The Washington Commanders laid an egg Thursday night against the previously winless Chicago Bears. The home fanbase booed the Commanders entering the locker room at halftime, and the dissent throughout the stadium never wavered. Washington was coming off a tough loss to Philadelphia, was flat all night, and never rebounded.
It wasn’t just the restless Washington fanbase. Limited owner Earvin “Magic” Johnson wasn’t happy either. Johnson took to social media to voice his displeasure, stating the team “had no intensity or fire” and “We didn’t compete.”
From the current NFL standings to team depth charts to coverage of every game in the 18-week NFL schedule, we have all the news from around the league to keep you up to speed!
What To Make of the Commanders’ Performance Thursday Night
The Commanders were playing their second game in five days. Those turnarounds can be tough on a franchise. The game on Sunday was a physical affair against a division rival, and the loss was crushing on several levels as the Commanders fell further out of the NFC East race.
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.
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) October 6, 2023
The game was physical, as the Eagles’ offensive and defensive lines are considered some of the better units in football. Is it stunning the Commanders entered the TNF contest beaten up mentally and physically?
Is Sam Howell Washington’s Franchise QB?
Howell has been up and down in 2023. He looked lights out on Sunday against Philadelphia. The moment you consider Howell the future of the franchise, he delivers an uneven performance, like what we got on Thursday night.
Just catching a cool pregame hang w my good friend @MagicJohnson pic.twitter.com/CKLwmp29tV
— PFT Commenter (JMU 5-0) (@PFTCommenter) October 5, 2023
Howell is a talented signal-caller, but he has only started six games in the NFL. The small sample size makes it difficult to figure out whether the Washington organization should move forward with the second-year QB beyond 2023.
Could Washington Add a QB in the 2024 NFL Draft?
Heisman Trophy-winning QB Caleb Williams will be bantered around as an option for the Commanders until he’s not. Williams is from the D.C. area, so there are obvious ties to Washington. Williams is off to another spectacular season at USC and could win back-to-back Heisman Trophies.
Commanders fans realizing they might get Caleb Williams#nfl
pic.twitter.com/xGrqFnxTY6— sticky🐧 (@stickypenguin42) October 6, 2023
One of the issues facing the Commanders is they are too good to be in place to select a QB the caliber of Williams or even Drake Maye from North Carolina and Shedeur Sanders from Colorado. The Commanders have too much talent on both sides of the ball to fall into the NFL’s cellar. The most likely scenario is Washington finishes in the middle of the road at 8-9.
MORE: PFN Life — Off-the-Field Content
Could the new Washington ownership look to make a splash by mortgaging the franchise’s future by trading several future first-round picks to move up in the draft? History repeats itself, and Washington went this route before with Robert Griffin III.
Don’t put anything past Josh Harris, but expect Washington to continue with Howell under center for the foreseeable future.