The offense looked sharp and crisp on Sunday afternoon as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took down the Washington Commanders 37-20 to kick off the 2024 season.
The Buccaneers had eight drives in the game, scoring points on seven of those drives.
Baker Mayfield Was Excellent
Baker Mayfield was given plenty of time from his offensive line, as he was sacked only once. Mayfield completed 24/30 passes for 289 yards and four touchdowns.
Rookie receiver Jalen McMillian scored his first NFL touchdown pass on a 32-yard pass from Mayfield in the third quarter.
McMillian appeared to be open a lot during this game, and he will be a problem for opposing defenses for the rest of the season.
Chris Godwin also had a touchdown pass, while the future Hall of Famer Mike Evans caught two touchdown passes.
Bucky Irving led The Bucs In Rushing
Offensively, the running game slowed, but Bucky Irving carried the load for the Buccaneers in the second half. Irving finished the game with 62 yards on nine carries and had two catches for 14 yards.
Rachaad White looked great in the passing game with 75 yards on six catches but averaged just two yards per carry on the ground with 31 yards on 15 carries.
Todd Bowles talked about the revamped running game after the game.
“I thought we got it going,” Bowles said. “We had some good 3-, 4- and 5-yard runs early. We need to run it late and we ran it late, which was great. The 1-2 punch with Rachaad and Bucky is kind of how we planned it to be. One gets tired, and the other one goes and picks each other up, so that was positive.”
There were many smiles in the Buccaneers locker room and at the post-game press conference.
“Pretty pleased with how everything went,” Coen said.
Buccaneers Offense Still A Work In Progress
Although it wasn’t a perfect debut as the Bucs offense settled for three field goals instead of touchdowns on three of their drives, it was a stunning debut and something to build on.
Tristan Wirfs talked about the offense and how easy it is to execute. “It’s a pretty player-friendly scheme for us all to pick up and really dial into. Whether we’re playing fast and have confidence and fly around, I think that’s when good things happen.”
Washington quarterback Jayden Daniels, one of the rookie quarterbacks to take the NFL by storm this season, kept the Tampa defense off balance with his running ability as he led Washington with 88 yards rushing on 16 carries and the two lone Commander touchdowns.
Daniels was 17/24 passing for 184 yards and was sacked twice.
It Was Nice To See The Buccaneers Start Quickly
The Buccaneers started quickly, scoring on their first five possessions, which was a problem last season.
There were very few quick starts for the Buccaneers last season, but yesterday, we saw this offense execute precisely in the first half.
Mayfield talked about the Tampa fast start.
“We were so bad at starting fast, and then we get into two-minute mode and it’s like’ ‘OK, just get the ball out, get it in their hands and then get goin’.’ I think we were so good at that early on, when it comes down to the final minutes of the game it’s no different. Yeah, the scenario is different; the stakes are a lot higher, but it just goes back to the basic”.”
Now the Buccaneers head for Detroit next weekend and a rematch with the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season.
While the offense escaped the game unscathed, the Buccaneers suffered some injuries on the defensive side of the ball.
The Bucs were already thin on the defensive line going into the Washington game, with Logan Hall, Earnest Brown, and Kalijah Cancey unable to suit up.
Now, three cornerbacks went down in the Buccaneers win.
Starter Zyon McCollum left the game in the first quarter with a concussion. Josh Hayes suffered an ankle injury, and Bryce Hall was carted off late in the game due to what appeared to be an ankle injury.
Sunday’s 37-20 win was the Buccaneer’s fourth consecutive opening-day win, a franchise record.