The Washington Commanders-Tampa Bay Buccaneers season opener Sunday began the way it ended Jan. 7 vs the Dallas Cowboys: Losing. The Bucs beat the Washington Commanders 37-20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns, so Tampa Bay’s rushing game wasn’t a big concern. Commanders QB Jayden Daniels looked like a rookie who was in his very first season as an NFL starter, throwing for 184 yards and two touchdowns. He also rushed for 88 yards, but it would not be enough to keep up with the veteran across the field.
Washington vs. Tampa Bay: Daniels Debut Rocky
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On his first drive of the 2024 NFL Season, Daniels had an apparent miscue on a toss play to Running Back Brian Robinson, which set the tone of his first drive. On his second drive, things picked up a little better with Daniels going 21 yards to Robinson but got stopped, leading to a failed field goal attempt by Cade York. York, who hasn’t kicked in a pro game since Week 17 of 2022, kicked it wide right securing a fizzling first quarter for the Commanders.
Mayfield and Wide Receiver Mike Evans went to work, putting Tampa in position for two field goals in the first quarter and driving the field eight plays for 63 yards at 10:53 in the second quarter. With a 13-0 lead, the Commanders were looking like the team fans had been used to seeing but hoped to never see again. They were incapable of moving the ball downfield aggressively, complete with a kicker that’s not dependable, and lots of punts.
Daniels Gets Hot In Second Quarter
“The second drive he really come to life. He was upset about the first one…there is way more to come…,” Head Coach Dan Quinn said during the game. Daniels justified those words, going eight plays and 74 yards capped off with Robinson going seven yards for a touchdown.
The drive took 3:36 off the clock and showed Daniels slowly getting more comfortable. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers responded with 16 seconds left in the half with a Chase McLaughlin 29-yard field goal. Daniels finished the first half with the Commanders only down by a field goal, showing that yes, he can score and work the passing game.
Kicker Issues Continue
That pace continued in the second half which put the Washington Commanders in field goal position with 9:26 left in the third. However, York sent it wide right again, which is guaranteed to be a topic of conversation in the week ahead. York was acquired from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick. Riley Patterson, who was the Commanders’ only kicker in the preseason missed two, leading the franchise to let him go. This has been an issue for the Washington Commanders. Before Patterson, there was the release of Brandon McManus, stemming from sexual assault allegations.
However, the ground game did pick up somewhat in the third quarter with Daniels connecting to Robinson for 31 yards, which also led to Daniels keeping it to bring the deficit to 23-14. But it was the Commanders secondary that had no answers for Bucs’ passing game, leaving gaps in the backfield and their inability to hold the Bucs offense consistently. In response, Daniels ran the entire second half trying to keep plays alive but showed signs that he’s still a rookie learning the game at the pro level.
By the fourth quarter, it was officially the Mayfield show as he connected with Jalen McMillian for 32 yards which led to a one-yard Mike Evans touchdown, sealing the win at 37-14.
Terry McLaurin starts slow
Washington Commanders star Wide Receiver Terry McLaurin, who is working with his 11th starting quarterback since 2019, was made ineffective by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in this game. He only caught two balls for 17 yards.
Final Thoughts
Jayden Daniels needs to get his helmet looked at. He lost it twice in the game, which is very, very dangerous. He needs to get his helmet properly set if he is going to run the football. He rushed for almost 100 yards today and that needs to be fixed. He is a rookie, and there were high expectations heading into his first game. Those expectations are still there but must be more practical as the season progresses.
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