Part owner Magic Johnson blasts Commanders' 'TNF' effort vs. Bears

The NBA Hall of Famer is right, as the Commanders got outplayed at home in every phase of the game.

Entering the contest with a chance to go over .500, Washington instead saw the Bears go up 17-0 early in the second quarter and 27-3 by intermission. 

The hosts briefly showed some life behind a solid game from quarterback Sam Howell and were able to cut the deficit to 30-20 early in the fourth quarter, before Chicago signal-caller Justin Fields hooked up with wide receiver D.J. Moore for their third touchdown later in the frame to put the game out of reach.

The Bears not only earned their first win of the season but ended a franchise-record 14-game losing streak that dated back to the 2022 campaign. It was Chicago's first win since Week 7 last season on Oct. 24, 2022 -- a span of 347 days.

Ironically, the Bears' last two victories have come in primetime.

According to ESPN's John Keim, Johnson attended Thursday night's game and has been "highly visible as part of the franchise, between charitable events and attending games."

"But this was his first critical tweet of his new team. And the players did not disagree with his assessment," Keim wrote.

Among the players to react to Johnson's message were Pro Bowl wide receiver Terry McLaurin and defensive end Montez Sweat.

"I'd probably say that's pretty fair," the wideout said of the part owner's post.

"Definitely," Sweat added. "We came out flat."

Two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jonathan Allen was perhaps the most blunt of the group, saying "We got our ass kicked."

The Commanders will now have a few extra days to put the Week 5 stinker behind them. They travel to take on the Atlanta Falcons at 1 p.m. ET on Oct. 15.