Commanders Trail Buccaneers 16-7 at Halftime of Week 1

Washington Commanders rookie quarterback has been leaning on his legs to keep his team in their Week 1 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

David Harrison | Sep 8, 2024

Sep 8, 2024; Tampa, Florida, USA; Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels (5) drops back to pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the first quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images / Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

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Washington Commanders

TAMPA, Fl. -- The Washington Commanders traveled south to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to get the 2024 NFL season started and at halftime, they trail by a score of 16-7.

The scoring started on the first drive of the game as the Buccaneers drove down to the Commanders' 38 yard line and kicker Chase McLaughlin nailed his 56-yard field goal attempt to give his team an early 3-0 lead.

When Washington rookie Jayden Daniels got his hands on the ball for the first time - officially - as an NFL quarterback he did so starting at his own 30-yard line following a touchback after the made field goal.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels.

Unfortunately, Daniels' first career pass attempt actually resulted in a fumble for the rookie as his pass went backwards intended for running back Brian Robinson Jr. and bounced out of bounds for a loss of 15. It was pretty easy to project a three-and-out from there and Washington promptly punted the ball away.

On the subsequent possession, Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield threw a pass that Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste got both hands on, but was unable to corral. Eventually, the drive that should have ended there ended with another Buccaneers field goal, and with five minutes left in the first quarter the home team had a 6-0 lead.

Daniels' second drive went much better, although the result was the same. On top of completing four of his five pass attempts for 20 yards gained the rookie also ran for 26 yards and got Washington into range for a 47-yard Cade York field goal try that went wide right leaving the score 6-0 in favor of Tampa Bay.

The problem with missing out on scoring opportunities is you can't count on your opponent to do the same. On the drive following the missed Washington field goal the Bucs offense connected on two passes that gained 19 yards and one for 17. The 17-yard completion went to Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans who beat Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste into the end zone for the first touchodwn of the game. The extra point gave Tampa Bay a 13-0 lead.

On their third drive of the game, however, Daniels and the offense was able to respond. Using two explosive plays - a 22 yard pass and run to running back Austin Ekeler and a 12 yard run by Daniels that had an extra 15 yards tacked on by a Tampa Bay defensive penalty - Washington got the ball down to the opposing seven yard line and gave the ball to the running Brian Robinson Jr. who scored his and the team's first touchdown of the year. York made the extra point following the score, and the lead was effectively trimmed to 13-7.

The lead didn't stay trimmed for too long as the Buccaneers got back into scoring position, adding another McLaughlin field goal with 16 seconds left in the half expanding the lead back to nine before halftime.

With 16 second and one timeout remaining Washington opted to take a knee and take us into halftime with the visiting Commanders trailing by a score of 16-7.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more FREE coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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Published Sep 8, 2024

DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has covered the NFL since 2015 as a digital content creator in both written and audio media. He is the host of Locked On Commanders and a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His previous career was as a Military Working Dog Handler for the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.