The Tampa Bay Buccaneers started well against the Washington Commanders, as Baker Mayfield threw four touchdown passes and earned an impressive 146.4 quarterback rating. He orchestrated two consecutive offenses with eight successful passes on eight attempts, and overall Tampa Bay scored on its first five possessions at Raymond James Stadium. The offense was humming under the direction of new offensive coordinator Liam Coen.

Mayfield threw a pair of touchdown passes to Mike Evans and one each to Chris Godwin and Jalen McMillan. On the first pass to Evans, Mayfield found No. 13 running down the left sideline and the future Hall of Fame receiver caught the ball with a stunning catch. The Commanders’ Benjamin St.-Juste was physically off the line holding Evans, but the prolific high-point receiver still managed to catch the ball. Later in the third quarter, Godwin caught Mayfield’s pass and extended it for a touchdown. Evans and Godwin were in a huddle formation on the left side and Evans did an excellent job as a decoy selling the route and ran straight for the end zone. Godwin quickly ran flat, gaining distance to snatch the ball for the touchdown. Mayfield completed 24 of 30 passes for 289 yards without a single interception. He showed off his competitive spirit and versatility by rushing for 21 yards on the ground, evaded pressure all afternoon, and made some lateral passes that rivaled Patrick Mahomes.

Throughout the game, Godwin became the offensive catalyst and Mayfield’s go-to guy on third down. The former Penn State standout caught eight passes for 83 yards and a 4-yard touchdown on a quick out that gave the Bucs a 23-7 lead. Seven of his eight catches resulted in first downs and four were third down conversions. Godwin got off breaks quickly and used physicality at the start of running routes to gain an advantage over the Commanders’ defensive backs. Whether working the middle of the field or on the perimeter after out breakers or screens, Godwin moved the chains for Tampa Bay. He also showcased his prowess as a run blocker, paving the way for Bucky Irving’s 31-yard run. From a mid-zone look, Irving, after taking a course inside, moved to the rim, led by a block from Godwin to seal off the zone.

Tampa Bay’s defense faced an elusive rookie quarterback, Jayden Daniels, who rushed for 88 yards and two touchdowns on 16 attempts. However, the Bucs unit held the Commanders’ offense to just 299 yards and a 25% third-down efficiency rate (two of eight). Terry McLaurin, the team’s true offensive weapon and the centerpiece of Todd Bowles’ game plan, could only record two catches for 17 yards. Washington’s running backs managed just 50 yards on the ground while the Bucs focused on the football. In the opener, Tampa Bay began the game without Calijah Kancey, who re-injured a calf injury, and Logan Hall, who suffered a foot injury in practice.

“I thought they did a great job — Izzy in corner, and with (DL CJ) Brewer and (DL) Mike Greene playing, and (DL Ben) Stille,” Bowles said. “Those guys did a great job, even with Will (Gholston) and (Greg) Gaines not playing their positions.”

The Bucs applied constant pressure and outside linebacker Joe Tryon-Shoyinka had an impressive performance with a sack, a forced fumble, a quarterback hit and a tackle for loss. SirVocea Dennis, a standout coverage linebacker who was used in several third-down passing situations, collected a sack of his own. In the fourth quarter, Lavonte David fired a blitz and Dennis finished the game by taking Daniels to the ground.

The Buccaneers’ depth will be tested as injuries piled up in the secondary against the Commanders. Todd Bowles confirmed at the podium on Monday that cornerback Bryce Hall will “definitely” miss the club’s Week 2 game at Detroit due to an ankle injury and will likely miss the rest of the season as well. Hall entered the game after Zyon McCollum suffered a concussion in the first half. Backup Josh Hayes also suffered an ankle injury and did not return, further reducing depth at the cornerback position. Christian Izien was then inserted as the outside corner opposite Jamel Dean, a position the nickelback had not played since high school. Bowles also revealed that All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. was injured on one of the final two plays against Washington and wore a boot. The staff will continue to monitor Winfield’s progress and against Detroit in Week 2, freshman Tyrek Funderburk could move into the starting cornerback lineup on the road.