There isn't much time for reflection in the NFL. As soon as one game is over, teams are expected to turn the page, put either the sting or euphoria of the previous game behind them and begin preparations for the next matchup.

Such is the case for the Washington Commanders after suffering a 37-20 defeat at the hands of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1. Although there were some things to build on, the team largely fell short against a playoff-caliber opponent who had won the NFC South the last three seasons and made it to the divisional round in 2023.

So, now the Commanders must look ahead to the New York Giants to bounce back, but not before taking a serious look at how they performed last weekend and applying those lessons to their routine. Here are some final thoughts on Week 1 from head coach Dan Quinn's Monday press conference.

1. Jayden Daniels lived up to the hype.

There were certainly some plays that Jayden Daniels wished he could have had back against the Buccaneers. The backwards pass that resulted in a 16-yard loss to start the game and the missed shot to Terry McLaurin that could have been a touchdown are the most obvious culprits.

However, despite going against Todd Bowles' blitz-happy defense, there was more good than bad from Daniels in his NFL debut, as he accounted for 272 total yards and two touchdowns with no turnovers. For Quinn, it confirmed the assessment he had developed of the rookie from training camp.

"By and large, I felt from the competitor side, that was it," Quinn said. "Those were some of the things I saw even on some of the runs, we didn't have a lot of design quarterback runs, but some of the ones that he did, I think if he'd asked him again, he'd probably wanna let it rip to one of the guys on some ops."

Just as he did in training camp, Daniels showed poise in the pocket and had stretches where he was accurate with his passes. He also used his legs -- a lot -- when he couldn't find an open target or didn't see a look that he liked in the secondary. His 88 rushing yards were the most by a rookie in their debut.

All that was exciting and helped keep the offense on the field, but having your quarterback rush 16 times is not an ideal formula for success. Quinn wants to see Daniels let the progression of the play take shape more often before taking off -- something that he knows Daniels would want to redo on some running opportunities.

Daniels' improvement is one of the biggest priorities this season. Sunday's game wasn't perfect, but it was a good start.

2. Quinn was pleased with the running backs.

Up until the third quarter, most of Washington's offensive production that didn't stem from Daniels belonged to the duo of Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler. Like Daniels' scrambling, that isn't a formula that will lead to consistent results, but it did show Quinn the group's potential.

"I think if you know, saw Austin and [RB] Brian, and the catches and the big plays that came from them, it makes you defend the whole field," Quinn said.

While Robinson supplied most of the rushing yards between him and Ekeler -- he had 40 on 12 carries and scored a seven-year touchdown -- both players were contributors in the passing game. Ekeler led the team with 52 yards, catching all four of his targets and averaging 13 yards per grab. He also had a 22-yard catch-and-run up the middle of the Buccaneers defense that saw him avoid three would-be tacklers.

Robinson, however, wasn't far behind him with 49 yards on three catches. Most of his production came on a 32-yard pass in the third quarter that put the offense at the Tampa Bay 1-yard line and led to a score from Daniels one play later.

Of course, the Commanders will want more production from their wide receivers in the future -- Luke McCaffrey led the position with 18 yards -- but Robinson and Ekeler showed Quinn they can be relied upon to make explosive plays as well.

3. The pre- and post-snap communication must improve on both sides of the ball.

Some of this likely stems from there being so many new pieces on the Commanders' roster, but pre- and post-snap communication was a problem for the offense and defense. The team had to burn one of its timeouts because it didn't have the right personnel for a specific package, and Benjamin St-Juste talked in the locker room about needing to be more vocal.

No matter the cause, it was clear the Commanders need to find a solution. Quinn and his coaching staff are already trying to work that out.

"It was actually one of the things that we talked about as a staff today of how we can improve upon that and the clarity that it goes with," Quinn said. "I think it will continue to grow stronger at as we go. I was pleased to see ball security, not a lot of communication errors to go. Can it get sharper? You bet."

Quinn said there were a few moments where the pre- and post-snap communication wasn't as strong as it needed to be in the secondary. This likely contributed to the number of explosive plays Tampa Bay put up, as it had nine plays of at least 15 yards. To fix that Quinn referred back to a conversation he had with Tony Dungy, who prioritized taking things out, not adding, to "make sure you nail this every time."

Regardless of the strategy they finally land on, Quinn said they will emphasize it more after Sunday's game.

4. The pass-rush needs to finish.

The Commanders managed to sack Baker Mayfield one time on Sunday, resulting in a nine-yard loss. That doesn't paint a completely accurate picture of how much they tried to bring him down Sunday afternoon, but it does reflect how much the pass-rush needs to improve at finishing plays.

"I thought we were able to let him outside the pocket where he could extend plays to go, much like Jayden did on some," Quinn said. "So, those are things that we have to do and get him down."

The defense was able to surround Mayfield three several times on Sunday, and each time the veteran quarterback managed to escape and scamper forward for a big gain, either with his legs or his arm.

One of the worst came on third-and-6 in the fourth quarter, when Mayfield ducked under multiple Commanders defenders before running for an 11-yard gain. Two plays later, Mayfield tossed a one-yard touchdown pass to Mike Evans.

The Commanders invested in restructuring their pass-rush over the summer, bringing in athletic weapons like Frankie Luvu and Dante Fowler. Getting the quarterback on the ground, however, has proven to be a more difficult task, which was hinted at during the preseason. If they can figure that out, it could turn into a more formidable group.

5. "This team is going to significantly improve moving forward."

Yes, the Commanders started the season with an ugly performance against a superior opponent, and yes, some of the problems from last season persisted in 2024. That does not mean that this year's roster is the same as the one that finished 4-13 in 2023. If anything, Sunday's loss showed how much farther Washington needs to go before being a perennial playoff contender.

Quinn, his staff and the players are determined to get there, no matter how long it takes.

"We'll give Tampa the credit, but I think this team is going to improve significantly moving forward," Quinn said.

Quinn highlighted many of the problems Washington had against the Buccaneers. He was not pleased with the performance on third down or the number of missed opportunities on either side of the ball. Those areas played a critical role in the outcome, and the Buccaneers, who have established themselves as a team that Washington hopes to emulate in terms of success, was able to capitalize on them

There were also some positives to take from Sunday as well. The offense took care of the ball, and he liked the amount of fight and competitiveness the players showed despite the score getting out of hand.

Still, Washington didn't rise to its own standard, and Quinn acknowledged that. So, they'll make the necessary adjustments and get ready to get in the win column for Week 2.

"We're going to make sure we get the play style aligned exactly like we wanted."