Buccaneers are poised to light up the scoreboard thanks to Commanders' major weakness
Week 1 is officially here, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold its first Wednesday practice of the regular season. From this point on, it's the typical NFL routine as we march through 2024.The Bucs have an interesting opening opponent in the Washington Commanders. The franchise has entered the freshest of eras, with new owners, new […]
Week 1 is officially here, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hold its first Wednesday practice of the regular season. From this point on, it's the typical NFL routine as we march through 2024.
The Bucs have an interesting opening opponent in the Washington Commanders. The franchise has entered the freshest of eras, with new owners, new front office personnel, new coaches, and what it hopes to be a new franchise quarterback in rookie Jayden Daniels.
Tampa Bay, on the other hand, is a bit more established, but it also has its fair share of youth, as its the second-youngest team heading into the season. It's an intriguing mix of experience and youth and it's going to be fun watching it play out – for good or bad.
So, let's go ahead and dive into what we've all been waiting for: breaking down the top matchups that will determine who starts off 1-0.
Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Jalen McMillan vs. Emmanuel Forbes, Benjamin St-Juste, and Mike Sainristil
The Bucs have one of the NFL's best WR duos and could have one of the best trios by season's end, thanks to the rookie McMillan. He has been sensational, so far, since the Bucs drafted him in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
If he can keep things trending in the right direction, this will be a lethal passing attack spearheaded by Baker Mayfield. The idea of Evans as the X, Godwin as primary slot that can also play Z and then the idea of McMillan as the primary Z that can line up inside will give any secondary nightmares, no matter who they are. And things will get off to a very quick start in Week 1, thanks to a very, very questionable Commanders secondary.
This is easily the biggest question mark on the Commanders, with nickelback Sainristil being the only "sure" thing, and even then, he's a rookie. He may be the best corner on the roster, but we are talking about a low bar overall, here.
Forbes and St-Juste are listed as starters on the unofficial depth chart for Week 1, but it won't be a surprise if Mike Davis is rotated in. Forbes and St-Juste have had some OK moments, but it's the overall sample size that has been unimpressive over the past month and change, leaving the group in an underwhelming spot heading into the regular season.
The one factor that can help the Commanders is Dan Quinn's and defensive coordinator Joe Whitt's abilities to coach their guys up and come up with a good game plan. But even then, a lot will have to go right for this to work in Washington's favor.
The Bucs easily have the advantage, here. The Commanders secondary just doesn't have the dudes Quinn needs for his scheme to be what we've seen over the years in Dallas and Mayfield and co. should have a nice day because of that.
Bucs' pass rush vs. Commanders offensive line
The Commanders' tackle situation is another big question mark and while the Bucs have a promising group of pass rushers, it's a question mark, as well.
Just how healthy will Yaya Diaby be in Week 1? Will we see Joe Tryon-Shoyinka start taking the needed steps forward in Year 4? Can Chris Braswell continue his ascension? How much does Anthony Nelson play and will we see the same consistent play? And lastly, how do summer stalwarts Jose Ramirez and Markeese Watts look if/when they get playing time?
Commanders' rookie third-rounder Brandon Coleman appears to have won the starting left tackle job after a solid training camp, but he got injured about midway through and has hardly practiced, since. He didn't even log a single snap in any of the preseason games due to the strained pec/shoulder he was dealing with. It's still unclear if he plays. If he doesn't, it'll be veteran Cornelius Lucas at LT, who's been a backup for the majority of his career.
On other side, it's veteran Andrew Wylie, who dealt with his own camp injury early-on. He's serviceable, but his ceiling is low.
There's also the interior to discuss, as well. Commanders right guard Sam Cosmi is one of the league's best, but Tyler Biadasz and Nick Allegretti are in the same vein as Wylie for the most part: experienced veterans with low ceilings. Vita Vea and Calijah Kancey, primarily, should find plenty of good work against those guys.
Bucs' offensive line vs. Commanders' pass rush, primarily the interior
The Commanders don't have a true No. 1 guy on the edge, which obviously bodes very well for All-Pro left tackle Tristan Wirfs and up-and-coming right tackle Luke Goedeke. But it's a different story when we're talking about the interior of the Commanders' defensive trenches.
If there's a factor (or factors) that can make life hell for the Bucs offense this week, it's the defensive line duo of Jonathan Allen and Daron Payne. Those guys make up the NFL's best iDL and they can easily wreak havoc from the inside-out against Ben Bredeson, rookie center Graham Barton, and second-year guard Cody Mauch.
We saw what the Dolphins' iDL duo of Calais Campbell and Zach Sieler did to Barton and co. during training camp and that could most certainly happen in Week 1. We also know how much interior pressure can disrupt an offense, so if the iOL isn't up to snuff then this game is going to be a tight one.
“It’s going to be huge," Bucs head coach Todd Bowles told reporters when asked about the offensive line/defensive line matchup. "They’ve got some talented players up there… We don’t play any scrubs anymore. Nobody is playing their three’s and four’s [like] in preseason, so it’s going to be a tough challenge. We know they’re a tough bunch. They get off the ball very well. Dan [Quinn] is a great defensive coach. It’s going to be a challenge for them.”
Jayden Daniels vs. the Bucs defense
And lastly, but certainly not least, it's the most obvious matchup: Daniels vs. Bowles' defense.
Daniels has looked really, really good this preseason. His first completion of the preseason showed off his deadly deep ball accuracy, as well as his killer instincts. He's shown incredible command of the offense and he knows how to work within Kliff Kingsbury's playbook. There's also the fact he can shred a defense with his legs.
"Any time you face a dual-threat quarterback, it’s going to be a problem," said Bowles. "He can beat you with his legs or his arm. He was taken that high for a reason. He’s very accurate, very calm in the pocket, has a good mastery of the offense from what we’ve seen…It’s going to be tough trying to keep him in the pocket and trying to cover those guys…
“… He’s accurate. That about says it all. He’s accurate. He understands what he’s doing, he knows where to place the ball at, and he’s very good at it.”
Daniels is as electric as they come and as a No. 2 overall pick, he's expected to lift the play of those around him, which is a necessity when looking at the current makeup on the offensive side of the ball. With an average at best offensive line and extremely limited receiving options, it's going to be very intriguing to see what he can do in his first-ever regular season NFL game.
Honorable mentions
The Commanders' run game looked strong in the preseason, so it'll be interesting to see how it does against a typically strong Bucs run defense. There's also the Bucs' talented, but largely unproven, cornerback group against the Commanders' not-so-talented-and-laregly-unproven receiver room. Finally, it'll be interesting to see how the Bucs linebackers do against a Commanders tight end room that is not only versatile, but could surprise some people during the season.
Overall, this matchup plays heavily in favor of the Bucs, on paper. It should also translate to the field in what should be a win.
