Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield scored a big new contract this offseason and he provided strong returns on the team’s investment against the Commanders on Sunday.
Mayfield went 24-of-30 for 289 yards and four touchdowns to lead the Bucs to a 37-20 home win. It’s the fifth time that Mayfield has thrown at least four touchdowns in a game and it’s the second time he’s done it with the Bucs.
Mayfield’s first and fourth scoring passes went to Mike Evans, who led the league in touchdown catches last year and picked up right where he left off. Chris Godwin and rookie Jalen McMillan had the other two scores while running back Rachaad White had 75 yards on six catches. White wasn’t quite so effective on the ground, but rookie Bucky Irving had nine carries for 62 yards in his debut.
The Bucs’ offensive success allowed them to jump out to a 16-7 lead in the first half and Godwin’s score put the Commanders into scramble mode. Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels’s first pro touchdown run provided a flicker of hope, but Mayfield hit McMillan for a 32-yard score and the defense forced a punt that led to the Evans touchdown.
Daniels ran 16 times for 88 yards and scored another touchdown in garbage time, but head coach Dan Quinn is sure to hear questions about a number of big hits that the second overall pick took in the contest. A lack of connections with Terry McLaurin will also be something for the Commanders to work on as the rookie moves toward a Week Two home game against the Giants.
Mayfield and the Bucs will head to Detroit for a matchup with the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last season. A win in Week Two won’t carry the same weight, but it would provide further reason to think the Bucs can make it back to the postseason this year.