The Washington Commanders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers face off this Sunday at Raymond James Stadium for Wild Card Weekend, the first weekend of the NFL’s playoffs. The Commanders haven’t been here since 2020, but the Bucs have made postseason appearances in the last four seasons.
The Commanders and Bucs met in Week 1 of the 2024 season. It was the debut of Jayden Daniels, and it didn’t go well. He ended the game with a 35.8 QBR and a 93.1 quarterback rating. He didn’t throw a single touchdown (but he ran for two), but he also didn’t turn the ball over.
When the Commanders and Bucs meet this time, Daniels has an entire season under his belt. Neither team is the same today as they were in Week 1, so it’s not going to be the same game. For the Commanders, there are three reasons to be optimistic that the outcome of this meeting will be different from the last one.
The growth of Jayden Daniels
Let’s be real, no one thought that Jayden Daniels would have the season he had this year. Not as a rookie. He far exceeded everyone’s expectations, probably including his own. He hit a rough patch, losing three games in a row in November, but rebounded to finish the season 5-0.
His growth isn’t just around his stats, it’s around his leadership, his positivity, the way he finds the open man and trusts his receivers. He has, at times, put this team on his back and carried it to a win, but he has also learned to rely on his skill players. He has grown as much on the field as he has off of it, and his poise and humility have kept him grounded.
Austin Ekeler is healthy
Austin Ekeler spent much of the season playing through injury and missed all of December, finally returning on January 5. The Bucs have the fourth-ranked run defense in the NFL, so even though the Commanders have Brian Robinson Jr. and Jayden Daniels (who is actually the leading rusher), having Ekeler is going to be huge. It adds a dynamic to the run game they miss when he’s out
Ekeler’s true values comes as a receiver.
Ekeler can catch a ball as well as he runs with it, and Daniels is going to have to throw the ball on Sunday. They’ll get their ground yards where they can, but the Bucs have the 30th-ranked pass defense, so you can be sure that Daniels will air it out. Ekeler provides an extra outlet for Daniels, so having him available is a big deal.
Commanders have 4th ranked pass defense
The Commanders’ run defense is definitely a problem, but their pass defense is not. They allow under 190 yards per game to opponents, an average of seven yards per throw, and have given up 25 passing touchdowns. Baker Mayfield ranks third in passing yards this season and averages just under 265 yards per game, an average of 7.9 yards per throw.
Mayfield may have been successful in their first meeting this season, but the Commanders’ secondary has shut down opposing receivers since then, and it’s not just one player. Mike Sainristil, Jeremy Chinn, Marshon Lattimore, Quan Martin, and Noah Igbinoghene have all combined to solidify Washington’s secondary.
