The Detroit Lions suffered a devastating, stunning loss to the Washington Commanders 45-31 in the Divisional Round of the playoffs on Saturday night, putting a heartbreaking end to one of the best seasons in franchise history. In the end, five turnovers and the brilliance of Jayden Daniels on the other side were too much for the Lions to overcome and now their season is over.
One of the big stories surrounding the Lions all season long was the injuries, specifically on defense. The war of attrition really started to pile up for the Lions throughout the season as they lost numerous starters at all three levels of the defense. On Saturday night, that unit hit its breaking point when cornerback Amik Robertson went down with a broken arm early in the game and did not return.
On Saturday night, Robertson underwent successful surgery to repair a broken humerus, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Media. Robertson is expected to be back in time for the offseason program and will be able to fully prepare for next season.
Robertson played a pivotal role in getting the Lions the No. 1 seed with his stellar performance against the Minnesota Vikings and Justin Jefferson in Week 18. After he left this game, the Lions really missed him as the Commanders went up and down the field throughout the night.
Lions injuries too much to overcome vs. Commanders

The loss of Robertson, coupled with the loss of starting cornerback Carlton Davis late in the regular season, proved to be too much for the Lions to overcome. The Commanders overmatched them on that side of the ball, and Jayden Daniels and the Washington offense had one of the best days by any offense all season.
The Lions already came into this game playing without Carlton Davis, Malcolm Rodriguez, Alim McNeill and Aidan Hutchinson, four of their best defensive players. Once Robertson went down, the Lions were really thin on reliable bodies in the secondary and had to turn to undrafted rookie Morice Norris, who did not play on defense during the regular season.
The Commanders did an excellent job taking advantage of that. They used screens effectively and had a lot of misdirection to throw off the inexperienced Lions defenders. As a result, you had an offense that was getting whatever it wanted both to move the chains consistently and in the explosive play department.
As a result, it's back to the drawing board for the Lions as they try to regroup after seeing one of their best seasons and teams of all-time go up in smoke in one night in front of their home fans. Despite all of the wins and success this season, the injuries on defense were just too much to overcome.