Washington Commanders reporter Lake Lewis Jr. made a revelation on his podcast that sheds new light into the team’s decision to not hire Ben Johnson last offseason.
Johnson was heavily linked to the Commanders’ job, in addition to other open roles, last offseason. However, Johnson ultimately decided to remain with the Detroit Lions as their offensive coordinator until this month when he became the Chicago Bears’ new head coach.
Ben Johnson’s Insistence on Playing Sam Howell Was a Dealbreaker
Lewis talked about the Commanders courting Johnson and the story of how their front office made the decision to look elsewhere after discovering one sticking point in their virtual interview.
That one point of contention led to Washington passing on a coordinator who was already a very coveted head coaching candidate in the last hiring cycle, and who only gained more luster following the Lions’ offensive success in 2024.
“I don’t know if it’s been talked about publicly. But the story that I got (of) what happened was, they were en route – Adam Peters and them were en route to Detroit for the interview,” Lewis explained.
#Lions OC Ben Johnson wanted former #Commanders QB Sam Howell to be the team’s QB in which GM Adam Peters told Johnson that he was drafting a QB, via @LakeLewisJr.
Adam Peters made the decision to turn the plane around, cancelling the interview
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(🎥:@Rio_Robinson91) pic.twitter.com/AbFMfhVR33
— brandon (@JayDanielsMVP) January 14, 2025
“In conversation with Ben Johnson, it was brought up that Ben Johnson still wanted Sam Howell. That’s the quarterback he wanted for his offense. And you know there’s a Carolina connection and all that stuff.
“And Adam Peters was like ‘No!’ and they know who they’re going to draft. We all knew who they were going to draft. And he didn’t want him. So if anybody should be upset, it should be Jayden (Daniels).”
Lewis added that Peters, the then newly appointed general manager, made the decision to turn their plane around from its trip to Detroit.
Daniels finished as the ninth-best quarterback in the league in PFN’s QB+ metric, with an 85.3 (B) grade. The idea of the rookie phenom playing in an offense schemed up by the unpredictable brilliance of Johnson is enough to make a ton of Commanders fans start considering some what-ifs.
Johnson has shown over the past three seasons that he’s capable of pulling rabbits out of the hat schematically. With a dynamic dual-threat quarterback like Daniels spearheading his offense, NFL fans could possibly have been treated to some unseen play packages.
However, it’s safe to say things have worked out well for Daniels and the Commanders, as they are one win away from a Super Bowl.
And now Johnson will try to work his magic with Caleb Williams and the Bears after accepting their head-coaching gig.
Eagles vs. Commanders Game Preview
- Location: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia
- Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Date: Jan. 26, Sunday
- Channel: Fox/Fox Deportes
With one more win, Daniels can become the first rookie quarterback to start in the Super Bowl. Daniels will be the sixth rookie QB to start in the Conference Championship Round; the prior five went 0-5 and performed disastrously.
Including the playoffs, Daniels ranks first in EPA per dropback when blitzed (0.36). While still effective against standard pass rushes, his EPA per dropback drops to 0.10 (13th) in those situations.
During this playoff run, Daniels became the first rookie QB in NFL history to record 275 passing yards and 50 rushing yards in a playoff win, the first rookie to beat a No. 1 seed since Joe Flacco in 2008, and the third rookie QB to win two road playoff games (joining Flacco and Mark Sanchez).
Now, Daniels will face an Eagles defense that blitzes at the second-lowest rate of any team this season, including playoffs. During their two regular-season matchups, Daniels punished the Eagles’ blitz, producing an incredible 1.03 EPA (Expected Points Added) per dropback and 14.5 yards per attempt when blitzed.
Philadelphia only blitzed him on 14 of his 84 dropbacks (17%) in those games. Against their non-blitz pass rush, Daniels was far less effective, averaging a modest -0.02 EPA per dropback.
Saquon Barkley had significant success against Washington. In their two matchups, Barkley rushed for 451 yards and four touchdowns, averaging an impressive 5.4 yards per carry.
However, the Commanders found a way to limit Barkley in Week 16 after Jalen Hurts left the game in the first quarter, forcing Kenny Pickett to step in. Over the final three quarters, Barkley managed just 41 rushing yards on 22 attempts. Before Hurts’ injury, Barkley had been averaging over 7.7 yards per carry against Washington.
If Hurts is limited by his left leg injury, the Commanders could focus on loading up against Barkley to contain the Eagles’ rushing attack. By committing additional resources to stop Barkley, they might aim to force Hurts to rely more on his passing game, testing his mobility and effectiveness with the injury.
The Eagles have leaned heavily on Barkley and Hurts’ rushing abilities to generate offense in the playoffs. Through two games, 70.9% of their total yards have come on the ground.
The Commanders will play in the NFC Championship Game for the first time since 1991. Only the Browns, who last appeared in a Conference Championship Game in 1989, endured a longer drought.
Washington went 4-13 (.235) last year, marking the fourth-worst win percentage in the season prior to making a Conference Championship appearance, trailing only the 2017 Jaguars (0.188), 2006 Saints (0.188), and 1967 Oilers (0.214).
The Eagles lost two games in September and have lost one game since — at Washington in Week 16 after Hurts exited early with a concussion. In that loss, Philadelphia became the first team to score 21 points in the first quarter in a losing effort since the 2019 Texans (during the Divisional Round on the road against the Chiefs).
PFN’s Playoff Predictor gives the Eagles a 61.8% chance of winning this game while the Commanders have 38.2% odds.
