The Washington Commanders may have suffered a 37-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in their season opener, but rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels made his official NFL debut.
The No. 2 pick had a tough first test when he faced the Buccaneers’ stout defense. Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield put on a brilliant performance, leading Tampa Bay to a 37-point game. It was too much for the LSU product, but he still held his own against an aggressive defense.
Tampa Bay consistently sent extra defenders and put pressure on Daniels to put pressure on the rookie quarterback. How did the reigning Heisman winner handle the pressure? Did he see it coming?
“100%. I actually thought — that’s a good defense against a good team, obviously with Todd Bowles calling the game. But you know, I saw it out there and I was able to catch the blitzes when they came and was able to outsmart a few people,” Daniels explained. “Going forward, that shows that this kid has a plan. He’s not going to stand back there and not see anything or try to be an easy target or anything like that.”
READ MORE: Commanders’ rookie Daniels shows promise despite defeat
One of the biggest appeals of Daniels’ game is his ability to handle two offenses at once. Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury led a team with Kyler Murray at quarterback when he was head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. He has experience running an offense with a quarterback with strong rushing skills.
Daniels used his legs to avoid pressure, escape the pocket and either run or find a target. Nonetheless, the Commanders’ quarterback got a good look at a strong defense, which will be extremely important for him in the future.
Washington often had to play under the Buccaneers’ defense, which Daniels said was because Tampa Bay was good at dropping back into its zones.
“That’s what Tampa gave us. They did a good job of backing down to their spots in their zone and forcing us to take the stuff underneath,” Daniels said. “Obviously, there were times when we had a spot. I missed Terry. I wish I had him back.”
As mentioned, the most important takeaway from the game is that Daniels now has NFL experience, albeit very little, but at least experience at the pro level. That is a baseline that Washington’s quarterback can build upon.
“It’s a long season, man,” Daniels continued. “We’re going to hit a couple of them, but you know, Tampa did a good job with their scheme, especially in the second half — or both halves. We’re going to sit back and get our positions and force this kid to beat us. I was patient enough to go out there and make the check-downs, man. And then when we had the opportunity to make a deep throw, we had to hit them.”
Each week should show improvement from the Commanders’ young quarterback and new-look offense, and Tampa Bay looked very solid in the game. Daniels completed 17 of his 24 passes for 184 yards, adding 88 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
READ MORE: Commanders QB Jayden Daniels reveals thoughts after debut
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