Magic Johnson pinpoints QB Jayden Daniels' struggles despite Commanders' playoff push
NBA legend Magic Johnson shared his thoughts on the Washington Commanders' most recent game against the New Orleans Saints in Week 15 of the 2024 NFL season. The capital team held onto the win after the Saints attempted a late comeback, taking the 20-19 win in a thrilling end to the match.
Johnson celebrated the result and highlighted that they survived a complicated game, but sent a message to the offensive line after rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels was beaten up by the Saints' defense.
"Commanders fans, we escaped with a win and kept our Playoff hopes alive! Although we won, we can’t have our QB Jayden Daniels sacked 8 times."
The Commanders had an easy first half, scoring seven points in each of the first two quarters to enter halftime up 14-0. The third quarter made fans feel confident about an easy win, even though the Saints scored seven points against three from the Commanders. Everything appeared to be right on track for Washington until the Saints woke up and tried to pull off the upset in the fourth quarter.
The Commanders scored their last three points with a 41-yard field goal by Greg Joseph before the Saints took over. Blake Grupe completed a 41-yard field goal too before adding another 51-yard kick. Spencer Rattle connected with Foster Moreau for a one-yard touchdown to put the Saints in line to win the game with a successful 2-point conversion.
They couldn't make it and the Commanders secured the 20-19 win. Magic Johnson's team had a hard time protecting Jayden Daniels. The rookie quarterback threw for two touchdowns and zero interceptions but was sacked eight times while Saints' quarterbacks Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener combined for only three sacks.
Magic Johnson promotes Lakers player linked with trade rumors
Before offering his assessment of the Commanders' performance against the Saints, Magic Johnson shared a picture of himself to promote D'Angelo Russell's signature smoothie at Erewhon.
"I was at Erewhon this morning and picked up their new smoothie honoring Laker D’Angelo Russell!" Johnson tweeted on Sunday.
This happened before he watched the team he co-owns after Josh Harris took over from Dan Snyder. Ironically, Magic Johnson was the person who shipped Russell to the Brooklyn Nets in 2016 and many fans thought this post was "the kiss of death" from the five-time NBA champion to a player who's been heavily linked with a move away from the Lakers.