The Commanders aren’t the same team as the one that ended last season in the NFC Championship Game. That much is obvious.
Still, the Lions haven’t forgotten the hurt after the 45-31 loss to the Commanders in the divisional round.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff admits they have some “added motivation” heading into Sunday’s game against Washington.
“That’s definitely a part of it, absolutely,” Goff said Wednesday, via Eric Woodyard of ESPN. “I think more than that, we want to get off of a losing streak here and get a ‘W.’ Certainly, you’re thinking about that, but I think it’s nine games ago now.
“So yeah, we’re trying to get a win this year and maybe use that as a little added motivation if we need it.”
The Lions became only the second 15-win team in NFL history to lose a playoff opener, joining the 2011 Packers. They lost at home in stunning fashion.
“You know Dan [Campbell] is using it for motivation, and it’s what we’re looking at it, but, again, this is a new year, and we understand that task at hand, so we’re just going to prepare the best we can and give it everything we’ve got,” said Aidan Hutchinson, who had a season-ending leg injury in Week 6 last year.
The Lions, though, are more motivated to keep from losing back-to-back games and get back on track. They are only 5-3 after losing only two games last season.
“I just want to see us play our brand of football for 60 minutes our style,” Campbell said. “I want to see us line up, I want to see the urgency, the intensity, I want to see the focus, I want to see the finish on the football — offense, defense. I want to see our playmakers making plays within the scheme, within the system. I want to see our coaches coaching at a high level. I want us playing, coaching on a championship level. And more importantly, I want to play a hell of a lot better than we did last week.”