran the Lions' defenders on a 59-yard romp to the end zone. Less than a minute later, Quan Martin took advantage of an overthrown pass by Goff and ran it 40 yards back to put Washington up by 10.

The Lions were back in the end zone three plays later. With Goff on the sideline getting evaluated for a concussion and Teddy Bridgewater in the game, Jameson took a reverse and followed a convoy of blockers en route to a 61-yard score.
That gave Washington the ball with four minutes left for Daniels to deliver some magic. He launched a pass to Brown, who made a 38-yard catch despite having a defender's hand in his face. Three plays later, Daniels completed his touchdown pass to Ertz, making the score 31-21 at the half. Mike Sainristil grabbed an interception on a pass intended for Williams in the end zone to keep it that way.

Things slowed down slightly in the second half, and the Lions used a lull from the Commanders to climb out of the two-score deficit. David Montgomery completed a pass to Amon-Ra St. Brown for 20 yards that moved the ball to the Commanders' 7-yard line, and Gibbs found the end zone for the second time to cut the lead to three points.
Daniels and the Commanders mustered another response. They methodically moved to the Lions' 5-yard line before stalling on a fourth-and-2. The Lions, however, were called for having 12 players on the field, and Robinson powered forward for the one-yard score.

The offense got another gift from their defense off a trick play. Williams was pitched the ball on a reverse and fired a shot intended for Gibbs, but Sainristil, who was providing tight coverage on the play, grabbed the ball instead. Washington took over at their 34-yard line and marched to the Lions' 13. They trusted Daniels to convert a fourth-and-2, and the rookie delivered by connecting with McLaurin for a 12-yard reception. On the next play, Jeremy McNichols reached the ball across the goal line to put the Commanders up by 17.

The next seven minutes felt like an eternity. It wasn't impossible for the Lions to climb out of the deficit, and they had chances to pull it off. They got in range for a 28-yard field goal and nearly grabbed an onside kick attempt. Gonzalez missed wide left on a 44-yard attempt, giving the Lions the ball at their 34.

There was 2:36 left on the clock, but the Commanders had waited over three decades for this kind of success. They could be patient for a little longer.

The Lions got to the Commanders' 17-yard line before their season came to an end. Jeremy Chinn grabbed a pass intended for Tim Patrick, meaning that all Daniels needed to do was take a knee to run out the clock.

Daniels and the power of belief have gotten the Commanders one win away from the Super Bowl -- something that even the most optimistic thought was years down the road. But Washington made a statement in Detroit. The future is bright in the DMV, but so is the present.