Even the most optimistic view of how the Washington Commanders' offense in Week 1 came with the caveat that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were a tough matchup. Todd Bowles brought more pressure than almost anyone last season, and for a rookie quarterback in a new system, that can present a bevy of problems.
It turns out, that's exactly what happened in Washington's 37-20 loss to the Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Bowles blitzed Daniels on 42.4% of his snaps -- the second highest number for any team in Week 1 -- and though Daniels came out unscathed and put up 272 yards of offense with two touchdowns, the unit struggled to get going with just two third down conversions on eight attempts. Washington's third touchdown of the day came when the game was all but decided in the fourth quarter.
After an offseason of good vibes and excitement, it was a classic "welcome to the NFL" moment for Daniels and Washington's new offense. Next week's matchup against the New York Giants will present new challenges, some of which the unit will be more prepared for.
"Those guys have a front can change the game," Daniels said Wednesday. "Very sound defense. Obviously, the dude came from Tennessee, [Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen] so it is going to be a fun one."
The Giants' front is just as formidable as it was last season, if not more so. They acquired Brian Burns in the offseason, sending a second- and fifth-round pick to the Carolina Panthers for the two-time Pro Bowler. He's now part of a trio that also includes Kayvon Thibodeaux and Dexter Lawrence, both of whom have given Washington problems in the past.
Over the past two seasons, about a third of Thibodeaux's production has come from his four games against Washington. Lawrence, a two-time Pro Bowler, has recorded at least a half-sack in his last four games against Washington.
It will be on the Commanders' offensive line to win their matchup against Burns, Thibodeaux and Lawrence and give Daniels time to work. Daniels had the shortest time to throw against the Buccaneers, as he was forced to get rid of the ball after an average of 2.35 seconds per drop back. That played a role in Daniels having to speed up his progression, which in turn resulted in him carrying the ball 16 times.
Daniels was largely successful with his 88 rushing yards -- the most for a rookie quarterback in their debut -- but Quinn has acknowledged that isn't a consistent formula for success.
"There are choices when to go, when to not, you do have to grow and learn into those," Quinn said. "And I am 100% certain that he will, but the other part of his game, there is [time to use Daniels'] legs and when there's times to go and create a first down and get an explosive [play]."
The Washington Commanders have begun their week of prep for the Week 2 matchup against the New York Giants.
Daniels should also be helped by a significant lack of pressure from the Giants' defense. Against the Minnesota Vikings, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen sent blitzes to harass Sam Darnold on 19.2% of his snaps, which ranked 26th in the NFL. That number might go up a bit after the Giants saw how Daniels handled pressure, but Quinn expects his quarterback to be more effective from the pocket at use his legs less.
"I'd say some of the checks at the line to go against the blitz. Some of the looks that you showed during the week, we actually hit a few that we wanted a certain play or a certain one on," Quinn said. "And when you don't nail them, those are the ones that keep you up as a night as a coach. At the end of it, it's execution, man. Whether a team's playing cover two or three, or quarters or blitzes a lot, whatever that identity is you have to be able to adjust and go attack when that comes up."
No matter what Daniels will see from the Giants' defense, Quinn wants him to adapt.
"Sometimes there's changes in the plan that you have to adjust to, and we'll be ready to do that if they decide to play it in a different way. But you do have to at least look at the experience and develop the game plan based on what you know. And then if it changes, that's where you adjust."
Despite the amount of pressure that Daniels faced, he still managed to put up numbers that placed him in the top third of the league. His completion rate of 70.8%, slightly behind Patrick Mahomes' 71.4%, and his passer rating of 93.1 both ranked 11th among quarterbacks.
Though the Giants' secondary boasts quality players like Deonte Banks, a rookie starter in 2023, and Adoree Jackson, they still allowed Darnold to have a clean day against them. He completed 19 of 24 passes for 208 yards with two touchdowns and just one interception. He earned a QBR of 81, which ranked eighth in the league.
The biggest difference between Darnold and Daniels' performances was how the Vikings were able to stretch the field. Eight of Darnold's pass attempts traveled more than 10 yards, resulting in a completion rate of 63%. Conversely, most of Daniels' attempts were 10 yards or less. Of Daniels' four pass attempts that traveled farther, only one resulted in a completion.
Daniels said after the game that most of her decisions were dictated by what the defense was giving him with how often they brought multiple defenders. That should change against a defense that won't blitz as much, so Daniels knows he needs to be patient for more explosive plays.
"You can't try to force stuff," Daniels said. "When you start forcing stuff, that's when you kind of just get out who you are, your character. When the plays there, make them, but other than that, man, the name of the game's moving the chains and you keep moving the chains the closer you get to scoring."
And after an up-and-down, but still mostly clean, debut, Quinn fully expects a better performance.
"I am excited that we get to have this next performance at home in front of them [the fans], because we were certainly not pleased with our performance," Quinn said. "We'll give Tampa the credit, but I see this team is going to improve significantly moving forward."
