Commanders vs Buccaneers: Causes for concern for Washington in Week 1

On Sunday, the Washington Commanders officially begin a new era against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. It’s Adam Peters’ first game as an NFL general manager, Dan Quinn’s first game as Washington’s head coach, and quarterback Jayden Daniels’ first NFL start.

NFL teams rarely have the chance to start over simultaneously with an organization’s three most important positions. Washington owner Josh Harris kicked off the new era by hiring Peters, the top GM candidate on the market.

After a busy offseason, the Commanders are ready to take the field. Washington was 4-13 last season but significantly overhauled its roster this offseason. How much can the Commanders improve in one offseason?

Sunday’s game will be a stiff test for Washington. The Buccaneers were NFC South champions in 2023 and defeated the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round.

What are the three biggest causes for concern for Washington in Week 1?

1. Buccaneers WR Mike Evans

Mike Evans is a future Pro Football Hall of Famer. Now entering his 11th NFL season, Evans has 10 consecutive seasons of 1,000 receiving yards or more and shows no signs of slowing down. The 6-foot-5 Evans is durable, having missed just nine games in his career. He also scores lots of touchdowns, having reached the end zone 94 times in his career.

Against Washington, Evans has 20 receptions for 486 yards and four touchdowns in four regular-season games. He’s averaging 121.5 receiving yards per game vs. Washington. How can the Commanders stop him? On Sunday, Cornerbacks Benjamin St-Juste and Emmauel Forbes will have their hands full against Evans.

2. Todd Bowles’ blitzing defense

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles is one of the NFL’s top defensive minds. Bowles has made his name on making life miserable for opposing quarterbacks, particularly rookie quarterbacks. Daniels said his work during the joint practices against the Jets and Dolphins gave him some good prep for Bowles and his pressure packages, but there’s nothing like the real thing.

Washington’s offensive line will be tested immediately against the Buccaneers. This is where having a veteran center like Tyler Biadasz is ideal for Daniels. Even as advanced as Daniels is for a rookie, he will see things Sunday that he never saw at LSU. How Daniels, offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and the offensive line respond could determine whether the Commanders win or lose.

3. Jayden Daniels’ first NFL start

You can file this under reasons for optimism and concern. When you have a rookie quarterback, they will struggle at some point. Washington would love to see Daniels have a debut similar to Robert Griffin III’s back in 2012. Is that asking too much? Perhaps. Daniels has a tough test in his first start. What the rookie quarterback needs most is a competent running game. The Commanders should feature a heavy dose of Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler.