photo by: AP Photo/Seth Wenig

Washington Commanders defensive end Dorance Armstrong (92), bottom left, forces a fumble by Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff (16) during the first half of an NFL football divisional playoff game, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Detroit.

Former Kansas football player Dorance Armstrong was at the center of a pair of significant plays in Saturday’s playoff action, boosting the Washington Commanders toward their upset win over the top-seeded Detroit Lions.

Armstrong forced a fumble by Lions quarterback Jared Goff in the first quarter, brushing off guard Graham Glasgow and jarring the ball loose, to set up an early go-ahead touchdown for the Commanders.

Later, he broke through up the middle to get to Goff again on the first play of a desperate fourth-quarter drive for Detroit, putting the Lions behind the chains as they attempted to rally from a two-touchdown deficit. That series, too, eventually ended with a turnover, and Washington finished off its 45-31 victory in the divisional round of the playoffs.

Armstrong finished the game with three total tackles, two sacks and his first-ever playoff forced fumble, seven seasons into his NFL career. It was also his first two-sack game since Sept. 10, 2023, and he has 2.5 sacks to his name after two playoff games compared to five in his 16 regular-season appearances.

This has been Armstrong’s first season in Washington after he signed a three-year contract during the offseason, as well as his first overall as a full-time starter. He previously played for the Commanders’ division rivals, the Dallas Cowboys, for six years after they selected him in the fourth round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

At KU, Armstrong was a first-team all-conference defensive end during an era of the program in which such honors were difficult to come by. His standout season was his sophomore campaign in 2017, when he tallied 10 sacks; he declared for the draft following his junior season.

With the Cowboys, Armstrong played 93 regular-season games. Between 2022 and 2023, he racked up 16 sacks in 34 appearances with just six starts.

The other former KU football player previously active in the NFL playoffs, Steven Sims, was eliminated on Sunday with the Baltimore Ravens’ 27-25 loss to the Buffalo Bills.

Armstrong and the Commanders will now travel to Philadelphia to face the Eagles at 2 p.m. Central Time on Sunday. The game will be televised on Fox.