Sept. 9 – Baker Mayfield threw four touchdown passes and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat Washington 37-20 on Sunday in Tampa, Florida (Washington), ruining the debut of Commanders coach Dan Quinn and new quarterback Jayden Daniels.
In the season opener for both teams, Mayfield completed 24 of 30 passes for 289 yards and had three touchdown receptions from three different teammates. Mike Evans scored two touchdowns and Chris Godwin had a game-high 83 yards receiving and a touchdown.
Daniels won the Heisman Trophy for LSU last year, completing 17 of 24 passes for 184 yards and two sacks. He also threw for a game-high 88 yards, including two 1-yard touchdowns.
Until the final possession, which ended with Daniels’ second touchdown run, the Commanders had more running yards than passing yards.
Mayfield, the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner at Oklahoma State, led the Buccaneers in scoring on nearly every possession.
In the third quarter, Mayfield threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Godwin, giving the Buccaneers a 23–7 lead.
Daniels scored his first NFL touchdown with a 1-yard rush at the end of the quarter, giving the Commanders a 23–14 lead. But on the first play of the fourth quarter, the Buccaneers got back into the end zone on a 32-yard pass from Mayfield to Jalen McMillan.
To complete the scoring, the Buccaneers rushed for 91 yards on 12 plays, capped by a 1-yard flip pass from Mayfield to Evans with 3:29 left in the game.
The Buccaneers scored on their first three possessions. Chase McLaughlin kicked field goals of 56 and 34 yards.
With Tampa Bay leading 6–0, Washington kicker Cade York attempted a 47-yard field goal on the 10th play but missed.
The Buccaneers advanced 63 yards in eight plays, including a 17-yard touchdown pass from Mayfield to Evans.
Washington went on another 74-yard drive, capped by a Brian Robinson run from 7 yards out to narrow the deficit to 13–7.
McLaughlin’s third field goal – a 29-yarder – made it 16–7. At the end of the first half, Tampa Bay held a 205–120 lead in total yards.
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