Giants quarterback Daniel Jones did not make a triumphant return to the lineup on Sunday.
Jones tore his ACL after playing poorly early last season, but the Giants stuck with him as their starter for this season and the first day back on the field was a rough one. Jones threw two interceptions and failed to lead the Giants to a touchdown in a 28-6 home loss to the Vikings.
Jones was 22-of-42 passing the ball and ran six times for 15 yards on a day when it looked like the Giants may not have the right answers to their offensive questions, so it wasn’t a surprise that head coach Brian Daboll was asked if he’s thinking about a quarterback change. It doesn’t sound like that’s in the cards just yet, though.
“We’re gonna watch everything. That’s not in my mind,” Daboll said at his press conference.
The Giants are in Washington next weekend and another bad outing against a divisional foe won’t do anything to sell the idea that Jones will wind up as the right answer for the offense.
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.
Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield called rookie receiver Jalen McMillan a stud early in training camp and he gave the wideout a chance to show off his skills in the season opener.
Mayfield found McMillan streaking wide open down the field for a 32-yard touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. The touchdown came after a touchdown run by Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels cut Tampa’s lead to nine and the Bucs are now up 30-14.
The touchdown was also McMillan’s first NFL catch. Mayfield is now 21-of-27 for 256 yards and three scores.
The Commanders didn’t go for two after the Daniels touchdown even though that would have moved them within one possession of tying the game. McMillan’s big play made that decision less relevant to the proceedings, however.
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.
Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans led the league with 13 receiving touchdowns last season and he’s picked up his first of the 2024 campaign.
Evans was well covered by Commanders cornerback Benjamin St-Juste on a second quarter throw from Baker Mayfield, but he fought his way to a 17-yard touchdown grab. The Buccaneers had a pair of field goals in the first quarter and are now up 13-0 with over 10 minutes to go in the half.
Evans has three catches for 54 yards and Mayfield is 10-of-12 for 129 yards.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels had a rough start as a backward swing pass on his first snap turned into a 15-yard loss, but he was able to move the team into scoring position on the team’s second possession. A penalty slowed the march and kicker Cade York missed a 47-yard field goal to keep the Commanders off the scoreboard.