Commanders owner Magic Johnson sounds off frustration after team’s disappointing loss to Bears - “Played with no intensity”
Magic Johnson has been a winner everywhere he goes. He won a state title in high school and a national championship with the Michigan State Spartans. He became a household name after leading the Los Angeles Lakers to an NBA championship in his rookie season.
Johnson facilitated the “Showtime” offense to four more NBA titles. He’s still gaining victories in his post-basketball years as a Hall of Famer, an entrepreneur, and a team owner. Aside from the Los Angeles Dodgers, he also invested with the new Washington Commanders ownership group.
Magic Johnson called out Washington Commanders players for pathetic effort
Johnson grew his investment portfolio by becoming a minority owner of the Washington Commanders. Josh Harris, owner of the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, is the majority owner of the group that invested $6.05 billion in the Commanders.
Therefore, one would understand why Johnson criticized the players who were not giving their best. As a former athlete, he knows what it takes to win as an NBA legend and businessman. Hence, he tweeted after the Commanders’ 40-20 Week 5 Thursday Night Football loss against the Chicago Bears:
“Tonight the Commanders played with no intensity or fire. We didn’t compete in the first half and got down 27-3 heading into halftime. It was too big of a hole to climb out of and that is why we ended up losing 40-20.”
Magic Johnson's Commanders tried to come back in the second half. However, D.J. Moore was just too much to handle. He finished the game with eight catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns. He could have added to that total if he was not called out of bounds in one of his big receptions.
Meanwhile, Justin Fields had 282 passing yards and four touchdowns. He threw his fourth touchdown pass to tight end Cole Kmet. More importantly, the Bears won their first game this season, snapping a franchise-worst 14-game losing streak.
Commanders quarterback Sam Howell is getting sacked too much
The defeat brings the Commanders to 2-3. They are on a three-game losing streak after defeating the Arizona Cardinals and the Denver Broncos in Weeks 1 and 2. Despite their struggles, they have found a stable quarterback in Sam Howell.
Through five games, he has completed 68.6 percent of his throws for 1,349 yards, six touchdowns, and six interceptions. However, he could have had better numbers if he hadn’t been sacked a league-leading 29 times.
Some of those sacks can be attributed to growing pains for a second-year play-caller. But as Magic Johnson mentioned, the Commanders’ offensive line must show intensity in protecting Howell.