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.
The Giants didn’t get off to the start they wanted on Sunday.
Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold threw two touchdowns and their own quarterback Daniel Jones threw a pair of interceptions in a 28-6 home loss to Minnesota. It was a dispiriting offensive performance across the board, especially with the defense picking up a pair of turnovers to help give them more opportunities.
After the game, Brian Daboll said he thought the defense played hard and repeatedly pointed at himself when discussing who needs to be better for the Giants to pick up better results in the future.
“There’s a lot of things to clean up. I’ve got to do a better job all the way around and that’s what I’ll do,” Daboll said in his postgame press conference.
The Giants ran 17 more plays than the Vikings, but were outgained by more than 70 yards and Jones was 22-of-42 while being sacked five times. Daboll may see areas he needs to improve, but that will only do so much if Jones and the rest of the offense perform as poorly as they did on Sunday.
Both teams are going to be missing defensive linemen when the Commanders and Buccaneers tangle in Tampa.
The Commanders put rookie defensive tackle Jer’Zhan Newton on their inactive list before kickoff on Sunday. Newton had foot surgery this offseason and he was listed as doubtful on the team’s final injury report.
Washington also made wide receiver Noah Brown inactive. The former Cowboy and Texan signed with the team after being cut in Houston last month. Quarterback Sam Hartman, safety Darrick Forrest, linbacker Dom Hampton, and guard Chris Paul are also out for the visitors.
The Buccaneers will be without defensive lineman Logan Hall and Calijah Kancey after ruling both of them out ahead of the game. Tight end Devin Culp, cornerback Tyrek Funderburk, safety Kaevon Merriweather, guard Royce Newman, and linebacker Jose Ramirez are also inactive.
The Buccaneers won’t have another one of their key defensive players in Week 1.
With Logan Hall already ruled out with a foot injury, fellow defensive lineman Calijah Kancey has been downgraded to out with a calf injury.
Kancey was added to the report on Friday as a limited participant in practice. He was initially questionable.
Receiver Trey Palmer (concussion) remains questionable.
Tampa Bay also announced the team has elevated defensive linemen C.J. Brewer and Mike Greene from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday.
Washington’s veteran backup will be sidelined for at least the next four weeks.
The Commanders announced on Saturday that Marcus Mariota has been placed on injured reserve.
Mariota is dealing with a pectoral injury that sidelined him for Thursday and Friday’s practices. He was listed as limited on Wednesday.
The No. 2 overall pick of the 2015 draft, Mariota signed a one-year deal with Washington in March after spending last season with Philadelphia.
The Commanders signed undrafted rookie quarterback Sam Hartman to the 53-man roster to take Mariota’s spot. The club also has Jeff Driskel on the 53.
Additionally, Washington elevated linebacker Nick Bellore and defensive tackle Sheldon Day from the practice squad to the active roster for Week 1.
The Buccaneers won’t have defensive lineman Logan Hall against the Commanders on Sunday.
Hall missed practice all week with a foot injury and he was officially ruled out on the team’s final injury report. Hall started 15 of the 19 games the Buccaneers played last season and finished the year with 24 tackles, a half-sack, and two fumble recoveries.
Defensive lineman Calijah Kancey is on the injury report with a calf injury. He was added to the report as a limited participant and is listed as questionable.
The Buccaneers also placed defensive lineman Ernest Brown on injured reserve, so they have several injury concerns on their defensive front. Brown has injured ribs and his roster spot will go to defensive lineman Ben Stille, who the Bucs signed off of Arizona’s practice squad.
Wide receiver Trey Palmer is listed as questionable due to a concussion. He was a full participant in practice all week.