Former No. 1 overall pick says Commanders may be 'complete failure' in 2025
A former NFL wide receiver said the Commanders could be a complete failure next season.
Former No. 1 overall selection in the 1996 NFL draft WR Keyshawn Johnson made his assertive declaration on a recent episode of "Speak" (formerly Speak for Yourself).
Host Joy Taylor asked, "How much better can the Commanders be in Jayden's (Daniels) second season?"
Johnson replied, "They're going to be better. This is why they went out and got Laremy Tunsil. This is why they went out and got Deebo Samuel. This is the reason they are signing the players. Because they are ahead of the curve of where they thought they would be a thousand times over."
The former receiver, who played for the Jets, Bucs, Cowboys, and Panthers, continued, "So now, they get to Philly in the NFC Championship game. A few plays here or there; they are in the Super Bowl. And they know that. These are the moves we need to make to make us better, to get us over the hump, only in our second year."
Johnson was correct; the Commanders were a huge surprise last year, going from 4-13 in 2023 to 12-5 in 2024. They were much farther ahead last year than anyone had dared imagine.
Yet, didn't Johnson err when he said, "A few plays, and they were in the Super Bowl?" Does Johnson recall that the Commanders were actually beaten 55-23 (32-point loss)? The Eagles ran the ball all over them (229 yards) and forced them into four turnovers while not turning it over to Washington once.
Then Johnson became emphatic, using his arms to vigorously say, "Anything short of an NFC Championship appearance for Jayden Daniels in year two is a complete failure." Johnson was absolutely confident of himself and assured he was right to make such a declaration.
Anything short.... would be a complete failure?
What is certain is that Johnson has illustrated well, in one sentence, what is wrong with sports talk shows today. Johnson illustrated quite well that those being paid very well to "educate us" so often have no understanding of a fundamental principle of elementary logic. They too often spew out one logical fallacy after another.
Here, Johnson violated the logical fallacy of "the law of the excluded middle." Listen to many of these pundits, and they simplistically extol a player or coach as a hall of famer or a bum. It happens much more than you might realize. In this case, the Commanders will either be in the NFC Championship game, or their season will "be a complete failure".
Yet, if you only take a moment, can't you think of several scenarios that could easily result in the Commanders not making the NFC Championship game next year? How about an injury to any one of several players at just the wrong time of the season?
How about the 'fact' that the Commanders will be playing a more difficult schedule than in 2024? Couldn't this easily result in more losses and a lower seed in the playoffs?
How about the 'fact' that the Commanders won their last four 2024 regular season games, each in the final seconds? How about their playoff win came on a 'doink' off the goal post that bounced through for three points?
So, just how dominant were the Commanders in 2024 that a 'TV expert' can so confidently be altogether certain "anything short of the NFC Championship game will be a complete failure?"
In reality, these experts often simplistically propose an either-or fallacy, which is nothing more than a false dilemma, entirely unaware that in a civilization, there are more than merely two options to many situations.
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Keyshawn Johnson says NFC Title game or Commanders fail in 2025
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