TAMPA, Fla. — “It’s déjà vu all over again.”
The New York Yankees hold spring training annually around the corner from where the Washington Commanders opened the 2024 season. Perhaps that explains why one of Yogi Berra’s famous sayings comes to mind following a 37-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
There were mishaps in all three phases. That statement was spoken frequently and accurately over the past few seasons, including with last year’s 4-13 team. Some of those players were at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday for a ninth consecutive Commanders loss. Several insisted they didn’t see a repeat.
“We have a different mentality,” fourth-year wide receiver Dyami Brown said. “The stuff from the previous year don’t even matter. That’s out the window. We want to focus on our main goals for this year and keep working on it.”
Yes, that’s a cliché response one might expect from an opening-game loss, even though:
- The Washington defense allowed 392 total yards and points on seven of the Bucs’ eight full possessions.
- Tampa converted 9 of 13 third down attempts to the Commanders’ 2-of-8
- Bucs kicker Chase McLaughlin made all three field goal tries, including a 56-yarder for the game’s first points, while Cade York, in his first regular-season game with Washington, missed his two attempts and cost the team field position with a kickoff that went out of bounds.
Those bullet points are only a sprinkling of Washington’s miscues in the debuts for new head coach Dan Quinn and quarterback Jayden Daniels. The game was one of many firsts for the rookie passer, who flashed his running prowess and competitiveness between missed opportunities he’ll regret when watching the game film, like the overthrown deep shot to Terry McLaurin opening the second half.
For the well-traveled Quinn, he grasps what this loss means — and what it doesn’t.
“You need the struggle to see the identity develop — you don’t want it, but you do need it,” Quinn said. “That part is hard. That struggle happened tonight.”
It’s a party in Tampa Bay 💪
📺: #WASvsTB on FOX pic.twitter.com/hxHhqgrcOg
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) September 8, 2024
That’s another chin-up view following a loss reminiscent of the countless others before Quinn arrived. Fans and some players endured, but only some (only 21 players on the Week 1 roster were with the Commanders last season). Many of Washington’s core pieces played little or not at all during the preseason. Thinking the preparation was sound, Quinn did not use any “lack of cohesion” excuses.
Still, at times, the Commanders looked like a group still learning their responsibilities and, perhaps, each other. Twice in the first half the defense held Tampa Bay to field goals in the red zone. However, the Bucs scored on all four possessions before halftime for a 16-7 lead, and scored again on their first possession of the second half. Tampa controlled the clock — due to their third-down success, they held possession for nearly 34 minutes.
“Third downs,” Quinn lamented. “That was the story of the game.”
Daniels’ attempted screen pass on Washington’s first offensive play became a lateral, thrown behind running back Brian Robinson, resulting in a 15-yard loss and a 3-and-out drive. On the first possession coming out of halftime, Daniels overthrew a streaking McLaurin down the left sideline. The Commanders burned a timeout before a third down nine seconds into the second half.
McLaurin arrived as a third-round pick in 2019. Washington’s top receiver has yet to experience a winning season or stability at quarterback — Daniels was his seventh different Week 1 starter in seven years. McLaurin knows the feeling of a game, or a season, spiraling downward. He admitted postgame: “A few times last year, I kind of let that get the best of me.”
He’s taken lessons from those moments and isn’t about to let the past sink the present, especially when Washington believes it has a difference-making quarterback.
“When you’re a big part of the offense … you want those opportunities,” McLaurin said. “I’ve learned a lot over my years. Be patient. Stay focused. Control what I can.”
Daniels thrived on the ground, rushing for a team-high 88 yards and a pair of 1-yard touchdowns. His 16 carries were higher than the coaches wanted, and though Daniels went down with the ball frequently to avoid contact, he also took some whacks, with his helmet popping off twice. The passing game was, for the most part, muted; Washington allowed two sacks, but pressure forced Daniels to move out of the pocket and disrupted timing. He fumbled twice, but the Commanders maintained possession both times.
Daniels completed 17 of 24 attempts for 184 yards. Four passes went to McLaurin, resulting in two catches for 17 yards.
“I feel like I did a good job of making the plays that came to me and tried to keep a good attitude,” McLaurin said. “I know this is a long journey. This is (Daniels’) first (live) game. It doesn’t help if I’m showing a bad attitude.”
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Jayden Daniels’ NFL debut hints at promise and peril
One area where Quinn couldn’t hold even a hint of stoicism about involved, arguably, the team’s biggest concern entering the season: The secondary.
Baker Mayfield efficiently handled Washington’s defense, completing 24-of-30 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns. There were broken plays in the secondary throughout the game. Mayfield found the Mike Evans for a 17-yard touchdown catch, one of two for the hulking receiver. Cornerback Benjamin St-Juste, despite tight coverage, never saw the pass, which gave Tampa Bay a 13-0 lead.
MIKE. EVANS.
📺: #WASvsTB on FOX
📱: https://t.co/waVpO909ge pic.twitter.com/P3WxOCrinb— NFL (@NFL) September 8, 2024
The other outside corner, Emmanuel Forbes, took his lumps as a first-round rookie last season. Bucs rookie receiver Jalen McMillian turned a double-move on Forbes into a 22-yard pass interference. The officials tacked on four more yards for a facemask penalty. Wide receiver Chris Godwin caught Mayfield’s third touchdown pass on the next play.
When asked about the secondary, Quinn groaned. “Man, there is a lot to work through there.”
The same applies to Washington’s kicker dilemma. Several were brought in during training camp after the team released Brandon McManus last spring following harassment allegations. Kicker Cade York, acquired from the Browns for a conditional seventh-round pick before Washington’s third preseason game, won the job. Known for a strong leg but accuracy issues, he didn’t make any field goals on Sunday, missing from 47 and 56 yards. The Bucs scored following each miss.
York also sent a kickoff out-of-bounds after Robinson’s 7-yard touchdown pulled the Commanders to 13-7 with 7:17 remaining in the second quarter. Starting at its 40-yard line, Tampa Bay chewed up all but the final 16 seconds of the first half on a 13-play drive, culminating in McLaughlin’s third field goal.
Asked if another set of kicker tryouts loomed, Quinn said, “We’ll have a good talk about that and see where we’re at.”
That sentiment applies to other parts of the team after an opening loss.
Like Quinn, Zach Ertz knows the big-picture score.
“I’m sure a lot of people are down on us after this game,” said the tight end, one of the veterans Washington signed this offseason. “The scoreboard was not flattering to us this time, and you kind of are what your record says you are in the league. But I don’t think anyone is panicking.”
Washington did get rookie tackle Brandon Coleman on the field after the third-round pick missed the preseason with a shoulder strain. The Robinson-Austin Ekeler backfield combination had 103 receiving yards and another 50 on the ground. Daniels’ training camp competitiveness carried over. This isn’t about moral victories, but rather about a reality of single game with a new group — even if it does feel like the bad old days.
“The only thing this means is we are not going undefeated,” Ertz said. “The Miami Dolphins are safe from us.”
Washington isn’t free from scrutiny. The team will gather at the practice facility Monday and start preparation for the Week 2 home opener against the 0-1 New York Giants. Quinn is demanding but understanding. This fix won’t happen overnight.
“It has to be about us,” Quinn said of this week’s approach. “If these lessons are not learned… and taught, then we’ll make the same mistakes.”
(Top photo: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)
