The Lions blew their best opportunity to win a Super Bowl

This will sting for a long time, Lions fans. The Detroit Lions went 15-2 in the regular season, the most wins in franchise history, and secured the top seed in the NFC for the first time ever. None of that mattered to the Washington Commanders, who waltzed into Ford Field on Saturday night and ended the Lions' historic season with a thud.

The Commanders blew out the Lions, winning 45-31, and will play in the NFC Championship for the first time since they won the Super Bowl in 1991. As for the Lions, their most promising season ever will end earlier than anyone expected, and the worst part for them is they may not get another season like this.

Both Detroit's coordinators, Ben Johnson and Aaron Glenn, will likely be leaving the team for a head coaching position in the coming weeks. Fans on social media acknowledged this after the Lions' loss, noting that the loss of both assistant coaches might result in Detroit's window closing earlier than any had anticipated.

Lions fans realizing their Cinderella run of being a great team is over now that Ben Johnson is leaving pic.twitter.com/l1L9VMINsx
— JV (@_Just_Vibes_) January 19, 2025

#Lions are about to lose both coordinators and free agents will leave. Don’t be surprised if their window shuts quicker than you think. It can come and go that fast in the NFL especially when you don’t have a premiere QB.
— Miguel Flores (@THE_MFLORES) January 19, 2025

Well, that's it. With both coordinators leaving, the #Lions window is likely closed.😖 pic.twitter.com/IaeVA5Q2MK
— Bob Goniea (pronounced Gahn-yay) (@rjgoniea) January 19, 2025

The Lions have now had two brutal playoff losses in the last two years, losing last year's NFC Championship to the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 after leading 24-7 at halftime and now the loss to the Commanders in which the Lions were favored by more than a touchdown.

Washington took advantage of the Lions' banged-up defense. Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels completed 22-of-31 passes for 299 yards and two touchdowns while running back Brian Robinson Jr. ran for 77 yards and two touchdowns of his own in the win. On the other side of the ball, Lions' quarterback Jared Goff had a stinker at the most important time, throwing three interceptions, including a pick-six that gave Washington a 10-point lead in the second quarter.

The pressure has now increased on Dan Campbell and the Lions' front office. With both Johnson and Glenn likely to be on different sidelines in the fall, the hires for both roles need to be nailed. It's hard for anyone to win 15 or more games in two straight seasons, but in what should still be a tough division, if the Lions win total significantly decreases, that Super Bowl window that looked so promising just one week ago might be shut for good.