The Tampa Bay Buccaneers handily defeated the Washington Commanders 37-20 in Week 1. The Bucs and their quarterback, Baker Mayfield, spoiled the NFL debut of Washington rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Daniels was solid in defeat, completing 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards while rushing for 88 yards and two touchdowns, but there were some plays he’d love to have back.
Washington’s pass defense allowed Mayfield to complete 80% of his passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns. The defense looked like the 2023 Commanders, with receivers roaming free in the secondary and communication problems in Washington’s secondary.
But despite the final score, the game could have been much closer if not for the Commanders’ multiple mistakes.
First, there’s this near-interception from cornerback Benjamin St-Juste.
Very, very, very close to an INT for St-Juste.
Jumped the route nicely, but couldn't haul in the tough catch.#HTTC pic.twitter.com/CrXPdUTIsG
— Chad Ryan (@ChadwikoTWW) September 8, 2024
At this time, Tampa Bay was leading 3-0 in the first quarter. It faced a second-and-11 from the 50-yard line. St-Juste did an outstanding job reading the play and jumping the route. Unfortunately, he dropped the interception, which could have been a game-changing play. Sure, it would have been a tough catch, but these are the types of plays Washington’s defense has lacked for years.
Next, there is this play from rookie wide receiver Luke McCaffrey. Daniels threw to McCaffrey on what looked like a wide receiver screen but stepped back to pass and thought better of it. After further review, Daniels was open with blockers in front of him. Had McCaffrey pulled the trigger, this could have been a touchdown.
After watching the A22 of the near double-pass from Luke McCaffrey back to Jayden Daniels, I think it was designed to look like a throw Luke was never going to make.
Although they will/ should come back to this. Probably setting it up for later. Daniels may have scored. pic.twitter.com/i72NaDx0eg
— Grant Paulsen (@granthpaulsen) September 9, 2024
Head coach Dan Quinn joked about this play on Monday. If McCaffrey gets this chance again, there’s no way he won’t throw it.
Finally, there’s this deep ball from Daniels to Terry McLaurin.
Terry McLaurin with speed to burn down the left sideline, overthrown by rookie Jayden Daniels. pic.twitter.com/oXc571Epui
— Jacob Gibbs (@jagibbs_23) September 9, 2024
Daniels throws a beautiful deep ball, and McLaurin clearly had the defender beat. Daniels will not miss many of these in the future, but this one hurt.
What happens if these three plays go Washington’s way? The Commanders still may not have won the game, but the final score and the narrative could be much different this week.
Let’s not forget Washington’s kicking situation. Cade York missed two field goals and kicked another one out of bounds. All three led to eventual points for the Bucs. York was released on Monday.
Quinn made some coaching errors of his own, whether it was clock management or his decision not to go for two in the third quarter. Going for two and converting would’ve made the score 23-15.
There is a lot to improve on for Week 2. Yes, Washington lacks talent at critical positions, but this team was a few plays away from a different game in Week 1.