When the Washington Commanders shocked everyone by winning 12 games in 2024 and reaching the NFC Championship Game, minority owner and NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson often posted on X to praise the team’s performance.
When the team struggled to a 5-12 record in 2025, we didn’t hear a lot from Johnson. He’d check in every now and again, but he mostly tweeted about the Lakers and Dodgers.
So this season, Washington lost its first two games, and we didn’t hear from Johnson. When the Commanders upset the Seattle Seahawks two weeks ago, Johnson posted on X to congratulate the team, along with a photo of himself in the press box.
The Commanders returned home to Northwest Stadium on Sunday to face the New York Giants. It was an NFC East meeting, with
the Giants and the Commanders both at 3-1. Washington controlled much of the game, holding a 27-13 lead in the fourth quarter before New York tied it and forced overtime. In overtime, both teams had chances, but the Giants fumbled late, giving the Commanders one last shot.
Well, we know how it ended. Instead of simply coming to the line of scrimmage and killing the clock, the Commanders called a play. Quarterback Jayden Daniels dropped back, took off running, and went down. He didn’t try to throw the ball away. By the time Daniels got his teammates back to the line of scrimmage, the clock had run out. The Commanders, especially Daniels and head coach Dan Quinn, were relentlessly mocked on social media, with many calling for Quinn’s firing.
While he didn’t advocate firing anyone, Johnson was aggressive in his criticism of “his Commanders.”
I’m in total disbelief my Commanders had such poor clock management in today’s overtime game against the Giants. All we had to do was kick the field goal and we would have won the game!🤦🏾♂️
— Earvin Magic Johnson (@MagicJohnson) October 11, 2026
Ouch.
While he didn’t name names, Johnson was clearly hinting at frustration with Washington’s coaches. It’s unclear how the Commanders’ primary owner, Josh Harris, feels, but you can bet he’s not happy either.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Magic Johnson critical of Commanders 'poor clock management' after tie vs Giants
