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Sports Illustrated
Commanders Blown Out in Week 1 Loss to Buccaneers
The Washington Commanders fell short in their Week 1 contest vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Of course, the Commanders had their own shot at scoring as well but a missed field goal by kicker Cade York kept his side scoreless until the team’s third drive of the game ended with a seven-yard touchdown run by running back Brian Robinson Jr.
The two field goals and a touchdown pass from Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield to receiver Mike Evans gave their team a 16-7 lead heading into the locker room.
Coming out of halftime Washington got the ball back to begin the second half and immediately Daniels targeted star receiver Terry McLaurin with a deep ball. McLaurin had gotten behind Buccaneers cornerback Jamel Dean on the route, but the ball sailed just a tad too far and fell incomplete.
Ultimately, the Commanders still got into deep field goal range but once again fell short. Capitalizing on the good field position after Washington kicker Cade York missed the 56-yard try, his second field goal missed of the night, the Bucs drove down the field and scored from four yards out on a pass from Mayfield to receiver Chris Godwin. The score made it 23-7 midway through the third quarter.
The Commanders’ rookie quarterback completed 17 of his 24 passes for 184 yards in the air, adding 88 yards with 16 carries and scoring his two touchdowns on the ground.
Mayfield’s 289 yards, four touchdown game was too much for Washington to overcome, at the end of the day.
Washington now gets a chance to learn from their loss and take a new-look squad into a home battle against the New York Giants next week in a very winnable division contest.
The Athletic (paywall)
Jayden Daniels’ NFL debut hints at promise and peril
[T]here stood Jayden Daniels at the visiting team podium afterward, looking and sounding exactly the same as he does every time he answers the same questions, over and over. Calm. Unrattled. Certain that the next time will go better. Time will tell if the second overall pick of the 2024 draft lives up to that confidence, and all the hype that has come with his arrival in D.C. But strap in. The franchise, finally, has a franchise quarterback who isn’t going anywhere, unless he gets hurt (see below, and hold your breath while you read).
Here’s what can’t happen, though, going forward: Daniels being both the Commanders’ leading rusher in attempts (16) and yards (88) in a game. That’s a recipe for QB1 being in street clothes before the bye week; see Robert Griffin III, whose first big NFL ding, well before his knee injuries, was a concussion suffered against the Falcons in early October of 2011, less than five full games into his NFL career. And, like RGIII, Daniels was dazzling when he took off and ran on Sunday. His ability to get to the edge and past defenders is amazing. And, most of the time, he got down before he got hit — not always elegantly.
But, when the quarterback keeps taking off, it’s just a matter of time before he, and his team, pay a terrible price. In the second quarter, Daniels got got, taking a hit to the head by Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. on an 11-yard scramble, a shot that knocked the quarterback’s helmet off. Daniels stayed in the game. It may not end so benignly next time.
[T]he Commanders have to sail on, full steam ahead, hoping Daniels’ vast potential meets their own as an organization someday soon.
“Obviously, the goal is to win football games, and we did not get that done,” Ertz said. “He’s going to put a lot of pressure on himself to be better, just like I’m going to put a lot of pressure on myself to get better. But I think going against a Todd Bowles defense in your first start is probably the hardest matchup you can have in this league … For (Daniels) to be able to execute as he did — we didn’t finish in the red zone with touchdowns like we needed to, which came back to bite us in the end. But I know this whole team is excited to play with Jayden, and I think he’s going to be really good for a really long time.”
Washington Post (paywall)
Our first look at Jayden Daniels was promising, and that’s a start
Daniels showed plenty in his debut with the Commanders. He also showed a propensity to take risks, which could put him in danger.
The Washington Commanders opened the most exciting package they have received in years Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. Instead of a fully assembled Lego set complete with levers and ladders, bells and whistles, they found a bazillion parts and an instruction manual. Now comes the work: building Jayden Daniels into the franchise pillar he is supposed to be.
There were signs in a dismal 37-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that was more revelatory about the state of the roster than about Daniels’s talents. The former is fairly sorry, filled with holes. The latter are legion, and they were on display — if not throughout, then at least in spurts.
Daniels’s first game featured 17 completions on 24 attempts for a pedestrian 184 yards — with neither a passing touchdown nor an interception — in an attack that was built more on check-downs and quick hits than dangerous, vertical strikes. What stood out more: the absolute danger he can provide running. He gained 88 yards and scored twice on 16 — 16! — attempts. He is fast. He is shifty. Pen him in, and then he’s gone.
But not everyone. Daniels finished his debut with the same number of touchdowns as lost helmets: two. For this season and his career to progress as designed, that first number has to go up and the second one needs to stay about where it is.
Daniels’s only two downfield throws Sunday were to McLaurin, and he missed both. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, his completed passes traveled an average of 1.6 yards past the line of scrimmage — by far the lowest among quarterbacks in Week 1.
ESPN
Commanders’ Jayden Daniels shows promise, areas to improve
“I thought he got to fully express all the things he has, using his legs, being aggressive down the field,” Washington coach Dan Quinn said. “There are going to be a lot of things we want to improve upon. But what I can tell you is we got one hell of a competitor in him. We’re just getting started with him and the guys.”
The Commanders (0-1) will host the New York Giants (0-1) in Week 2.
Washington’s roster featured only 21 holdovers from the previous coaching regime, with 10 on offense. But Daniels, a Heisman Trophy winner and the No. 2 pick in April’s draft, provided hope for a franchise that was starting a new quarterback for the seventh consecutive year. Daniels became Washington’s 11th starting quarterback since the start of the 2019 season.
“I grade myself hard: We didn’t win. I’m a competitor,” Daniels said. “But overall, it went pretty well. There was some stuff we left on the field.”
Twice, that “stuff” was his helmet: It popped off two times, including on an unnecessary roughness penalty on defensive back Antoine Winfield Jr., who hit Daniels in the helmet at the end of a 12-yard scramble. His helmet also fell off on a run near the goal line on what would have been a touchdown had the play not been blown dead because of his headgear issue.
Washington’s players exited with the same feelings for Daniels that they had entering the game. Despite the loss, they left impressed with various aspects of his performance.
“His ability to stay clam amidst adversity was still very strong,” guard Sam Cosmi said. “I didn’t feel any panic.”
“It was really his poise in the pocket,” McLaurin said. “There are times he knows he has to tuck and run. I know it was garbage time, but that’s a good measuring stick to see how guys compete. He was trying to truck guys at the goal line; he wants every yard. The biggest thing that stood out is the way he communicates and has the upbeat mentality.”
Washington Post (paywall)
As they overhaul it all, the Commanders are still the Commanders
Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels did what he could to energize Washington in its season-opener. He didn’t get much help in a 37-20 loss to the Buccaneers.
Washington’s secondary was a sieve, giving up big play after big play with blown coverages or simply poor coverage. Its pass rush failed to create the pressure expected for a team with Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne on the interior. The middle of the field, where the Commanders signed nine-time Pro Bowl selection Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu at linebacker, was a favorite landing spot for Tampa Bay’s offense. Cade York, the kicker Washington acquired in a preseason trade, missed two field goal attempts. And the offense that for months faced questions about the depth among its pass catchers proved its doubters right.
Daniels’s ability to threaten defenses with his arm and his legs was part of the appeal when Washington drafted him with the second pick in April. Never was it the plan to have him become one-dimensional.
But Sunday, the refined pocket passer with a big arm moved the offense primarily with his feet. Daniels attempted just two passes of 15 yards or more, and both were incompletions; he couldn’t connect with Terry McLaurin from the slot in the second quarter, then overthrew him on a go route in the third. Daniels completed 17 of 24 pass attempts for 184 yards and a 93.1 passer rating. On the ground, he produced 88 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
The Buccaneers, known for their blitz-happy defense, as expected pressured Daniels early and often, but the young quarterback stayed poised.
Commanders.com
Five takeaways from Washington’s Week 1 loss to Tampa Bay
2. Explosive plays are still a problem.
One of the biggest issues for Washington’s defense was its tendency to give up explosive plays in the passing game. The new coaching staff has taken some steps to fix that, but it looks like the group still needs more time.
It took some time for the Buccaneers to operate smoothly, but it was humming by the end of the afternoon. They put up 392 yards of offense, and that effort was fueled by the explosive plays that they put up. They had nine that went for at least 15 yards.
Those explosive plays also came at some of the worst possible moments for Washington. Tampa Bay’s first touchdown came on a 17-yard pass from Baker Mayfield to Mike Evans. The longest play of the day — a 32-yard screen pass to Rachaad White — came after Washington cut the lead from 16 points to nine and helped Tampa Bay score on a 72-yard drive.
Then, on the Buccaneers’ final drive of the day, Bucky Irving’s 31-yard run was followed up by a 24-yard catch from Chris Godwin.
There’s still time for Washington to prevent last year’s problems from returning in 2024, but they need to find a solution quickly to avoid that possibility.
3. Issues on third down.
If allowing explosive plays was Washington’s biggest problem last season, giving up third downs wasn’t far from the top of the list. Either way, it was another one of Washington’s problems from 2023 that made a return in Week 1.
Podcasts & videos
Beltway Football Bucs Postgame: Defense stumbles as Commanders drop season opener
Week 1. woof pod. Listen here https://t.co/anrnJEi2pe
Watch here https://t.co/Ov2CRVa7BX— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) September 9, 2024
Photos
Commanders.com
PHOTOS | Commanders vs. Bucs, Week 1
Check out the top photos of the Washington Commanders during their Week 1 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Photos by Emilee Fails/Washington Commanders)
NFC East links
NFL.com
2024 NFL season, Week 1: What We Learned from Sunday’s games
Minnesota Vikings 28, New York Giants 6
Familiar struggles for Jones, Giants. The pivotal 2024 season began with promise — defensively, at least — but before long, the same issues that have plagued the Giants over the last year resurfaced. Daniel Jones struggled under pressure, threw two awful interceptions (including one that went for a pick-six in the blink of an eye), came up empty-handed on two second-half trips to the red zone, tried his best in the ground game but ultimately didn’t make nearly enough of a difference to keep the Giants in this game. To Jones’ credit, when he had time to throw and was in rhythm, he was largely accurate. But if this is a precursor for what’s ahead for New York, it’s going to be a long season.
Next Gen stat of the game: Andrew Van Ginkel’s pick-six of Daniel Jones occurred in 1.16 seconds, the fastest interception since Week 13 of 2023, when Van Ginkel intercepted Sam Howell in 1.26 seconds. With Sunday’s takeaway, Van Ginkel is responsible for the two fastest interceptions over the last two seasons.
Dallas Cowboys 33, Cleveland Browns 17
Dallas’ defense dominates. Mike Zimmer’s arrival inspired many pieces examining how the Cowboys might differ under his direction in 2024 (plus a few articles that stretched well beyond the on-field strategy), but none of it mattered until the Cowboys actually took the field. Well, they sure did make a statement in Week 1. Zimmer relentlessly dialed up pressure in the first half of this game, capitalizing on Cleveland’s weaknesses at both tackle positions and short-circuiting their entire offense in the process. Dallas finished with a jaw-dropping QB pressure rate of 44.6 percent (25 total pressures), racked up six sacks, forced two takeaways, held Cleveland to 2 of 15 on third down and limited the Browns to just 230 yards of offense. The Browns averaged a mere 3.3 yards per play and were constantly facing third-and-long — the perfect situation for Micah Parsons to wreak havoc in the backfield. All of it was a product of Zimmer’s group, who feared no one and proved it with their dominant performance.
Next Gen Stat of the game: Micah Parsons generated nine pressures and one sack on 46 pass rushes (19.6% pressure rate) in the Cowboys’ Week 1 win.
NFL Research: Sunday was just the fourth time in the last 25 years in which the Cowboys’ defense finished with two-plus interceptions and six-plus sacks in a game. They produced a similar performance in Week 1 of 2023 — a 40-0 win over the New York Giants.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 37, Washington Commanders 20
Jayden Daniels’ experiences up-and-down NFL debut. The Heisman Trophy winner did damage with his legs in his first game, flashing an ability to escape the pocket and keep plays alive. The rookie led the Commanders with 88 rushing yards and two TDs in Tampa. Daniels became the first rookie QB all-time with 50-plus rush yards in a Week 1 debut. He set a Commanders QB record with 16 carries and had the T-4th-most rush yards by a Commanders QB all-time. The big issue is other than Daniels using his legs, there wasn’t much else to love from the offense. Running backs Austin Ekeler (4/52) and Brian Robinson (3/49) led Washington in receiving, underscoring the types of passes Daniels was throwing. The rookie completed just one pass of 10-plus-air yards and only attempted four. It was surprising that Washington didn’t air it out a tad more out of the gate. No. 1 receiver Terry McLaurin generated 17 yards on two catches (four targets). The star needs to be more involved for Daniels to grow. Daniels also might want to fasten his helmet better and improve his sliding technique to survive the season.
Commanders D continues to have errors under Dan Quinn. At times on Sunday, Washington fans might have thought they were having flashbacks to seasons under Ron Rivera, with blown coverages on the back end and receivers prancing free. Bobby Wagner (10 tackles, three for loss) solidified the middle, and Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen remain a load on the interior. Still, it will take time for Quinn to instill his defense, particularly with the lack of edge options. The secondary remains a sore spot that got picked apart by Mayfield.
NFL Research: Baker Mayfield had his second-career game for the Buccaneers (out of 18 games played) with 4 pass TD & 0 INT. He had only two such games in his 69-game career for other teams prior to joining the Bucs in 2023 (not including playoffs).
Pro Football Talk
Cowboys believe TE Jake Ferguson avoided serious injury
Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson is going to undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the extent of his left knee injury, but X-rays were negative.
Todd Archer of ESPN reports Ferguson’s ACL is intact.
“I think we dodged a big one,” Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott said, via Jon Machota of TheAthletic.com. “Talking to him, he gave me a lot of confidence that he’ll be OK.”
Ferguson caught three passes for 15 yards in Sunday’s win over the Browns.
Front Office Sports
Cowboys, Dak Prescott Agree to Record Contract Extension
Dak Prescott has agreed to a four-year deal worth $240 million dollars, with a staggering $231 million guaranteed. The $60 million per year figure is the highest in NFL history, easily clearing the $55 million per year marks of Trevor Lawrece, Joe Burrow, and Jordan Love. The guarantee is also the largest in NFL history, outpacing DeShaun Watson’s $230 million.
Bleeding Green Nation
Cowboys make quarterback with one of the weakest playoff resumes ever the highest paid player in NFL history
Congrats, Dallas.
If the plan was to re-sign Prescott all along, the Cowboys would’ve stood to benefit from getting it done much earlier. Case in point: Jalen Hurts signed an extension that made him the highest-paid player in NFL history last April. Now he’s the ninth-highest paid player at his position, making $9 million less annually than Prescott’s market-setting deal.
On one hand, Prescott’s extension is bad news for the Eagles. It would’ve been preferable for him to get to the free agent market in March. At that point, he would’ve had unprecedented leverage. Either the Cowboys would’ve had to pay him even more … or he would’ve left Dallas, leaving the Cowboys with no clear alternative plan at quarterback.
On the other hand, the Cowboys deciding to hitch their wagon to a quarterback who has one of the weakest playoff resumes EVER is certainly a choice!
Big Blue View
‘Things I think’: Worst possible way for Giants to start the season
The 2024 season could not have started in uglier fashion for the Giants — and we aren’t talking about Century Red uniforms
Sunday was a gorgeous day in New Jersey. The weather was great. Optimistic New York Giants fans were wearing their jerseys, tailgating, and preparing to celebrate the greatest players in franchise history as the team began its 100th season of competition in the NFL.
Then, the current iteration of the New York Football Giants — wearing never-before-seen Century Red uniforms to “honor” the history of the franchise — played football.
And everything fell apart. Quickly.
Fans began booing three plays into the game as the Giants took the opening kickoff, lost 9 yards on three plays, and punted.
When the Vikings took a 21-3 lead after the first drive of the third quarter, some fans began shuffling for the exits. When it got to be 28-6, that turned into a mass exodus.
Asked John Mara if he had any comment. He didn’t break stride or alter his gaze at all #Giants
— Pat Leonard (@PLeonardNYDN) September 8, 2024
This was a disaster no matter how you slice it. It was an awful performance from a team that has had far too many of those through multiple coaching staffs and front offices over the last 10 years or so.
None of the things the Giants banked on helping them this season came to fruition, and some of the things we thought would be concerns turned out to be exactly that.
- The revamped offensive line was, in the words of Andrew Thomas, “piss poor.” Quarterback Daniel Jones was sacked five times and hit a dozen more. The complex Minnesota defense caused breakdowns that led to free runners.
- The pass rush, aside from an early sack by Lawrence, was non-existent.
- The playmakers the Giants have staked so much on had the dropsies. By my count, there were five dropped passes.
Sunday could have, maybe should have considering what the organization was celebrating, turned into a feel-good, confidence-building day for the Giants.
Instead, it led to questions about whether or not another miserable season awaits.
NFL league links
Articles
Front Office Sports
Tom Brady’s Broadcast Debut Was Shaky, but No Need to Panic
When the best thing about Tom Brady’s TV debut is a slickly produced commercial, Fox Sports has a problem.
Brady was shaky during his broadcast debut of Sunday’s Cowboys vs Browns game. His cadence was choppy. He confused offensive and defensive players, spoke in cliches, and seemed a step behind technically.
The usually terrific Fox team had an off day. Play-by-play announcer Kevin Burkhardt confused a Cowboys assistant with head coach Mike McCarthy. Producers mixed up Dallas placekicker Brandon Aubrey with punter Byan Anger. The disconnect was on display when rules analyst Mike Pereira, (after forgetting to turn on his mic) awkwardly left Tom Terrific hanging on a fist bump.
Another broadcaster who requested anonymity had this to say about Brady: “Like a rookie with high expectations and big salary, it’s hard to reach that level everyone wants. Personally, I’d like to see more enthusiasm, humor & personality. He’s lacking right now BUT I’ve heard how dedicated he is to this & have no doubt by mid-season, he’ll more than hit his stride.”