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.

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.

Terry McLaurin noted how backup Marcus Mariota has been "the right kind of person" to share a quarterback room with Jayden Daniels.

Marcus Mariota’s clutch play in the game’s final seconds earned the Commanders a six playoff seed highlighting the power of unseen preparation.

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