TAMPA, Florida – The Washington Commanders fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 37-20, suffering their first loss of the NFL season.
As much as the Commanders wanted to win, establishing their identity as a team was of course secondary to them.
That identity was carefully crafted, starting with the hiring of general manager Adam Peters, then-head coach Dan Quinn, and the selection of rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. Washington wants to be aggressive, to be a team worth competing against, and getting Daniels’ first game under his belt was an important next step in making that team complete.
READ MORE: Commanders’ Jayden Daniels scores his second touchdown against Bucs
“I’m very critical of myself. We didn’t win. I’m a competitor. I like to win, but overall it went well, pretty well,” Daniels said of his first NFL regular season appearance. “We left some things on the field on offense. We need to do better, but it’s a long season. We’ll put it behind us.”
It will be important to be tough on yourself, but it is equally important to enjoy the process and appreciate the positives that can be taken from a loss. Ultimately, this team wants players who love football, assistant general manager Lance Newmark said recently. And to truly love something, you have to enjoy it.
Although the overall result is a defeat, there are certainly successes within it that commanders will want to build on as they try to correct their missteps.
One of those building blocks, according to offensive lineman Sam Cosmi, is the now proven composure of his young quarterback.
“I think for the first time he was faced with a lot of stuff, and I think his ability to stay calm in that tough situation was very strong for the most part,” Cosmi said of Daniels. “I didn’t sense any hesitation or panic or anything like that from him. There was a moment at the very end – we were sitting in a huddle during a timeout and just looked at each other as if to say, ‘Hey man, we have something here. It’s a two-minute drive – we can do something. Let’s learn from this.'”
Daniels has been praised often since arriving in Washington for his poise, calm demeanor and professionalism not often seen in an NFL rookie at any position. But to be praised by a teammate like Cosmi, who just received a hard-fought four-year contract extension last week, the oft-heard compliment has taken on new meaning.
“That speaks volumes, especially coming from someone who obviously played at a high level, you know, who got a second contract and stuff, who played at a high level,” Daniels said when told of Cosmi’s flattering comments. “For him to say that about me, it means a lot to me. More than anything, I try to be a teammate where someone looks at me and says, ‘Hey, no matter what, this kid is going to do his best.'”
And Daniels has indeed done his best, and that’s exactly what the Commanders need from him to continue to score small successes while they strive for the wins that come from continuing to work to become the team they believe they can be.
READ MORE: Commanders eliminated in Week 1 by Buccaneers
Stay with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.
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