The Washington Commanders couldn’t keep pace with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday afternoon, losing their season opener 37-20 in Tampa, Florida.

While Rookie Quarterback Jayden Daniels’s NFL debut showed flashes of excitement, first-year head coach Dan Quinn’s squad left plenty left to be desired. The Commanders will return to Ashburn this week as Washington prepares for an NFC East home game with the New York Giants in Landover, Maryland.

While there were more than enough plays to break down the lackluster afternoon on the Gulf Coast of Florida, let’s look at the 3 Key Moments that defined Washington’s loss against the Bucs.

1.) Cade York missing from 47 yards.

Cade York had a rough afternoon.

Since parting with Dustin Hopkins in the middle of the 2021 season, Washington has found itself on a kicker carousel that doesn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

In an attempt to find their answer at the kicker position following the offseason release of Brandon McManus, the Commanders sent the Cleveland Browns a conditional 7th-round pick for York’s services.

The former LSU tiger missed a 47-yard field goal attempt in the first half, which would signify what would come in the afternoon ahead. York came close to missing his first extra-point attempt and sent the ensuing kickoff out of bounds, causing a penalty to put the ball on the 40-yard line and set up the Bucs with excellent field position. He would finish the day 0-2 on field goal attempts after missing his second kick from 56 yards.

Washington’s struggle to find points early in the game, combined with Tampa’s dominance in the field position battle, was too much for the Commanders to overcome.

2.) Rachaad White’s 32-yard catch and run in the 3rd quarter

All afternoon, when Washington needed to make a play, they couldn’t find a way to do it. Whether on offense or defense, the Commanders spent the vast majority chasing the game. The dagger came late in the third quarter on a screen pass from Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield to RB Rachaad White.

Following a Jayden Daniels 1-yard touchdown run to cut the Bucs lead to 9 points with 1:52 to go in the 3rd quarter, Washington’s defense had the opportunity to make a stop and give the ball back to Jayden Daniels and Kliff Kingsbury’s offense. Instead, it took Tampa Bay just five plays, 72 yards, and 1:57 seconds to deliver the dagger TD from Mayfield to Rookie WR McMillan to put the game out of reach.


The play largely summarized the day for Dan Quinn and Joe Whitt Jr’s defense. Tampa finished with 33:21 time of possession compared to Washington’s 26:19. The Bucs also carved up the Commander’s defense on third down, converting on 9 of the teams’ 13 third downs. Washington’s 2/8 on third down conversions made for a long day of watching Baker Mayfield and his arsenal of offensive weapons control the pace of play.

Speak of Baker Mayfield’s weapons…

 

3.) Mike Evans second quarter touchdown

Washington’s secondary largely struggled to contain Tampa’s air raid led by Baker Mayfield’s four touchdowns on 289 yards on the day. But Mike Evans’ 17-yard touchdown in the second quarter proved that even if they found a way to cover him, it still wasn’t enough.

The 31-year-old, 5x Pro Bowl Wideout wouldn’t be denied with CB Benjamin St. Juste locked in on the Buccaneers star. Evans would finish the game with 61 yards receiving and two touchdowns.

Before Sunday’s win, in 5 career games against Washington, Mike Evans had 26 receptions for 605 yards and four touchdowns. It’s only appropriate he continued his dominance at the wide receiver position to start the 2024 campaign.

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