TAMPA, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are undoubtedly Baker Mayfield’s team, but Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and a solid defense are still an important part of their recipe for success.
The 29-year-old quarterback threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns on Sunday, leading the three-time defending NFC South champions to a 37-20 victory over the newly formed Washington Commanders and spoiling the professional debut of No. 2 overall pick Jayden Daniels.
Evans caught two touchdown passes and Godwin and rookie Jalen McMillan each scored a touchdown for the Bucs, whose defense slowed Daniels and the Commanders’ offense despite starting the game without two injured starters and losing three cornerbacks at one point.
“We have to spread the ball around to a lot of players. A lot of people caught the ball,” said Godwin, who caught eight balls for 83 yards. “I think we have the potential to be a really dominant offense.”
Daniels was more effective running the ball than passing, scoring two rushing touchdowns for Washington, which is seeking a fresh start with the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner at quarterback, Dan Quinn as coach and Kliff Kingsbury and Joe Whitt Jr. leading the offense and defense, respectively.
“I’m very proud of myself. We didn’t win. I like to win,” Daniels said. “Overall, things went pretty well. We left a lot of things on the offensive. We need to be better. It’s a long season. We’re going to keep going.”
The former LSU star was one of three rookie starting quarterbacks in Week 1, along with No. 1 pick Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears and 12th pick Bo Nix of the Denver Broncos. He joined Robert Griffin III (2012) as the only rookie to start a season opener for Washington since 1967.
“I thought he showed off everything he can do – use his legs and be aggressive on the field,” Quinn said. “Like a lot of the other players tonight, he’s going to intercept a lot of balls. What I can tell you is we’re up against some pretty damn tough opponents.”
Mayfield began his meteoric career last season by signing a one-year deal with the Buccaneers, taking over Tom Brady’s old job before leading Tampa Bay to a third consecutive division title and a playoff victory.
The 2017 Heisman Trophy winner and first overall pick in the following year’s draft was rewarded with a three-year, $100 million contract in the offseason that answered any questions the Bucs had about whether he was the quarterback to take them forward.
“Pretty efficient, for the most part. We just should have been more efficient in the red zone in the first half,” Mayfield said, noting that the Bucs settled for field goals of 56, 34 and 29 yards by Chase McLaughlin to take a 16-7 halftime lead.
“We always score points,” Mayfield added, “but we would like to score touchdowns.”
Mayfield completed 24 of 30 passes without an interception, including touchdowns of 1 and 17 yards to Evans, who caught five passes for 61 yards. Goodwin scored a 4-yard touchdown and McMillan caught a 32-yard touchdown in the second half.
Daniels had two one-yard runs after halftime, the last with less than two minutes left. He rushed for 88 yards on 16 attempts and completed 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards with no interceptions. The Bucs sacked him twice.
Bucs All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. was penalized for unnecessary roughness – but not ejected – for engaging Daniels in a helmet-to-helmet fall at the end of a 12-yard run that set up Brian Robinson’s 7-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
The contact occurred when Daniels fell to the ground on his own.
Perry Fewell, NFL senior vice president of refereeing, told a pool reporter that Winfield was not ejected because there was “incidental contact by the defender.”
“And it was clear that the defender was trying to touch the quarterback on the slide, so we didn’t feel that warranted a disqualification,” Fewell said.
Daniels’ helmet was knocked off, but the quarterback didn’t seem shaken. The Bucs were penalized at half-court, giving the Commanders a first down at the Tampa Bay 11-yard line. Robinson scored two plays later.
Winfield had a walking boot on his right foot after the game. … The Buccaneers played without starting DLs Calijah Kancey (calf) and Logan Hall (foot). … CB Zyon McCollum (concussion) left the game in the first quarter and did not return. … CB Bryce Hall (right ankle) was carried off the field early in the third quarter. … Reserve CB Josh Hayes (ankle) also missed the second half. The injuries forced the Bucs to start S Christian Izien at cornerback, despite having no experience at the position.
Commanders: Host NFC East rival New York Giants next Sunday.
Buccaneers: Next Sunday in Detroit. The Lions eliminated Tampa Bay in the divisional round of the playoffs last season.
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