Mayfield Leads Bucs Over Commanders In Week One (9-8-24)

By: Jaden Golding

Headline Photo Credit: Emilee Fails-Washington Commanders

Tampa Bay, FL – A tough opening day of the 2024 season for the Washington Commanders against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, that saw Washington fall 37-20 this afternoon.

What went wrong today? Well, let’s review and talk about it.

In my game preview, I discussed some key matchups that could decide the outcome of this game. One of them was Washington’s younger secondary against the elite duo of Mike Evans and Chris Goodwin. The Commanders secondary struggled all game long; there were blown coverages and miscommunication that led to big chunk plays for Tampa Bay. 

In the first quarter, on the opening drive quarterback Baker Mayfield attempted a pass on 3rd and 3 to a wide-open Jalen McMillian up the sideline who dropped it. If caught it would’ve been a walk-in-touchdown, on the play it looked like Mike Sainristil got dripped up due to the offensive formation being a bunch and him trying to get to the outside and contest the pass. 

Emmanuel Forbes and Benjamin St-Juste both struggled today, with St-Juste giving up a tough contested touchdown to Evans where his coverage was tight but just outmuscled on the jump for the ball. Forbes had an instance where he was flagged for pass interference and face mask on a 3rd and 10 in the third quarter that resulted in a Bucs touchdown on that drive.

Second, what about the defensive line this afternoon? Well, they didn’t give a bad performance overall. They did generate pressure on Mayfield throughout the game, the problem was when pressuring Mayfield they couldn’t hit home on sacks or seal the edges off which allowed Mayfield to extend plays many times to move up the pocket and use his legs. There were instances where Jamin Davis had a tackle for loss, where D’aron Payne, Jonathan Allen, and Bobby Wagner got in the backfield and shut down running plays. Over time, fatigue started to kick in mainly in the second half and the D-line wasn’t getting any resistance. 

The Bucs scored on 7 of their 8 possessions, with the last one not counting due to them kneeling out the clock. You can’t win games with those results. Mayfield finished 24/30, with 289 passing yards, four passing touchdowns, and a QBR of 146.4. Whew…. he was making all the plays on the field today have to give him his props he was excellent today.

Bucs running back Bucy Irving had nine carries for 62 yards. Rachaad White, Evans, and Goodwin combined for 19 catches, 219 yards, and three touchdowns. 

Now onto the big topic for Washington, rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. There were positives you can take away from this outing, his ability to use his legs was phenomenal, and Tampa Bay could not stop him from escaping the pocket and making plays with his legs. Daniels finished with 16 rushes for 88 yards and two rushing touchdowns. His 80+ rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns were the first rookie QB to do so in an NFL debut. 

In the passing game, Daniels couldn’t establish a good connection with his receivers due to the volume of time he was scrambling outside the pocket and due to the Buc’s defense making it difficult for them to get open. Daniels told the media “Tampa Bay did a good job of forcing much of the passing game underneath, and that he had to stay patient.” Daniels had a prime opportunity to connect with star receiver Terry McLaurin in the third, where McLaurin beat the cornerback on a go route and Daniels overthrew McLaurin just by his outstretched fingertips that would’ve been a touchdown. Terry McLaurin had only two catches for 17 yards on four targets. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury is going to have to figure out a way to get 17 involved early in the offense to make life easier for his rookie quarterback. 

Commanders’ running back Brian Robinson Jr. was a bright spot for the struggling offense rushing for 44 yards and a touchdown, just being aggressive on each carry and moving the chains in certain spots. 

Additionally, Austin Ekeler had four receptions for 52 yards, with two carries and ten yards. Tight end Zach Ertz caught three passes for 28 yards. 

Now it’s only week one, you don’t overreact but you don’t want to see the same mistakes that have plagued Washington’s past teams. This team isn’t a Superbowl contending team but they do have the pieces in place to win games & compete under a retooled franchise. It’s up to Dan Quinn and his staff to make sure that what they practice and preach can translate onto the field.

Up Next:

● Washington hosts the New York Giants next Sunday for its home opener. This is a game you look at and say it’s winnable but question due to Washington not beating the Giants since the 2022-23 season, and Daniel Jones’s undeniable success against the Commanders.