Jayden Daniels is going to need to pull off a comeback if he’s going to be a winner in his first NFL game.
Mike Evans caught a touchdown from Baker Mayfield and Chase McLaughlin kicked three field goals to stake the Buccaneers to a 16-7 lead over the Commanders at halftime.
Evans has four catches for 60 yards, Chris Godwin has six for 55 yards, and Mayfield is 16-of-19 for 174 yards as the Buccaneers have scored on all four of their possessions. The Commanders can feel good about limiting the damage to field goals on three of those drives, but they’ll need some actual stops in order to pull off the upset on the road.
Daniels has shown off the running ability that made him a dual-threat Heisman winner at LSU. He’s run seven times for 56 yards and he’s 5-of-8 for 46 yards through the air. Daniels has not been able to connect with wide receiver Terry McLaurin and that’s a big piece of the offensive puzzle for Washington to sort out.
The Buccaneers won’t have cornerback Zyon McCollum as they try to keep their lead. He’s ben ruled out with a concussion.
