Jayden Daniels showed promise in his debut with Washington, but the Commanders’ defense, which was the worst in the NFL last year, struggled again in their 37-20 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.
Daniels scored two rushing touchdowns. Washington hopes for a fresh start with the 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and second overall draft pick now at quarterback.
“I just try to do whatever it takes to help the team win the game,” Daniels said. “We didn’t win. Obviously not the way I would want it to go, but we finished strong.”
Daniels led two scoring drives in the last 17 minutes. He ran for 88 yards on 16 carries and completed 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards with no interceptions. The Bucs sacked him twice.
Daniels had his helmet knocked off twice during tackles.
“Some of the plays we like where he can extend the play with his legs,” Washington coach Dan Quinn said.
“That’s what makes him unique. But we certainly don’t want the ones where his helmet gets knocked around. Those are things we can work through, for sure.”
Daniels thinks he had his helmet knocked off twice while in college.
“Probably,” Daniels said. “I’m just playing football back there. Your helmet is going to pop off no matter … if you got it buckled up tight or loose at the end of the day.”
The Commanders defense allowed points on seven of nine Tampa Bay possessions, including the last one when the Buccaneers ran off the final 1:12.
The Bucs gained 392 yards compared to Washington’s 299, and had a third-down conversion rate of 69.2% (9 for 13).
“I think the assessment defensively, I wasn’t as pleased with third down,” Quinn said. “I thought that was the biggest story of this game. I think third down defensively, not just the secondary.”
