SI

Lions Players React to Championship Sunday After Divisional Round Loss vs. Commanders

Blake Silverman

Detroit Lions cornerback Arnold runs onto the field for the Minnesota Vikings game at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.
Detroit Lions cornerback Arnold runs onto the field for the Minnesota Vikings game at Ford Field in Detroit on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025. / Kimberly P. Mitchell / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
In this story:

The Detroit Lions expected to host the NFC championship game for the first time Sunday. Instead, Detroit's Super Bowl hopes ended prematurely when Jayden Daniels and the Washington Commanders marched into Ford Field and won 45-31 in the divisional round.

Now, the Commanders are spending their Sunday in Philadelphia to play the Eagles for the NFC title and a trip to the Super Bowl, while the Lions try to think about anything else. Amidst the disappointment, a few Lions players took to social media to acknowledge a tough day of "what if?" in Detroit.

Rookie cornerback Terrion Arnold posted a video on Instagram as he listened to slow R&B music. "POV: you should be playing today," Arnold captioned the video with a broken heart emoji.

Linebacker Alex Anzalone is taking the strategy of avoiding the NFC championship game and social media altogether Sunday.

"Well, I guess today’s a good day for no social media and tv," he posted on X.

Cornerback Amik Robertson, who broke his arm early during the divisional round loss to the Commanders, posted that he's avoiding playoff football altogether now that the Lions are out. Understandable.

A difficult day for the Lions and their fans as their season ended in disappointment last week. As the Commanders play the Eagles, they can only wonder what could have been.

More of the Latest Around the NFL

Published
Blake Silverman
BLAKE SILVERMAN

Blake Silverman is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the WNBA, NBA, G League and college basketball for numerous sites, including Winsidr, SB Nation's Detroit Bad Boys and A10Talk. He graduated from Michigan State University before receiving a master's in sports journalism from St. Bonaventure University. Outside of work, he's probably binging the latest Netflix documentary, at a yoga studio or enjoying everything Detroit sports. A lifelong Michigander, he lives in suburban Detroit with his wife, young son and their personal petting zoo of two cats and a dog.

Home/NFL