Dan Campbell put on his reading glasses, grabbed the play sheet, and took control.
The Detroit Lions head coach hadn’t called offensive plays in years, but after watching his team stumble through a 27-24 loss to Minnesota the week before, he decided it was time. On November 9, 2025, at Northwest Stadium, that decision proved brilliant as the Lions demolished the Washington Commanders 44-22.
Campbell’s offense scored on eight straight possessions. They never punted. They gained 546 yards and controlled the game from the opening kickoff to the final whistle in front of 64,470 fans, including President Donald Trump making his first regular-season NFL appearance since 1978.
“It was just: Let’s try something a little different,” Campbell said after the game. “Maybe a different play-caller can get us a little more rhythm.”
Table of Contents
Gibbs and Goff Deliver Under Campbell’s Direction
Jahmyr Gibbs torched Washington’s defense for 172 total yards and three touchdowns. The third-year running back carried 15 times for 142 yards, averaging 9.5 per attempt, and caught three passes for 30 more. His 43-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter put the game completely out of reach.
Gibbs joined Calvin Johnson, Billy Sims, and Leon Hart as the only Lions players to score 10 touchdowns through nine games.
Jared Goff operated with surgical precision, completing 25 of 33 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns without an interception. His 135.9 passer rating reflected total command.
“It’s been a long time since he’s done it. He was great,” Goff said of Campbell. “He’s not just this rah-rah guy. He’s extremely smart.”
Jameson Williams caught six passes for 119 yards and a touchdown, consistently beating single coverage deep. Amon-Ra St. Brown added five catches for 58 yards and a score, celebrating one touchdown with the “Trump dance” that had become popular among athletes.
Detroit converted five of 10 third downs and both fourth-down attempts, keeping drives alive and wearing down Washington’s defense.
Box Score: Complete Game Statistics
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
- DET 7-0 | Jahmyr Gibbs 14-yard TD pass from Jared Goff (Jake Bates kick), 8:24
- DET 7-3 | Matt Gay 44-yard field goal, 5:43
- DET 14-3 | Amon-Ra St. Brown 9-yard TD pass from Jared Goff (Jake Bates kick), 1:54
Second Quarter
- DET 22-3 | Jahmyr Gibbs 13-yard TD run (David Montgomery 2-pt conversion), 9:41
- DET 22-10 | Chris Rodriguez Jr. 1-yard TD run (Matt Gay kick), 3:39
- DET 25-10 | Jake Bates 22-yard field goal, 0:11
Third Quarter
- DET 32-10 | Jameson Williams 14-yard TD pass from Jared Goff (Jake Bates kick), 12:06
- DET 32-16 | Deebo Samuel 4-yard TD pass from Marcus Mariota (2-pt failed), 7:05
- DET 35-16 | Jake Bates 28-yard field goal, 2:30
Fourth Quarter
- DET 41-16 | Jahmyr Gibbs 43-yard TD run (PAT blocked), 12:50
- DET 41-22 | Ben Sinnott 4-yard TD pass from Marcus Mariota (2-pt failed), 6:57
- DET 44-22 | Jake Bates 48-yard field goal, 4:34
Team Statistics
Category | Detroit | Washington |
|---|---|---|
First Downs | 30 | 14 |
Total Plays | 68 | 51 |
Total Yards | 546 | 288 |
Yards Per Play | 8.0 | 5.6 |
Passing Yards | 320 | 195 |
Rushing Yards | 226 | 93 |
Penalties-Yards | 3-1 | 8-61 |
Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
Time of Possession | 32:36 | 27:24 |
Third Down Conversions | 5-10 | 2-10 |
Fourth Down Conversions | 2-2 | 3-3 |
Red Zone Efficiency | 4-6 | 3-3 |
Sacks Against | 0-0 | 2-18 |
Detroit Lions Passing
Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SACKS | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jared Goff | 25/33 | 320 | 3 | 0 | 0-0 | 135.9 |
Kyle Allen | 0/2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 | 39.6 |
Team Total | 25/35 | 320 | 3 | 0 | 0-0 | 128.3 |
Detroit Lions Rushing
Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jahmyr Gibbs | 15 | 142 | 9.5 | 2 | 43 |
David Montgomery | 15 | 71 | 4.7 | 0 | 12 |
Kalif Raymond | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 0 | 10 |
Sione Vaki | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 |
Kyle Allen | 1 | -1 | -1.0 | 0 | -1 |
Team Total | 33 | 226 | 6.8 | 2 | 43 |
Detroit Lions Receiving
Player | REC | TGTS | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jameson Williams | 6 | 7 | 119 | 19.8 | 1 | 41 |
Amon-Ra St. Brown | 5 | 8 | 58 | 11.6 | 1 | 16 |
Sam LaPorta | 5 | 5 | 53 | 10.6 | 0 | 14 |
Kalif Raymond | 4 | 4 | 49 | 12.3 | 0 | 18 |
Jahmyr Gibbs | 3 | 4 | 30 | 10.0 | 1 | 14 |
Isaac TeSlaa | 1 | 1 | 11 | 11.0 | 0 | 11 |
David Montgomery | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
Team Total | 25 | 32 | 320 | 12.8 | 3 | 41 |
Washington Commanders Passing
Player | C/ATT | YDS | TD | INT | SACKS | RTG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Marcus Mariota | 16/22 | 213 | 2 | 0 | 2-18 | 133.3 |
Team Total | 16/22 | 195 | 2 | 0 | 2-18 | 133.3 |
Washington Commanders Rushing
Player | CAR | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jacory Croskey-Merritt | 11 | 30 | 2.7 | 0 | 6 |
Jeremy McNichols | 5 | 25 | 5.0 | 0 | 9 |
Marcus Mariota | 5 | 22 | 4.4 | 0 | 9 |
Chris Rodriguez Jr. | 6 | 16 | 2.7 | 1 | 9 |
Team Total | 27 | 93 | 3.4 | 1 | 9 |
Washington Commanders Receiving
Player | REC | TGTS | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Treylon Burks | 3 | 3 | 58 | 19.3 | 0 | 37 |
Zach Ertz | 4 | 5 | 54 | 13.5 | 0 | 30 |
Jaylin Lane | 1 | 1 | 41 | 41.0 | 0 | 41 |
Deebo Samuel | 4 | 5 | 29 | 7.3 | 1 | 19 |
Robbie Chosen | 1 | 4 | 17 | 17.0 | 0 | 17 |
John Bates | 1 | 2 | 6 | 6.0 | 0 | 6 |
Ben Sinnott | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 1 | 4 |
Jeremy McNichols | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4.0 | 0 | 4 |
Team Total | 16 | 22 | 213 | 13.3 | 2 | 41 |
Detroit Lions Defense
Player | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jack Campbell | 9 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Brian Branch | 7 | 4 | 1.5 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
Thomas Harper | 6 | 6 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Alex Anzalone | 5 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Roy Lopez | 5 | 3 | 0.5 | 2 | 0 | 1 |
Tyler Lacy | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Avonte Maddox | 4 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Team Total | 58 | 36 | 2.0 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
Washington Commanders Defense
Player | TOT | SOLO | SACKS | TFL | PD | QB HTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bobby Wagner | 9 | 6 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
Quan Martin | 9 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Mike Sainristil | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Jeremy Reaves | 7 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Preston Smith | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Jonathan Jones | 4 | 4 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Frankie Luvu | 3 | 3 | 0.0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Team Total | 78 | 38 | 0.0 | 0 | 3 | 5 |
Kicking Statistics
Detroit
- Jake Bates: 3/3 FG (Long: 48), 3/4 XP
Washington
- Matt Gay: 1/1 FG (Long: 44), 1/1 XP
Return Statistics
Detroit
- Sione Vaki: 2 kickoff returns, 39 yards (19.5 avg)
- Kalif Raymond: 3 punt returns, 3 yards (1.0 avg); 1 kickoff return, 21 yards
Washington
- Noah Igbinoghene: 7 kickoff returns, 191 yards (27.3 avg, Long: 46)
Punting
Washington
- Tress Way: 4 punts, 200 yards (50.0 avg, Long: 56), 2 inside 20
Detroit
- No punts
Washington’s Injury-Plagued Offense
The Commanders entered Northwest Stadium already decimated. Jayden Daniels sat out his fourth game after dislocating his left elbow in Week 9. Terry McLaurin, their top receiver, missed his sixth game in seven weeks with a quadriceps injury.
Marcus Mariota filled in at quarterback and posted solid numbers, 16 of 22 for 213 yards and two touchdowns, but lacked the weapons to keep pace. Without McLaurin, Noah Brown, or Luke McCaffrey available, Washington’s passing attack couldn’t stretch Detroit’s defense.
The ground game fared worse. Washington managed just 93 rushing yards on 27 carries, averaging 3.4 per attempt. Jacory Croskey-Merritt led with 30 yards on 11 carries.
“Everyone’s frustrated, upset,” Mariota said. “Those are emotions you want to feel at this point.”
The Commanders fell to 3-7 with their fifth consecutive loss. After opening with a field goal on their second possession, Washington went scoreless until Chris Rodriguez’s one-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter made it 22-10.
Second-Quarter Ejection Shifts Momentum
Washington stayed competitive early, trailing just 14-3 after the first quarter. Then Daron Payne punched Amon-Ra St. Brown and got ejected for unnecessary roughness.
The Commanders lost their starting defensive tackle and any momentum they’d built. Detroit capitalized immediately, with Gibbs scoring on a 13-yard run and David Montgomery converting the two-point attempt to make it 22-3.
After Rodriguez’s touchdown cut the deficit to 22-10 with 3:39 left in the half, Detroit methodically drove 64 yards in 13 plays, eating 3:28 off the clock before Jake Bates kicked a 22-yard field goal as time expired.
That sequence epitomized Campbell’s play-calling. He mixed runs and short passes, kept Washington’s defense on the field, and extended the lead to 25-10 at halftime.
Second-Half Domination
Detroit received the second-half kickoff and needed just five plays to cover 72 yards. Goff hit Williams for a 14-yard touchdown to make it 32-10.
Washington answered with a 69-yard drive capped by Mariota’s four-yard touchdown pass to Deebo Samuel, but the two-point conversion failed, leaving the score 32-16.
Bates added a 28-yard field goal to push Detroit’s lead to 35-16 early in the fourth quarter. Gibbs then broke loose for his 43-yard touchdown run, though the extra point was blocked.
Ben Sinnott caught a four-yard touchdown pass from Mariota with 6:57 remaining, but another failed two-point try kept it 41-22. Bates closed the scoring with a 48-yard field goal with 4:34 left.
What This Game Revealed
Detroit improved to 6-3 and maintained their streak of never losing consecutive regular-season games under Campbell, dating back to October 2022. That run remained the NFL’s longest active stretch.
For Washington, the loss dropped them to 3-7 and extended a brutal stretch where they’d been outscored 154-65 over four games. Each of those four defeats came by at least 21 points.
The injuries kept mounting. Sam LaPorta suffered a herniated disk that would end his season. Graham Glasgow left with a back injury. Terrion Arnold departed with a concussion. For Washington, Trey Amos, Chris Rodriguez Jr., Ale Kaho, and Jonathan Jones all left injured.
Campbell’s decision to call plays himself energized his team after a disappointing loss to Minnesota. The Lions scored on every possession until backup quarterback Kyle Allen took over late in the fourth quarter. They never punted. They committed just three penalties for one yard.
“Shout-out to Dan and how he controlled the game,” Williams said. “It was kind of funny seeing him with the glasses. It’s a different look, for sure.”
The washington commanders vs detroit lions match player stats painted a clear picture: one team executing at a high level under new offensive direction, the other drowning in injuries and unable to compete. Campbell’s gamble paid off in every measurable way.
