The Commanders were trounced in the first half against the Lions on Sunday, as Detroit jumped out to a 22–3 lead. It was a frustrating start to the game, particularly for Washington’s defense, which struggled to make a stop against Jared Goff & Co.
After Jahmyr Gibbs bulldozed his way into the end zone for a 13-yard score, those frustrations boiled over for Commanders defensive lineman Daron Payne. As Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown walked off the field after the touchdown, Payne turned and hit him in the helmet with a right hook.
Unsurprisingly, that punch earned Payne an ejection, and he was seen walking towards the locker room a few moments later.
With Payne headed for an early shower, backup defensive tackle Eddie Goldman is next in line to rotate in on the defensive line. He’s not the only backup that will be called upon. In addition to Payne’s ejection, a pair of Commanders defenders sustained injuries on Gibbs’s touchdown run: linebacker Frankie Luvu and cornerback Trey Amos.
Payne wasn’t the only one who was disciplined, either. Fellow Washington defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct on the ensuing two-point conversion try after appearing to make contact with an official.
Kinlaw was hit with a 15-yard penalty, though he avoided an ejection.
It was certainly a first half to forget for the Commanders’ defense, and it will be without Payne for the rest of the evening as the team looks to claw back into the game during the second half.
