Commanders fall flat in season opener, lose to Buccaneers 37-20

If the first game of the Dan Quinn and Jayden Daniels era revealed anything, it’s that the Washington Commanders have a lot of work to do. Tampa Bay Buccaneers Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns as the Bucs beat the Commanders 37-14 to open the 2024 NFL season.

“Certainly, the story tonight was missed opportunities,” Head Coach Dan Quinn said in his post-game press conference. “A lot to work on, and Tampa was a better team today. You need to struggle to see the identity develop. You don’t want it, but you do need it.”

For his part, Rookie Quarterback Jayden Daniels showed promise. The rookie signal-caller went 17 for 24 for 184 yards, adding 16 rushes for 88 yards and two touchdowns.

“I grade myself hard; I like to win,” Daniels said after the game. “There’s some stuff as an offense we left on the field. We need to execute better, but it’s a long season. We’re going to move on from this.”

Daniels threw only one pass deep downfield on the first play of the third quarter. Wide receiver Terry McLaurin broke free downfield, but Daniels couldn’t connect.

“I missed Terry,” Daniels said. “One I wished I could have back, but it’s a long season. We’re going to hit a couple of those, but Tampa did a good job with their scheme.”

The biggest problem facing Quinn after week one is the defensive secondary, as the concerns in training camp manifested themselves on the field in Tampa. Baker Mayfield missed two big throws in the first quarter, and the Buccaneers had to settle for a pair of field goals early. It was only a matter of time before Mayfield found Mike Evans on a 17-yard pass in the end zone for a touchdown to give Tampa a 13-0 lead.

Commanders Cornerback Benjamin St-Juste had good coverage on Evans but, as has been the case too many times in the past, still managed to give up the big play for a score.

Fellow Commanders Cornerback Emmanuel Forbes’s day was even worse.

With Tampa leading just 16-7 in the third quarter, Bucs receiver Jalen McMillan blew right past the second-year player, while Forbes was then called for both pass interference and a face mask penalty. Mayfield would find Chris Godwin in the end zone seconds later for a touchdown, giving Tampa a 23-7 lead over Washington.

The Commanders would cut the lead to 23-14 on the next possession as Daniels led the offense on a six-play, 60-yard drive punctuated with a one-yard touchdown run, the first touchdown of his career. Tampa struck back immediately as Mayfield found Godwin again, this time for a 37-yard score.

Quinn said that, overall, the defense has to learn from Sunday’s mistakes. “You do have to take the lessons from tonight. Otherwise, it’s not working,” Quinn said. “So if you don’t take them, you’re just going to keep repeating them.”

In week two, the Commanders play their first home game of 2024. Their opponent is the New York Giants, who looked less than stellar in their week one home loss to the Minnesota Vikings.

While a win doesn’t solve all the issues this team faces, a loss will add to the problem exponentially.