After months of planning, the Washington Commanders will officially begin their 2024 season with a road matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sept. 8 at 4:25 p.m. Here are five keys to them coming away from Raymond James Stadium with a win.

1. Manage the blitz.

Head coach and defensive play-caller Todd Bowles' affinity for bringing pressure, particularly against young quarterbacks, has been the main storyline for the Commanders' offense. Exactly what Jayden Daniels will see on Sunday is unknown at this point, but it's clear that he's going to experience some heat.

"It's going to be a challenge, obviously," Daniels said. "What he has done over there, top 10 defense, stuff like that. They like to get the ball out, bring blitzes, get you in long situations so they could pin their ears back and get out their quarterback."

Bowles lived up to his reputation in 2023 by bringing blitzes on 40.1% of the Buccaneers' defensive snaps, which ranked third in the league. That led to them being one of the most effective teams when it came to generating sacks, as their 48 was tied for seventh-most in the league.

However, despite bringing more pressure than most teams, there were mixed results from those blitzes. They generated just 44 hurries, which ranked 18th, and their 42 quarterback knockdowns were tied for 24th.

Daniels has earned the confidence of offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury because of his preparation and poise. Kingsbury thinks Daniels is going to "cut it loose," and if Daniels can keep his composure, there should be opportunities for explosive plays downfield.

2. Establish the run.

While the Buccaneers were one of the worst teams at defending the pass last season -- their average of 248.9 yards given up per game was ranked 29th -- they excelled at stopping the run. They were one of just eight teams to give up an average of less than 100 yards per game, and the longest run they allowed in 2023 was 29 yards, which was tied for the lowest in the league.

That isn't going to change with Vita Vea and Lavonte David leading the charge for the Bucs, but the Commanders must establish some kind of ground attack to take them down.

That effort will be spearheaded by the duo of Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler, neither of whom saw much action in the preseason. Of course, that lack of snaps was intentional, as the Commanders didn't want to show too much of their plans for an offense that ran the ball at the lowest rate in the league and averaged just 93.6 yards per contest.

Based on what we've seen in practice, though, the Commanders are certainly going to run the ball at a much higher rate. Not only will this be done to establish more balance for the unit but also to protect Daniels and not rely too much on his arm to make plays.

The battle on the ground will be a challenging one for Robinson and Ekeler, who will be pitted against a defense that allowed the fifth fewest missed tackles in 2023. However, 45% of Robinson total rushing yards have come after contact.

3. Force Bake Mayfield to make tough decisions.

Baker Mayfield had the best season of his career in 2023, hitting highs in passing yards and touchdowns. He was the catalyst for Tampa Bay's run to the playoffs last season, and if the performance is the start of a trend, rather than an outlier, it will present problems for Washington's defense.

Mayfield is still a gunslinger, though, which means he's going to try forcing passes into tight windows. That should create some turnover opportunities for Washington to prove they are living by the new philosophy of prioritizing takeaways.

Mayfield's 10 interceptions were among the most in the league, but to his credit, that number was the third lowest in his career. Mayfield also had 17 big time throws on passes of at least 20 yards, which tied for 14th and was only one behind Patrick Mahomes.

Mayfield also had the 10th most turnover worth plays on deep passes and second most overall. As has always been the case with the former No. 1 overall pick, there are high risks, and rewards, when relying on his arm.

Washington struggled to create takeaways last season, as their 18 was tied for seventh fewest, but defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. has been trying to change that this offseason. They have stressed the importance of getting the ball back, and the players have bought into his lessons. We'll see how much they have improved on Sunday.

4. Avoid explosive plays.

Among the Commanders' many problems on defense last season was their inability to prevent explosive plays, particularly in the passing game. They gave up the most in the league, which contributed to them allowing 262.2 yards through the air.

Their first opportunity to show those problems are in the past will be against Mike Evans, who has the NFL record for the most consecutive 1,000-yard seasons.

"He's a dog, man," Whitt said of Evans. "It's been fun to compete against him as a coach over the years."

At 6-foot-5 and 231 pounds, Evans is an imposing physical presence who knows how to use his size to come down with contested catches. And at 31 years old, the five-time Pro Bowler still has the juice to be considered on the best wideouts playing today, as his 13 receiving touchdowns led the NFL last season.

It will be on Emmanuel Forbes Jr., Benjamin St-Juste, Noah Igbinoghene and Michael Davis to figure out an answer for Evans' play style. They believe that if they try to match that physicality at the line of scrimmage, it will give them a better chance to force incompletions and avoid the explosive plays that Evans tends to make.

We'll see if that strategy yields any results, but there's no doubt that taking away Tampa Bay's biggest weapon will be a massive advantage for Washington.

5. Find ways to capitalize in the red zone.

The Buccaneers were one of the best at keeping teams out of the end zone, especially from 20 yards and in. They allowed red zone touchdowns on 45% of opposing drives, which happened to be the third lowest rate last season. Washington, meanwhile, was actually one of the most efficient teams in the red zone last season, scoring on 63.3% of their trips.

Washington must find a way to continue that success with its new scheme.

Putting reservations aside about the preseason's significance, Kingsbury's unit managed to put up points in scoring position. That started with Daniels' three-yard touchdown run against the New York Jets. The Commanders scored in the red zone three more times in the preseason, including back-to-back scores against the New England Patriots.

Granted, most of the players on the field during that portion of the Patriots game are no longer on the roster, but the play calling in those situations still hold value. Kingsbury knows there will be a much tougher test going against Bowles' defense.

"Coach Bowles has been one of the top defensive minds in football for a long time, and him having a whole off season to prepare for this one always makes a tough challenge, but it'll be fun," Kingsbury said. "I've just been really appreciative of this opportunity, trying to take everything with a lot of gratitude."