To upset the No. 1 seeded Detroit Lions on the road, the Washington Commanders knew they’d probably have to be perfect. They knew they’d have to pull out every trick from their bag to steal points, possessions, and generally keep the Lions on their toes.

The Commanders took a major gamble with Jayden Daniels in the lineup on fourth down. But Marcus Mariota ended up getting criticized.

Daniels’ day is done. The Commanders pulled him at halftime, placing him in bubble wrap for the second half as the team looks ahead to the postseason. Marcus Mariota started the second half. The Cowboys started third quarterback Trey Lance, who is 14-of-24 for 167 yards, but the Cowboys are 0-for-4 in the red zone.

With the Commanders opting to sit Jayden Daniels in the second half due to leg soreness, Marcus Mariota came on and threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Terry McLaurin with two seconds remaining to give Washington a 23-19 win over the Cowboys.

Commanders backup quarterback Marcus Mariota had some high praise for rookie, Jayden Daniels's future after Week 18

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels has given his thoughts on Marcus Mariota's game-winning drive against the Dallas Cowboys.

Decidedly not how they drew it up. The Commanders are going to have to play a near-perfect game to usurp the Lions in Detroit on Saturday night and punch a ticket to the NFC championship game. How exactly journeyman quarterback Marcus Mariota fits into that plan remains to be seen.