Magic Johnson Blasts Commanders for Lacking 'Intensity' and 'Fire' in Loss to Bears

Washington Commanders limited owner Magic Johnson wasn't pleased with the team's performance in Thursday's 40-20 loss to the Chicago Bears.

Johnson wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, the Commanders "played with no intensity or fire" in the game.

The Commanders came into Thursday night having shown some promise so far this season. They were 2-2 overall and went to overtime against the reigning NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles before suffering a 34-31 defeat in Week 4.

Playing at home on a short week, Washington got steamrolled right out of the gate. The Bears scored on each of their first five possessions in the first half to take a 27-3 lead.

Chicago entered play seemingly in a state of disarray. Discussion around the team throughout the week was about the confusing messaging regarding wide receiver Chase Claypool not being at Sunday's game against the Denver Broncos.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus' seat may have gotten very hot with a loss in this game after blowing a 21-point lead to the Broncos four days ago. They had gone almost one full year since their last victory on Oct. 24, 2022.

Since starting the season 2-0, the Commanders have lost three straight games. The defense has allowed at least 33 points in four consecutive games and is giving up an average of 417.3 yards per game during this losing streak.

If there is a reason to be optimistic going forward, it's because the Commanders have been in this spot before. They lost four straight games after a Week 1 win last season. They rebounded to win seven of their final 12 games and finished 8-8-1 overall.

Washington has 10 days off before playing the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Oct. 15.