Watching the Washington Commanders mismanage the clock in Week 5 against the New York Giants may have triggered an unwanted flashback for limited partner Magic Johnson.
In Game 2 of the 1984 NBA Finals against the Boston Celtics, former Los Angeles Lakers guard Johnson dribbled the clock out with the game tied at 113-113 and seven seconds remaining in regulation. The Celtics won 124-121 in overtime and would take the series in seven games. Afterward, the Basketball Hall of Famer briefly earned the nickname “Tragic Johnson.” Fans forgot about it after the five-time champion won three more titles.
As Johnson did in 1984, the Commanders blew it by forgetting to watch the clock in Sunday’s home game against New York.
Magic Johnson reacts to Commanders mishandling clock
With the game tied 27-27 and 12 seconds left in overtime, the Commanders were at New York’s 24-yard line. Despite being in field-goal range and having no timeouts, Washington called a run play for quarterback Jayden Daniels on a 2nd-and-8. He barely made it back to the line of scrimmage after scampering around and subsequently failed to spike the ball before time expired.