Washington Commanders most to blame for Week 1 loss to Buccaneers
Who needs to be held accountable for opening-week loss?
By Douglas FritzSep 12, 2024 at 9:22 PM ET
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Rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels’ debut went fairly well, but one area needs attention. But the Washington Commanders still lost to the Buccaneers and here are the folks most to blame for the setback.
First and foremost, the blame sits at the doorstep of the front office, namely general manager Adam Peters.
Commanders GM Adam Peters put together weak receiver group
Washington Commanders general manager Adam Peters smiles during an introductory press conference for Commanders head coach Dan Quinn (not pictured) at Commanders Park.
Geoff Burke-Imagn Images
Peters received a lot of credit early for his attempt to quickly rebuild the shambles of a franchise. Back in May, he received praise from nfl.com for his efforts, according to columnist Jeffri Chadiha.
“New GM Adam Peters is making a strong impression in his first year on the job,” Chadiha wrote. “He inherited a mess but has quickly bolstered a roster that could be better than people realize with new head coach Dan Quinn leading it.”
However, Peters did next to nothing to improve the receivers. It doesn’t make sense to have a rookie quarterback starting in Week 1 and give him leftovers, stale bread, and no depth.
Yes, the Commanders have Terry McLaurin. He’s one of the NFL’s best. But Peters’ job included the task of making sure McLaurin had enough help to stay among the NFL’s best. McLaurin had two catches for 17 yards. That’s only slightly better than taking the week off.
Sure, part of it belongs to Daniels for not getting him the ball. But the Commanders had 10 of 17 receptions go to running backs Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr., along with tight end Zach Ertz. The other receivers besides McLaurin caught five passes for 38 yards. That’s atrocious production.
Peters did what he had to do in sending Jahan Dotson to the Eagles. Dotson likely won’t do much of anything with the Eagles this year, except for the two games against the Commanders when they will scheme plays for him just to stick it to Peters and the Commanders and make them look bad.
If the idea of competing in 2024 held firm in the minds of Peters and the front office, the Commanders should have brought in a legitimate No. 2 receiver this year. Luke McCaffrey isn’t ready — or good enough — for that role. Olamide Zaccheaus? Please. Dyami Brown? Noah Brown? Jamison Crowder. That’s not an NFL receiver room. It looks more like a practice squad. Guys you only use because of crushing injuries at the position.
Inability to make plays on the edge proved to be one of the biggest reasons the Commanders weren’t competitive against the Buccaneers. Quinn said the Commanders need to grow, according to commanderswire.com.
“You need to struggle to see the identity develop,” Quinn said. “You don’t want it. But you do need it. That part is hard, and that struggle happened tonight. We’ll take these lessons and we will work on them.”
But the truth is, you can’t grow an apple tree by planting potatoes. The roster remains what it is, especially at the receiver position. Daniels said the offense is a work in progress, according to commanders.com.
“”I can’t really speak for the whole team,” Daniels said. “I don’t want to speak for the defensive guys, but on the offensive side, man, we can’t shoot ourselves in the foot. Once we get rolling, we get rolling.”
Fortunately, the Commanders’ receivers haven’t given up on the season this early. McLaurin said things will get better even though Daniels missed a home-run shot in the second half by overthrowing McLaurin.
